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Foreign Minister Marise Payne only learned of the decision to review Australia’s Israel policy two days before Scott Morrison’s announcement.
The Prime Minister revealed the re-think on Tuesday, November 16, having spoken to his minister the previous Sunday.
It was briefed out to the media, and appeared in newspapers on the morning of the official announcement.
Ms Payne told a senate estimates hearing the decision was taken without Cabinet discussion, or advice from the Foreign Affairs Department.
Mr Morrison decided to consider the major foreign policy shift to transfer Australia’s Embbady from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and support for the Iran nuclear deal.
It was discussed by the government’s “leadership group”.
Under intense questioning from Labor’s Penny Wong, Ms Payne was at pains to point out it was a “review” and not a “decision” to switch policy.
“No discussion by cabinet. Discussed by the leadership group. No advice from the department. Good government,” Ms Wong.
The minister also revealed she hadn’t spoken directly to her Indonesian counterpart, who lodged a strong protest in a series if text messages after the announcement.
Indonesia is the world’s largest Islamic country, and considered our most important regional partner.
Ms Payne said it was legitimate for a new Prime Minister to review existing policy.
The department briefed foreign embbadies in Australia, and our embbadies in other countries spoke to foreign governments on the day and evening before the Prime Minister’s media conference.
The Australian review follows the transfer of the US Embbady, and America withdrawing from the Iran deal.
Department secretary, Frances Adamson, said at the time it wasn’t “helpful” to the peace process and today told the hearing her badessment hadn’t changed.
Mr Morrison said the decision was made, in part, because the process had reached a “stalemate”, and it would help progress the two-state solution.
The announcement came just days before the Wentworth by-election, and was seen as a desperate bid by the government to appeal to the electorate’s large Jewish community.
The Prime Minister told Question time he had been persuaded to review the policy by Liberal Wentworth candidate and former Israel ambbadador, Dave Sharma.
But, Mr Morrison said, it was only a review, and no decision had been made.
He said it was discussed by the national security committee, but refused to go into cabinet processes.
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2018
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