Interview with Natalie Barr - Channel Seven Sunrise

NATALIE BARR, HOST: The Israeli Government has intensified it’s criticism of the Prime Minister’s plan to recognise a Palestinian state, after a Hamas co-founder said they welcomed Australia’s decision. That is despite Anthony Albanese telling Sunrise on Tuesday that Hamas would not support the announcement. The Government has since described Hamas' response as self-serving propaganda. 

For more, we're joined by Employment Minister Amanda Rishworth live in Adelaide. Good morning. So exactly 48 hours ago, the Prime Minister stood here and told us Hamas does not want this. Now, Hamas is praising Anthony Albanese. Did the PM get it wrong?

AMANDA RISHWORTH, MINISTER FOR EMPLOYMENT AND WORKPLACE RELATIONS: What Hamas of course is, is a terrorist organisation. And the actions that the international community is taking, that is Canada, the UK, Australia, and really many, many other nations in our role in recognising the state of Palestine, is actually sidelining Hamas from this. 

There is no role for a Hamas in a future Palestinian state. The international community is clear on that. The League of Arab Nations is clear on that. The Palestinian Authority is clear on that. So, you know, there'll be propaganda, no doubt, from terrorist organisations. 

But what's really clear around recognition of a Palestinian state is how the international community is building momentum so that there is peace and security with the state of Israel and the state of Palestine. That is the way that we can work to break the cycle of violence.

NATALIE BARR: So which bit of Hamas do we believe? We're not supposed to believe that, you know, they back Australia, but are we supposed to believe they're going to lay down their guns and go away?

AMANDA RISHWORTH: I'm not giving credence to Hamas. We don't recognise Hamas. We are working with the international community. The conditions and agreement of Hamas not being involved in elections to demilitarise are actually key elements of the proposal that the international community is working to. 

And that is places like the UK, Canada, France, Australia, the Arab League of Nations. This is the work that we are doing. The way to sideline Hamas is not to continue to see the cycle of violence happening. It is actually to create two states that are secure in their borders.

NATALIE BARR: Okay, moving on. Unions are pushing for a four-day work week to be legislated. This is getting headlines right across the country today. Do you think this will ever become a reality? Big companies like Medibank and Bunnings are already trialling it.

AMANDA RISHWORTH: Look, I think that there are a lot of ways that we can make workplaces more flexible, and the best way to do that is really through enterprise bargaining. We've seen a number of companies look at how they can work with their employees to increase flexibility, and I think that's key. 

That's why we're having a conversation about work from home. That's why we're having a conversation of compressed hours, about where you work, et cetera. So I think there is a really important conversation to be had about flexibility, but that is best done through employers and unions sitting down in collective bargaining and discussing that with their employers. 

So I don't think we're going to see legislation. What we do want to see, though, is the ability to request flexible working arrangements. That was put into the Act with our legislation in our last term. And so we want employers and employees and their unions working together at an enterprise level.

NATALIE BARR: Okay. Minister, thank you very much for your time this morning.