Australia news LIVE: Dutton implies Aboriginal flag should not be flown on Harbour Bridge; Australia supports UN vote demanding immediate Gaza ceasefire

Australia is expected to back two resolutions at the United Nations in New York, demanding an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza” and calling for the return of the UN’s Palestinian aid agency.

Opposition home affairs spokesperson James Paterson criticised the move in an interview on Sky News, attacking the prime minister for “pretending not to know” what reporters were talking about when they quizzed him on the votes.

Crikey reported on Wednesday that Albanese was recorded telling a private Labor event that a UN vote on Palestine this week would “upset” those who opposed Australia’s shift to vote more directly in favour of a two-state solution.

Referencing the story, Paterson said we “only knew this was coming because the prime minister was secretly reported at an event boasting”.

“One of the reasons why this is important is not just because our foreign policy is important, not just because standing with our allies and friends like the United States is important, but because we know that antisemites in Australia conflate Israel with Jews,” Paterson said.

“We had another powerful demonstration of that this week in Sydney,” he said, referencing the antisemitic vandalism of buildings and cars in the city’s east on Wednesday.

“So when the Australian Government abandons or, even worse, vilifies Israel, that’s why it’s a serious issue.”

Meanwhile, Labor Minister Anne Ally was asked about the UN vote on ABC’s RN Breakfast, where she said that the world needed to “find a resolution and a pathway to peace in the Middle East.

“We need to, as Australia has, continue to call for a return of the hostages and for a ceasefire.”