Cricketer Usman Khawaja met with Anthony Albanese to push his strong opinions on how Australia should react to the war in Gaza after the prime minister staged a last-minute backflip on Thursday.
The Test opener’s one-on-one meeting with the PM was cancelled on Tuesday, leading to Khawaja holding a Thursday morning press conference at Parliament House in Canberra to discuss his disappointment at the move.
However, Albanese backflipped and got together with Khawaja and Treasurer Jim Chalmers to talk about the issue.
The star batter praised Australia’s plan to recognise Palestinian statehood, but pressed the government to go further with sanctions on Israel, according to the ABC.
After the meeting, Chalmers said he and the PM had a ‘good discussion’ with the sportsman.
‘I talk to Usman about these issues all of the time,’ Chalmers said.
Usman Khawaja (pictured with wife Rachel) reportedly texted Anthony Albanese after his meeting with the PM was cancelled on Tuesday – and was given an audience
The cricket star (pictured centre at Parliament House on Thursday) called for a ban on all Israeli exports to Australia on Tuesday
Khawaja reportedly lobbied Albanese (pictured) to sanction Israel over its conduct in Gaza
‘We have a lot of respect for Usman and we listen to him on these issues.’
The cancellation of the meeting on Tuesday came after Khawaja said he wanted the federal government to stop all Israeli exports to Australia during an interview with the public broadcaster’s AM program.
‘What I am pushing for … is we need to sanction Israel until they stop doing what they’re doing and they let full humanitarian aid flow into Gaza,’ Khawaja said.
‘We can’t be trading with any country that has such blatant disregard for humanitarian and international law.
‘The morals and the standards that you set for your allies should be higher than anyone else … how are we going to accept that the killing and starvation is fine?’
Khawaja agreed that government figures including foreign minister Penny Wong have been vocal in criticising Israel’s conduct in Gaza, but added ‘the harsh words are making no impact, Israel don’t care what you say’.
At his press conference on Thursday, the 38-year-old revealed he was ‘a little bummed’ by the cancellation.
He texted the PM to reschedule the meeting, according to The Australian.
Khawaja is known for his strong statements on the war in Gaza, such as his black-armband protest in the first Test against Pakistan in December 2023 (pictured)
Cricket Australia also made the opening batter cover up the message ‘all lives are equal’ after he wrote it on his shoes in the 2023 Test (pictured)
Khawaja was also invited to Canberra by independent senator David Pocock to lobby the PM and other MPs on gambling reform.
He and Pocock want the government to adopt all the recommendations of the You Win Some, You Lose More report into the damage caused by punting.
Khawaja has made several strong statements on his stance on the war in Gaza.
He sensationally boycotted a post-game interview in the Caribbean with major media outlet SEN following day one of the first Test against the West Indies in June.
It comes after the 24/7 sports business controversially sacked journalist Peter Lalor earlier this year.
Respected cricket reporter Lalor posted a series of tweets and retweets about the war in Gaza when Australia were touring Sri Lanka in February – and the freelancer was promptly shown the door by SEN during a Test match in Galle.
In late 2023, he made headlines for his human rights protest ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Pakistan at the MCG.
The cricket star also donned a black armband during the first Test in Perth to show support for civilians in Gaza.
And much to his dismay before the first Test, Khawaja was banned by Cricket Australia and the ICC from wearing shoes bearing the messages ‘freedom is a human right’ and ‘all lives matter’.
At the time, Khawaja said he felt frustrated after he was forced to cover the messages on his shoes with tape.
‘It’s just a little bit disappointing. I don’t really see the controversy of [saying] all lives matter and saying freedom is a human right,’ he said.
‘I don’t see where it becomes political … I find it hard to accept where people find what I said distasteful.
‘It makes me feel a little bit uneasy that people find those words uneasy.
‘It’s been a bit of an emotional rollercoaster for, I guess… I’ll always stand up for what I believe in, even if people don’t agree with me or don’t like me saying it.
‘I want to look back on my career and say, look, I stood up for my values, I respect what I did on the field, but I also respect myself for what I did off the field… that means more to me.’
