Australians want action on Gaza as Sydney Harbour Bridge rally verdict looms

More than 60 per cent of Australians want tougher government measures to stop Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, a poll has found, as protesters await a court verdict to march across an iconic landmark.

The NSW Supreme Court is due to hand down a decision on Saturday morning after a bid by NSW Police to halt thousands of anticipated protesters marching across the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The demonstrations slated for Sunday aim to highlight what the United Nations has described as “worsening famine conditions” in Gaza.

They have garnered support from activists nationwide, human rights and civil liberties groups as well as several MPs and public figures such as former Socceroo Craig Foster.

In solidarity with their interstate peers, protesters in Melbourne are gearing up to rally through the city’s CBD, aiming to reach the King Street Bridge.

A last-minute application on Friday was also lodged to police by a pro-Israel fringe group for a counter-protest in the tunnel under Sydney Harbour, the court heard.

Police confirmed to AAP the group withdrew the application soon after.

Respondents to a YouGov poll published on Friday and commissioned by the Australian Alliance for Peace and Human Rights believed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s condemnations of Israel had fallen short.

“While the government has recently signed a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire, 61 per cent of Australians believe this is not enough,” the alliance said.

“(Australians) want to see concrete economic, diplomatic and legal measures implemented.”

The alliance called for economic sanctions and the end of any arms trade with Israel, which the federal government has repeatedly said it has not engaged in directly.

The poll surveyed 1507 Australian voters in the last week of July, coinciding with a deteriorating starvation crisis and while diplomatic efforts from countries such as Canada have ramped up.

Some 42 per cent of polled coalition voters supported stronger measures and more than two thirds of Labor voters, 68 per cent, are pushing their party to be bolder in placing pressure on Israel.

An overwhelming number of Greens voters (91 per cent) wanted a more robust suite of measures as did 77 per cent of independent voters.

The results highlighted how the nearly two-year long war on Gaza had resonated with Australians, YouGov director of public data Paul Smith said.

“This poll shows there’s clearly across the board support for the Australian government to be doing much more in response to the situation in Gaza,” he told AAP.

“Sixty-one per cent shows the depth of feeling Australians have towards this issue.”

More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed including more than 17,000 children, according to local health authorities, with reports of dozens of people dead in recent weeks due to starvation.

Israel’s campaign began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, reportedly killing 1200 people and taking 250 hostages.