Throughout the election campaign, Albanese’s Labor resisted grassroots pressure to shift Australia’s position on Gaza, suggesting Palestine was not a priority for voters. After their landslide victory and the Greens’ subsequent wipeout, many commentators echoed that Palestine is not an issue concerning the Australian public.

To understand where the Free Palestine movement stands now and their strategies moving forward, we spoke to organisers from across the movement.

In the lead-up to the election, groups like Muslim Votes AU hoped to turn public outrage into consequence. For the movement to make a statement, Labor needed to feel the cost of complicity. They endorsed Ahmad Ouf, an independent for Blaxland, and Dr Ziad Basyouny, an independent for Watson. Both were unsuccessful in unseating the respective Labor candidates.

Dr Mohamad Assoum, a campaign manager for both Basyouny and Ouf, said that despite the result, the campaign was positive. Dislodging the Liberals as the second preference for voters can be a catapult for a future challenge to Labor.

Asked what’s next, Assoum echoed Sheikh Wissam, a key figure for Muslim Votes AU and the Free Palestine Movement.

“This election demonstrated our community’s first wave of political activation. This is just the beginning of a long journey of involvement in Australian politics.”

Looking to the grassroots, we spoke to Stop The War On Palestine (SWOP), a new organisation formed after the October 7 attacks and ethnic cleansing of Gaza.

While celebrating the Liberal Party’s collapse and the electorate's rejection of Dutton’s Trumpian populism, Adam from SWOP believes most Australians want an end to the violence in Gaza.

“The majority of Australians want an end to the violence. Only a minority recognise Albanese’s role in it because he has lied, and the media allowed him to lie without scrutiny.”

In a press conference, Albanese denied Australia sells or trades arms with Israel. This is despite the IDF testing Australian-made weapons and Australia participating in the F-35 program.

“While Dutton spoke about supporting Israel, Albanese and the government have actually done it by participating in the F-35 program, providing parts for fighter jets used to bomb Palestinians.”

SWOP aims to build a movement similar to Australia’s anti-apartheid and anti-war campaigns of the 70s and 80s

“That’s what we need to build, and the minority who understands what the government is doing must convince the majority to join. Weekend protests need to grow, become more representative, and draw in trade unions, community groups, and local organisations to turn passive supporters into an active movement.”

SWOP believes that while the Free Palestine Movement has made an impact in Australia, the next step is building coalitions across organisations into a cohesive force that makes Palestine a national priority.

Currently, SWOP is campaigning for Vivid to drop Airbnb sponsorship due to complicity in allowing West Bank settlers to list homes.

“That’s the next target. We've called protests, circulated a statement, and are organising with artists to protest and, in some cases, withdraw from the festival.”

The open statement calling on Vivid to drop its AirBnb sponsorship currently has signatures from major artists performing at the festival.

On university campuses, advocacy for Palestine has faced institutional barriers. The University of Sydney introduced a new ‘Campus Access Policy’ targeting pro-Palestinian student groups. Despite this, Students Against War (SAW) continue urging the university to cut ties with Israel.

Their movement achieved some success, with the University of Sydney cutting ties with Bezalel University, which was sewing IDF uniforms.

For SAW member Angus Demorady, more must be done to expose cracks in institutional ties.

“We’re still calling for universities to cut all ties with Israel — partnerships with arms companies profiting from genocide and exchange programs with universities that uphold its apartheid regime.”

For organisers like Angus, all aspects of the movement are interconnected and equally important to free Palestinians from apartheid, occupation, and ethnic cleansing.

“Albanese needs to be made to sanction Israel. All institutions must cut ties. Wherever there is a tie to Israel, whether exchange programs or Airbnb’s sponsorship of Vivid, campaign groups must draw in broader layers to fight and win. The masses who are pro-Palestine but not yet mobilised are the key.”

Despite claims from some commentators that Palestine is a marginal issue, recent events suggest it remains a concern for sections of the Australian public. According to organisers, last week’s protests in Sydney against attacks on civilians in Gaza and the West Bank saw their largest turnout to date. 

In a recent statement, Albanese denounced Israel’s aid blockade on Gaza, a move some interpret as a response to growing public pressure.