Lynda Voltz

Lynda Voltz is an Australian politician and Australian Labor Party member of the New South Wales Legislative Council. Voltz has been a member of the Council since March 2007.^[1]

She is married to Elias Bampos and has two daughters Katerina and Anastasia.

BDS Support

On 6 May 2013, Lynda spoke in favour of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel. "I have a problem with a number of universities, such as the Technion University in Israel which has links with Israel's nuclear weapons program and to its ballistic missiles program," said Ms Voltz, the co-chairwoman of NSW Parliamentary Friends of Palestine, accusing the nation of violating the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

"For students to want to stand up to what they believe is injustice and to not have links with those universities I think is consistent with what Sydney University has done in the past," Ms Voltz said.^[2]

In response, a Human Rights group based in Israel has threatened BDS supporters with legal action. Chana Ya'ar, writing for Israel National News, wrote "In the letters Hamilton pointed out that the Racial Discrimination Act of 1975 made it "unlawful for a person to do any act involving a distinction, exclusion, restriction of preference based on race... national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of any human right or fundamental freedom in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life."

Hamilton also warned that any "successful" boycott of Israel was illegal under the Competition and Consumer Act of 2010 if they damage the businesses they target, and that as a result parties could be investigated by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and face legal action for damages."^[3]

References