Labor MP Ed Husic says he cannot remember the Sydney motorway crash that left him unconscious with a fractured vertebra and concussion. Husic was driving home from his electorate office about 6.20pm on Tuesday when his Tesla was involved in a three-vehicle crash with a B-double truck and a Mazda ute on Sydney's M7 motorway. He told the Daily Telegraph he is taking two weeks off following medical orders.
The truck is understood to have struck the rear-right side of Husic's vehicle while travelling at about 80km/h. Husic's office said that he was not responsible for the crash. Paramedics treated Husic at the scene before taking him to Westmead Hospital.
He was discharged on Wednesday but remains in pain from the vertebra fracture and continues to experience memory loss surrounding the collision. Despite his injuries, Husic said he is focused on making a full recovery and returning to work as soon as doctors allow.
"I've had pain largely in the upper back with a new fracture in one of my vertebrae, but the physio and their exercise regimen has helped ease that pain and neck stiffness incredibly," he said. "I also experienced some big-time pain in the front of my legs above my knees, which made it hard to stand or sit. Not sure if this was from the impact of the airbags or striking the dash/steering wheel in the accident, but this morning that pain largely disappeared, which is an enormous relief."
Labor national conference debate
The crash comes just weeks after Husic emerged as one of Labor's most prominent advocates for a tougher stance on the war in Gaza, using the party's national conference in Adelaide to push for stronger language on the treatment of Palestinians. The former cabinet minister urged Labor to formally recognise what he described as a genocide in Gaza, placing fresh pressure on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and exposing divisions within the party over the conflict.
In the end, delegates endorsed a position largely aligned with the federal government's existing approach to Israel, Palestine and Hamas, rejecting calls from Husic and other members for more forceful wording. Despite the outcome, Husic remained defiant, brushing aside criticism from party figures who sought to limit internal debate. "I don't give a s***," he said of potential backlash from Labor powerbrokers, arguing party unity should never come at the expense of open discussion.
While disappointed by the conference result, Husic insisted he had no intention of walking away from Labor and remained committed to changing minds within the party. "Sometimes you'll be at the front and on your own, and suddenly find you've got a lot of people around you," he said. "It might take some time to get there. Change sometimes involves difficult conversations to bring people together."
Husic also criticised restrictions on debating proposed policy positions, describing the inability to contest draft platform wording as unhealthy for the party. His injuries will now sideline him from the first parliamentary sitting week since the conference, with MPs due to return to Canberra on Tuesday for the start of the spring session.
