‘Appalling': Defence expert calls out Albanese government for allowing ‘loophole' that saw billions of dollars spent of Russian crude
A leading defence expert has called out the Albanese government for seemingly allowing more to be spent on Russian crude than what Australia sends to assist Ukraine in the wake of damming new research.
Amid an ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, it is estimated that over AU$3.7 billion worth of oil products derived from Russian crude has been imported by Australia, according to data released by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), while Australia has pledged $1.5 billion in aid to support Ukraine.
Australian Strategic Policy Institue (ASPI) senior analyst Malcom Davis has told Sky News that the Albanese government allowing any amount money to be funnelled to the Kremlin is "appalling".
"The bottom line is we should not be giving money to Russia, a single cent of money to Russia," Mr Davis told Sky News host Sharri Markson on Wednesday.
"It's appalling that this has somehow allowed to happen in the sense that Russia gains funds from Australia which it then uses to essentially buy weapons and military technology to attack Ukraine.
"So at some point the government has to say 'this has to stop' and clamp down and make sure that not a single cent goes to Russia."
Mr Davis also said he thought it was case of oversight on the Albanese government's behalf for not having already taken action on the importation of Russian crude.
"I think it is probably a loophole that they were completely oblivious to, but that's no excuse when you have a situation as dire as the situation in Ukraine," Mr Davis said
"So I think that yes it may be a loophole, they may be able to make excuses, but the very first thing they should be doing is shutting down this loophole as fast as possible."
The oil Australia has been importing is refined overseas—including at the Jamnagar Refinery in India, which has not sanctioned Russian crude—before being legally imported into the Australian market.
This would have handed Russian President Vladimir Putin about AU$1.8 billion in tax revenue, according CREA.
CREA's EU Russia Analyst Vaibhav Raghunandan called it 'a significant failing of Western sanctions', exposing a glaring loophole that lets Russia bypass restrictions.
'Refineries in non-sanctioning countries buying Russian oil are… taking comfort in the knowledge that they will face no action from Western countries,' he said.
Mr Raghunandan said countries like Australia 'look away and continue to import refined products', indirectly funding Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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She said about 1300 Australians and their families were registered with DFAT seeking assistance to return to Australia from Israel, along with 2900 Australians and their families trapped in Iran. The government was seeking to make use of a potential window to fly citizens out of Israel if the airspace opened for "a limited period", she said. "In Iran, it is a very difficult situation ... We've deployed Australian officials to the Azerbaijani border, so if Australians do get there, we can provide them with support." Greens defence and foreign affairs spokesperson David Shoebridge blasted the Albanese government for supporting "the illegal bombing of Iran." Senator Shoebridge said the attack was "unprincipled, contrary to international law and another blow to international peace." "The Greens condemn Labor's support for the US attack," he said. 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The US action was directed at specific sites central to Iran's nuclear program." In response to a question about whether the attacks were in breach of international law, Mr Albanese did not directly answer. "Iran has an interest ... In ensuring that there is not an escalation in the region," he said. "The United States have made clear their position, and we continue to call for dialogue. Had Iran complied with the very reasonable requests that were made, including by the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency], then circumstances would have been different." He said Australia's support of the US bombings was consistent with comments made over the past week about a need for de-escalation. "We are not a central player in this conflict," he said. The Prime Minister said he remained "deeply concerned about any escalation in the region." "We don't want escalation and a full-scale war," he said. "We've been upfront about the challenge facing the international community that is dealing with the threat posed by any Iranian nuclear weapons program and dealing with the risk of regional escalation, and that's why Australia called upon Iran to come to the table and abandon any nuclear weapons program. "Iran didn't come to the table, just as it has repeatedly failed to comply with its international obligations. We urge Iran not to take any further action that could destabilise the region." When asked if he had been briefed by the Trump administration before the bombings, Mr Albanese repeated: "This was a unilateral action." The Prime Minister's press conference followed criticism by the Coalition for his decision to remain silent in the aftermath of the attacks on Sunday. The government initially released a cautiously worded statement from an unnamed spokesperson, saying Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile program was a threat to international peace and security while calling for "de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy". Opposition home affairs spokesperson Andrew Hastie told Sky this "was not good enough." The Prime Minister "should have called a National Security Committee meeting, and he should have stood up and spoken to the Australian people," Mr Hastie said. "This is a very significant moment, and he was nowhere to be seen ... The Coalition supports this military action by the United States." Earlier on Monday, ACT Labor senator and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher told ABC Canberra radio: "We certainly support action that's been taken to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon." When asked if this meant US President Donald Trump "did the right thing" in bombing Iran, Senator Gallagher responded: "I'll use the Foreign Minister's language that she's used, because she's the spokesperson for the government on these matters." "I understand people's concerns, it's been raised with me over the weekend," she said. "Most Australians just want to see peace in the Middle East. They don't want to see the loss of civilian lives. "They don't want to see the damage that's been done to communities in the Middle East that we've been witnessing in Gaza and now are seeing in Iran [and] in Lebanon." Senator Wong told reporters in Canberra on Monday morning that Iran "is not in compliance with its obligations under the non-proliferation arrangements that it has signed up to." "What happens now matters ... We do call for diplomacy, de-escalation and dialogue because the world does not want to see full-scale war in the Middle East." She said about 1300 Australians and their families were registered with DFAT seeking assistance to return to Australia from Israel, along with 2900 Australians and their families trapped in Iran. The government was seeking to make use of a potential window to fly citizens out of Israel if the airspace opened for "a limited period", she said. "In Iran, it is a very difficult situation ... We've deployed Australian officials to the Azerbaijani border, so if Australians do get there, we can provide them with support." Greens defence and foreign affairs spokesperson David Shoebridge blasted the Albanese government for supporting "the illegal bombing of Iran." Senator Shoebridge said the attack was "unprincipled, contrary to international law and another blow to international peace." "The Greens condemn Labor's support for the US attack," he said. "The decision to side with Trump and Netenytanu, reckless warmongers, over the people and peace will follow the Albanese government for decades to come."
