'Don't owe you': Senator says Australia can't back US in Middle East
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie says Australia cannot join any more US ventures in the Middle East, after Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government supported the White House in its military attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. US President Donald Trump yesterday revealed the US had attacked three sites in Iran, including the key complex of Fordow, prompting Iran's leaders to pledge a response. Trump's actions have split onlookers, with many world leaders calling for de-escalation and diplomacy instead of further violence. Senator Jacqui Lambie. (Today) Lambie said the bombing operation, launched less than three days after Trump said he would take up to "two weeks" to decide whether or not to intervene in Iran, had destroyed any trust between the US and Iran. She told Today the "bottom line" was that the US had re-entered a theatre of war in the Middle East, which ran contrary to Trump's campaign promises and public stance as an anti-war president. "You just put your shoe in the water there, your toes in the water there, and you're back in that war," Lambie said. Donald Trump announced US attacks on Iran yesterday. (AP) "But what I will say is this - we certainly can't back you up this time, and we don't owe you anything." Lambie said Australia's military was not "fit for purpose" to be involved in a war. "It'll be 10 years before this country can commit troops that are fully fit, ready to go," she said. This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the Fordow enrichment facility in Iran after the US strikes. (Maxar Technologies) "We've got no idea where this is going, we've got no idea where this is going to end up, and on the other side we have Ukraine and Russia still going on." The federal government yesterday issued a statement calling for de-escalation following the US bombings. Speaking on Today, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said this morning that the government supported the strikes. "We support action to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon," Wong said. "And that is what this is." But she maintained calls for diplomacy to resume, saying nobody wanted to see another full-scale war in the Middle East. War
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Sky News AU
41 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Major doubts raised about impact of US strikes on Iran's nuclear program as intelligence shows enriched uranium moved
Experts have raised major doubts about the impact of US strikes on Iran's nuclear program, with intelligence indicating large amounts of enriched uranium were moved ahead of time. President Trump has claimed the strikes caused "monumental" damage to the nuclear sites, while Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel is "very close" to eliminating the nuclear program. The US was the only country with weapons capable of destroying Iran's Fordow nuclear enrichment facility, which is built 80 to 90 metres under a mountain. Satellite imagery of the site shows six large holes where B2 stealth bombers dropped 14 massive bunker buster bombs - each weighing 13.6 tonnes and capable of penetrating 18 metres into concrete and 61 metres into earth. But satellite imagery expert Decker Eveleth, an associate researcher with the CNA Corporation, said the hall containing hundreds of centrifuges is "too deeply buried for us to evaluate the level of damage based on satellite imagery". Several experts have also cautioned that Iran likely moved a stockpile of near weapons-grade highly enriched uranium out of Fordow before the strike early Sunday morning and could be hiding it and other nuclear components in locations unknown to Israel, the U.S. and U.N. nuclear inspectors. They noted satellite imagery from Maxar Technologies showed "unusual activity" at Fordow on Thursday and Friday, with a line of 13 cargo trucks waiting outside an entrance of the facility. A senior Iranian source told Reuters on Sunday most of the near weapons-grade 60 per cent highly enriched uranium had been moved to an undisclosed location before the U.S. attack. The New York Times has also reported that Israeli officials with knowledge of the intelligence believe Iran had moved equipment and uranium from the site in recent days, including 400 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 per cent purity. This was confirmed by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), who told the Times Iran had "made no secret" of the fact they had moved the materials. US Vice President JD Vance has also admitted the White House does not know the fate of the enriched uranium. The uranium would need to be enriched to around 90 per cent purity to be used in a weapon, but it is reportedly enough to make nine or 10 atomic bombs. Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey said there were "almost certainly facilities that we don't know about" and the strikes have likely only set back Iran's nuclear program "by maybe a few years". US Senator Mark Kelly, a Democrat from Arizona and a member of the Senate intelligence committee who said he had been reviewing intelligence every day, expressed the same concern. "My big fear right now is that they take this entire program underground, not physically underground, but under the radar," he told NBC News. "Where we tried to stop it, there is a possibility that this could accelerate it." Iran lashed out at the US after the attacks, accusing it of crossing a "very big red line" by striking the nation's "peaceful" nuclear facilities. The nation's foreign minister also hinted that Iran may withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - which Iran's parliament began preperations after Israel launched its first strikes "It cannot be emphasised enough how much of a devastating blow that the US, a permanent member of the Security Council, dealt to the global Non-Proliferation regime," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said at a press conference in Turkey. According to Arms Control Association head Daryl Kimball, "the world is going to be in the dark about what Iran may be doing". Mick Mulroy, a former CIA officer who served in the Pentagon during Trump's first term, told the New York Times the US strike would "likely set back the Iranian nuclear weapon program two to five years'. -With Reuters
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
'We aren't a central player in this conflict': Albanese backs US attack on Iran
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declined to say whether the United States made use of an Australian military base for its attack on Iran, while confirming his government's support. Asked if a facility like the secretive US military base at Pine Gap in the Northern Territory, or intelligence gathered there, had been used in the attack launched on Sunday, he said: "We don't talk about intelligence, obviously, but we've made it very clear this was a unilateral action taken by the United States." "The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon," Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday, addressing the media for the first time since the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran about 24 hours earlier. "We support action to prevent that ... That is what this is. 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." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declined to say whether the United States made use of an Australian military base for its attack on Iran, while confirming his government's support. Asked if a facility like the secretive US military base at Pine Gap in the Northern Territory, or intelligence gathered there, had been used in the attack launched on Sunday, he said: "We don't talk about intelligence, obviously, but we've made it very clear this was a unilateral action taken by the United States." "The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon," Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday, addressing the media for the first time since the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran about 24 hours earlier. "We support action to prevent that ... That is what this is. 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." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declined to say whether the United States made use of an Australian military base for its attack on Iran, while confirming his government's support. Asked if a facility like the secretive US military base at Pine Gap in the Northern Territory, or intelligence gathered there, had been used in the attack launched on Sunday, he said: "We don't talk about intelligence, obviously, but we've made it very clear this was a unilateral action taken by the United States." "The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon," Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday, addressing the media for the first time since the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran about 24 hours earlier. "We support action to prevent that ... That is what this is. 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." Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has declined to say whether the United States made use of an Australian military base for its attack on Iran, while confirming his government's support. Asked if a facility like the secretive US military base at Pine Gap in the Northern Territory, or intelligence gathered there, had been used in the attack launched on Sunday, he said: "We don't talk about intelligence, obviously, but we've made it very clear this was a unilateral action taken by the United States." "The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon," Mr Albanese told reporters in Canberra on Monday, addressing the media for the first time since the US bombed nuclear sites in Iran about 24 hours earlier. "We support action to prevent that ... That is what this is. 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."
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Pot, kettle, black. We're wallowing in hypocrisy
This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to Who the hell does that? It was a hospital, for god's sake. Full of the sick, the immobile. Babies. Mothers. Innocents. The tyrants will pay a high price, he told the media, with as straight a face as he could muster - a challenge for someone whose mouth always struggles to suppress an ironic smirk. This was a criminal act, he said. We target military installations; they target civilians. Benjamin Netanyahu's condemnation of the Iranian missile strike on the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba was meant to rally his nation, showing the world it was acting with high moral purpose. Instead, it reeked of hypocrisy. Just 40km away, in the rubble that was once Gaza, people have lost count of the number of times hospitals have been struck by Israel. Lost count, too, of the number of times Israel claimed the attacks - not just on hospitals but on schools and tented encampments - were targeting Hamas militants. The only count not lost: the 55,000 dead Palestinians. The day before the hospital was hit, dozens of Palestinians were killed in Gaza trying to get food from the shambolic Israeli-run aid distribution sites. Some of the dead showed injuries consistent with tank fire. Pot, kettle, black. Of course, the hypocrisy isn't limited to Netanyahu in this ugly slugfest between Israel and Iran. The leaders of our own democracies have been wallowing in it too. For years, they've championed a rules-based world order but the moment Israel breaks those rules - as international law experts argue it has with its pre-emptive strike on Iran - they go to water. Japan is the only G7 nation to condemn Israel's attack on Iran but has stopped short of sanctioning it. When a key enforcer of those rules, the International Atomic Energy Agency, says explicitly there is no evidence to indicate that Iran has a plan to develop nuclear weapons, justification for that pre-emptive strike looks as thin as George W. Bush's pretext for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Remember? The weapons of mass destruction no one could find. All we see, however, are bland appeals for de-escalation and a diplomatic resolution. Israel isn't chastised for its risky impunity. Instead, it's given tacit support with statements about its right to defend itself even if there's no evidence of an imminent threat. Applying that logic, was Russia justified in invading Ukraine because it perceived an imminent threat? Of course it wasn't. But in geopolitics what's good for the goose doesn't always apply to the gander. You only have to pause on the words of German chancellor Friedrich Merz to see how that works: "This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us." Dirty work indeed. It's not in anyone's interest for Iran to have nuclear weapons. Nor for Israel to have them for that matter. And it's certainly not in anyone's interest to have missiles raining down on nuclear facilities either. The world made that clear when artillery shells struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine during the Russian invasion. Yet we hear little about the potential for a nuclear calamity if these strikes continue. We're informed of radiation levels in Iran by the IAEA, the nuclear enforcement agency granted access to its facilities because the country signed up to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. In so doing, it agreed to play by the very rules others seem so keen to dispense with. HAVE YOUR SAY: How important is it to maintain a rules-based order in international affairs? Should other countries follow Japan's lead in condemning Israel for its pre-emptive strike on Iran? Are we repeating the same mistakes made in Iraq back in 2003? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - The Coalition's former leader in the Senate, Simon Birmingham, will join the Australian Banking Association as its chief executive, in his first major move outside politics. - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will not go to The Hague for this week's NATO summit, with his deputy Richard Marles to represent Australia at the event as originally planned. - Artificial intelligence could disrupt more than just technology - it could widen the gender gap between boys and girls studying science, technology, engineering and maths. THEY SAID IT: "Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are." - Franklin D. Roosevelt YOU SAID IT: Our relationship with the US is not what it used to be. Perhaps it's time, Garry wrote, that we grew up and moved on. "Many of us, including various peace groups and LAW (Labor Against War) are not happy to be aligned with the US, the planet's most aggressive country since World War II," writes Judy from Newcastle. "AUKUS is a wasteful mistake. We don't have enemies, however, our sycophantic politicians allow increasing US bases, troops, ports and general infrastructure for a war. These threaten our security. Now is the perfect time to part company." There's still hope for the relationship, writes Arthur: "Donald Trump has only three and a half years to run, assuming he does not find his way to get re-elected. At the end of his term we may be able to start a process of reconciliation but we must never go back to being so vulnerable to the whims of a future president." "For these past 50 years I have been longing for Australia to be an adult country," writes Debora. "We have acted as a 'child' country: going from child to the parent UK - 'home' and empire, to child to the parent US from the faux ANZUS alliance to the craven AUKUS nonsense. Either we do that again - this time as a child country to China or we finally learn to stand on our own two feet - yes, with strong alliances and trade relationships but not as a supplicant to any nation." Bill from McKellar writes: "A marvellous piece of writing - one can only hope our politicians are subscribers to the Echidna. Ever since ScoMo tried to wedge the ALP with AUKUS, and the unquestioning embrace of it by the ALP, our foreign policy wheels have fallen off. So many of our past politicians have expressed views like yours - when will Albanese and Ley listen to them and wake up to what's happening?" This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to Who the hell does that? It was a hospital, for god's sake. Full of the sick, the immobile. Babies. Mothers. Innocents. The tyrants will pay a high price, he told the media, with as straight a face as he could muster - a challenge for someone whose mouth always struggles to suppress an ironic smirk. This was a criminal act, he said. We target military installations; they target civilians. Benjamin Netanyahu's condemnation of the Iranian missile strike on the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba was meant to rally his nation, showing the world it was acting with high moral purpose. Instead, it reeked of hypocrisy. Just 40km away, in the rubble that was once Gaza, people have lost count of the number of times hospitals have been struck by Israel. Lost count, too, of the number of times Israel claimed the attacks - not just on hospitals but on schools and tented encampments - were targeting Hamas militants. The only count not lost: the 55,000 dead Palestinians. The day before the hospital was hit, dozens of Palestinians were killed in Gaza trying to get food from the shambolic Israeli-run aid distribution sites. Some of the dead showed injuries consistent with tank fire. Pot, kettle, black. Of course, the hypocrisy isn't limited to Netanyahu in this ugly slugfest between Israel and Iran. The leaders of our own democracies have been wallowing in it too. For years, they've championed a rules-based world order but the moment Israel breaks those rules - as international law experts argue it has with its pre-emptive strike on Iran - they go to water. Japan is the only G7 nation to condemn Israel's attack on Iran but has stopped short of sanctioning it. When a key enforcer of those rules, the International Atomic Energy Agency, says explicitly there is no evidence to indicate that Iran has a plan to develop nuclear weapons, justification for that pre-emptive strike looks as thin as George W. Bush's pretext for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Remember? The weapons of mass destruction no one could find. All we see, however, are bland appeals for de-escalation and a diplomatic resolution. Israel isn't chastised for its risky impunity. Instead, it's given tacit support with statements about its right to defend itself even if there's no evidence of an imminent threat. Applying that logic, was Russia justified in invading Ukraine because it perceived an imminent threat? Of course it wasn't. But in geopolitics what's good for the goose doesn't always apply to the gander. You only have to pause on the words of German chancellor Friedrich Merz to see how that works: "This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us." Dirty work indeed. It's not in anyone's interest for Iran to have nuclear weapons. Nor for Israel to have them for that matter. And it's certainly not in anyone's interest to have missiles raining down on nuclear facilities either. The world made that clear when artillery shells struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine during the Russian invasion. Yet we hear little about the potential for a nuclear calamity if these strikes continue. We're informed of radiation levels in Iran by the IAEA, the nuclear enforcement agency granted access to its facilities because the country signed up to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. In so doing, it agreed to play by the very rules others seem so keen to dispense with. HAVE YOUR SAY: How important is it to maintain a rules-based order in international affairs? Should other countries follow Japan's lead in condemning Israel for its pre-emptive strike on Iran? Are we repeating the same mistakes made in Iraq back in 2003? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - The Coalition's former leader in the Senate, Simon Birmingham, will join the Australian Banking Association as its chief executive, in his first major move outside politics. - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will not go to The Hague for this week's NATO summit, with his deputy Richard Marles to represent Australia at the event as originally planned. - Artificial intelligence could disrupt more than just technology - it could widen the gender gap between boys and girls studying science, technology, engineering and maths. THEY SAID IT: "Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are." - Franklin D. Roosevelt YOU SAID IT: Our relationship with the US is not what it used to be. Perhaps it's time, Garry wrote, that we grew up and moved on. "Many of us, including various peace groups and LAW (Labor Against War) are not happy to be aligned with the US, the planet's most aggressive country since World War II," writes Judy from Newcastle. "AUKUS is a wasteful mistake. We don't have enemies, however, our sycophantic politicians allow increasing US bases, troops, ports and general infrastructure for a war. These threaten our security. Now is the perfect time to part company." There's still hope for the relationship, writes Arthur: "Donald Trump has only three and a half years to run, assuming he does not find his way to get re-elected. At the end of his term we may be able to start a process of reconciliation but we must never go back to being so vulnerable to the whims of a future president." "For these past 50 years I have been longing for Australia to be an adult country," writes Debora. "We have acted as a 'child' country: going from child to the parent UK - 'home' and empire, to child to the parent US from the faux ANZUS alliance to the craven AUKUS nonsense. Either we do that again - this time as a child country to China or we finally learn to stand on our own two feet - yes, with strong alliances and trade relationships but not as a supplicant to any nation." Bill from McKellar writes: "A marvellous piece of writing - one can only hope our politicians are subscribers to the Echidna. Ever since ScoMo tried to wedge the ALP with AUKUS, and the unquestioning embrace of it by the ALP, our foreign policy wheels have fallen off. So many of our past politicians have expressed views like yours - when will Albanese and Ley listen to them and wake up to what's happening?" This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to Who the hell does that? It was a hospital, for god's sake. Full of the sick, the immobile. Babies. Mothers. Innocents. The tyrants will pay a high price, he told the media, with as straight a face as he could muster - a challenge for someone whose mouth always struggles to suppress an ironic smirk. This was a criminal act, he said. We target military installations; they target civilians. Benjamin Netanyahu's condemnation of the Iranian missile strike on the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba was meant to rally his nation, showing the world it was acting with high moral purpose. Instead, it reeked of hypocrisy. Just 40km away, in the rubble that was once Gaza, people have lost count of the number of times hospitals have been struck by Israel. Lost count, too, of the number of times Israel claimed the attacks - not just on hospitals but on schools and tented encampments - were targeting Hamas militants. The only count not lost: the 55,000 dead Palestinians. The day before the hospital was hit, dozens of Palestinians were killed in Gaza trying to get food from the shambolic Israeli-run aid distribution sites. Some of the dead showed injuries consistent with tank fire. Pot, kettle, black. Of course, the hypocrisy isn't limited to Netanyahu in this ugly slugfest between Israel and Iran. The leaders of our own democracies have been wallowing in it too. For years, they've championed a rules-based world order but the moment Israel breaks those rules - as international law experts argue it has with its pre-emptive strike on Iran - they go to water. Japan is the only G7 nation to condemn Israel's attack on Iran but has stopped short of sanctioning it. When a key enforcer of those rules, the International Atomic Energy Agency, says explicitly there is no evidence to indicate that Iran has a plan to develop nuclear weapons, justification for that pre-emptive strike looks as thin as George W. Bush's pretext for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Remember? The weapons of mass destruction no one could find. All we see, however, are bland appeals for de-escalation and a diplomatic resolution. Israel isn't chastised for its risky impunity. Instead, it's given tacit support with statements about its right to defend itself even if there's no evidence of an imminent threat. Applying that logic, was Russia justified in invading Ukraine because it perceived an imminent threat? Of course it wasn't. But in geopolitics what's good for the goose doesn't always apply to the gander. You only have to pause on the words of German chancellor Friedrich Merz to see how that works: "This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us." Dirty work indeed. It's not in anyone's interest for Iran to have nuclear weapons. Nor for Israel to have them for that matter. And it's certainly not in anyone's interest to have missiles raining down on nuclear facilities either. The world made that clear when artillery shells struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine during the Russian invasion. Yet we hear little about the potential for a nuclear calamity if these strikes continue. We're informed of radiation levels in Iran by the IAEA, the nuclear enforcement agency granted access to its facilities because the country signed up to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. In so doing, it agreed to play by the very rules others seem so keen to dispense with. HAVE YOUR SAY: How important is it to maintain a rules-based order in international affairs? Should other countries follow Japan's lead in condemning Israel for its pre-emptive strike on Iran? Are we repeating the same mistakes made in Iraq back in 2003? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - The Coalition's former leader in the Senate, Simon Birmingham, will join the Australian Banking Association as its chief executive, in his first major move outside politics. - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will not go to The Hague for this week's NATO summit, with his deputy Richard Marles to represent Australia at the event as originally planned. - Artificial intelligence could disrupt more than just technology - it could widen the gender gap between boys and girls studying science, technology, engineering and maths. THEY SAID IT: "Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are." - Franklin D. Roosevelt YOU SAID IT: Our relationship with the US is not what it used to be. Perhaps it's time, Garry wrote, that we grew up and moved on. "Many of us, including various peace groups and LAW (Labor Against War) are not happy to be aligned with the US, the planet's most aggressive country since World War II," writes Judy from Newcastle. "AUKUS is a wasteful mistake. We don't have enemies, however, our sycophantic politicians allow increasing US bases, troops, ports and general infrastructure for a war. These threaten our security. Now is the perfect time to part company." There's still hope for the relationship, writes Arthur: "Donald Trump has only three and a half years to run, assuming he does not find his way to get re-elected. At the end of his term we may be able to start a process of reconciliation but we must never go back to being so vulnerable to the whims of a future president." "For these past 50 years I have been longing for Australia to be an adult country," writes Debora. "We have acted as a 'child' country: going from child to the parent UK - 'home' and empire, to child to the parent US from the faux ANZUS alliance to the craven AUKUS nonsense. Either we do that again - this time as a child country to China or we finally learn to stand on our own two feet - yes, with strong alliances and trade relationships but not as a supplicant to any nation." Bill from McKellar writes: "A marvellous piece of writing - one can only hope our politicians are subscribers to the Echidna. Ever since ScoMo tried to wedge the ALP with AUKUS, and the unquestioning embrace of it by the ALP, our foreign policy wheels have fallen off. So many of our past politicians have expressed views like yours - when will Albanese and Ley listen to them and wake up to what's happening?" This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to Who the hell does that? It was a hospital, for god's sake. Full of the sick, the immobile. Babies. Mothers. Innocents. The tyrants will pay a high price, he told the media, with as straight a face as he could muster - a challenge for someone whose mouth always struggles to suppress an ironic smirk. This was a criminal act, he said. We target military installations; they target civilians. Benjamin Netanyahu's condemnation of the Iranian missile strike on the Soroka Medical Centre in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba was meant to rally his nation, showing the world it was acting with high moral purpose. Instead, it reeked of hypocrisy. Just 40km away, in the rubble that was once Gaza, people have lost count of the number of times hospitals have been struck by Israel. Lost count, too, of the number of times Israel claimed the attacks - not just on hospitals but on schools and tented encampments - were targeting Hamas militants. The only count not lost: the 55,000 dead Palestinians. The day before the hospital was hit, dozens of Palestinians were killed in Gaza trying to get food from the shambolic Israeli-run aid distribution sites. Some of the dead showed injuries consistent with tank fire. Pot, kettle, black. Of course, the hypocrisy isn't limited to Netanyahu in this ugly slugfest between Israel and Iran. The leaders of our own democracies have been wallowing in it too. For years, they've championed a rules-based world order but the moment Israel breaks those rules - as international law experts argue it has with its pre-emptive strike on Iran - they go to water. Japan is the only G7 nation to condemn Israel's attack on Iran but has stopped short of sanctioning it. When a key enforcer of those rules, the International Atomic Energy Agency, says explicitly there is no evidence to indicate that Iran has a plan to develop nuclear weapons, justification for that pre-emptive strike looks as thin as George W. Bush's pretext for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Remember? The weapons of mass destruction no one could find. All we see, however, are bland appeals for de-escalation and a diplomatic resolution. Israel isn't chastised for its risky impunity. Instead, it's given tacit support with statements about its right to defend itself even if there's no evidence of an imminent threat. Applying that logic, was Russia justified in invading Ukraine because it perceived an imminent threat? Of course it wasn't. But in geopolitics what's good for the goose doesn't always apply to the gander. You only have to pause on the words of German chancellor Friedrich Merz to see how that works: "This is the dirty work that Israel is doing for all of us." Dirty work indeed. It's not in anyone's interest for Iran to have nuclear weapons. Nor for Israel to have them for that matter. And it's certainly not in anyone's interest to have missiles raining down on nuclear facilities either. The world made that clear when artillery shells struck the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine during the Russian invasion. Yet we hear little about the potential for a nuclear calamity if these strikes continue. We're informed of radiation levels in Iran by the IAEA, the nuclear enforcement agency granted access to its facilities because the country signed up to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. In so doing, it agreed to play by the very rules others seem so keen to dispense with. HAVE YOUR SAY: How important is it to maintain a rules-based order in international affairs? Should other countries follow Japan's lead in condemning Israel for its pre-emptive strike on Iran? Are we repeating the same mistakes made in Iraq back in 2003? Email us: echidna@ SHARE THE LOVE: If you enjoy The Echidna, forward it to a friend so they can sign up, too. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: - The Coalition's former leader in the Senate, Simon Birmingham, will join the Australian Banking Association as its chief executive, in his first major move outside politics. - Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will not go to The Hague for this week's NATO summit, with his deputy Richard Marles to represent Australia at the event as originally planned. - Artificial intelligence could disrupt more than just technology - it could widen the gender gap between boys and girls studying science, technology, engineering and maths. THEY SAID IT: "Rules are not necessarily sacred, principles are." - Franklin D. Roosevelt YOU SAID IT: Our relationship with the US is not what it used to be. Perhaps it's time, Garry wrote, that we grew up and moved on. "Many of us, including various peace groups and LAW (Labor Against War) are not happy to be aligned with the US, the planet's most aggressive country since World War II," writes Judy from Newcastle. "AUKUS is a wasteful mistake. We don't have enemies, however, our sycophantic politicians allow increasing US bases, troops, ports and general infrastructure for a war. These threaten our security. Now is the perfect time to part company." There's still hope for the relationship, writes Arthur: "Donald Trump has only three and a half years to run, assuming he does not find his way to get re-elected. At the end of his term we may be able to start a process of reconciliation but we must never go back to being so vulnerable to the whims of a future president." "For these past 50 years I have been longing for Australia to be an adult country," writes Debora. "We have acted as a 'child' country: going from child to the parent UK - 'home' and empire, to child to the parent US from the faux ANZUS alliance to the craven AUKUS nonsense. Either we do that again - this time as a child country to China or we finally learn to stand on our own two feet - yes, with strong alliances and trade relationships but not as a supplicant to any nation." Bill from McKellar writes: "A marvellous piece of writing - one can only hope our politicians are subscribers to the Echidna. Ever since ScoMo tried to wedge the ALP with AUKUS, and the unquestioning embrace of it by the ALP, our foreign policy wheels have fallen off. So many of our past politicians have expressed views like yours - when will Albanese and Ley listen to them and wake up to what's happening?"
