Australia abandons neutral stance on Iran strikes, backs in Trump
Australia has declared its support for US President Donald Trump's strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran, a major departure from its stance just a day earlier when an unnamed government spokesperson released a statement that took a neutral position and called for peace.
Senior minister Tanya Plibersek told Sunrise on Monday morning that the government backed US strikes against Iran.
'We do support the strikes and I know the foreign minister [Penny Wong] is going to be on your program later this morning to go into more detail,' Plibsersek said. 'We certainly don't want to see full-scale war in the Middle East. It is a very delicate and different time and we would encourage Iran to come back to the negotiating table.'
When Trump confirmed the strikes, the Australian government gave a statement that was neutral.
'We note the US president's statement that now is the time for peace,' the statement read. 'The security situation in the region is highly volatile. We continue to call for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy.'
The opposition backed the strikes over the weekend, endorsing the US and Israeli position that they were essential to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons. Iran has said it is not developing weapons and vowed to retaliate. The Greens argue the strikes were illegal under international law.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Sky News AU
33 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Donald Trump hints at regime change in Iran while declaring 'MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN' after US strikes
President Donald Trump on Sunday said there may be a regime change if Iranian leadership cannot "MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN," following strategic U.S. strikes on key Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday. In a post to Truth Social, the president questioned why there would not be a leadership shift following the devastating blow to the country's nuclear program. "It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change???" he wrote. "MIGA!!!" Earlier in the day, Trump announced the B-2 stealth bombers credited with strategic attacks landed safely at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, applauding their efforts. "The GREAT B-2 pilots have just landed, safely, in Missouri," he wrote. "Thank you for a job well done!!! DONA[L]D J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!" The president added that the damage to the sites was "monumental," pushing back on skepticism from critics about the success of the operation. "The damage to the Nuclear sites in Iran is said to be 'monumental,'" he wrote in a separate post. "The hits were hard and accurate. Great skill was shown by our military. Thank you!" More than 125 aircraft were involved in the strikes in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, including seven B-2 stealth bombers, multiple fourth and fifth-generation fighters, dozens of air refueling tankers, a guided missile submarine and "a full array" of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. Fox News Digital's Stephen Sorace contributed to this report. Originally published as Donald Trump hints at regime change in Iran while declaring 'MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN' after US strikes
Sky News AU
36 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
'Flat-footed': Prime Minister Anthony Albanese convenes National Security Committee 24 hours after US strikes on Iran
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has convened a meeting of the National Security Committee of Cabinet almost 24 hours after the United States conducted strikes against Iran. The committee includes Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Defence Minister Richard Marles, and other cabinet members. Mr Albanese has not made a public appearance since US President Donald Trump confirmed the strikes on Sunday. Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Penny Wong finally expressed support for the US attacks on Monday after initially failing to back Australia's closest ally. 'What happens now matters. We do not want to see escalation. We call for diplomacy, de-escalation and dialogue,' Ms Wong said at a doorstop press conference on Monday. 'The world does not want to a full-scale war in the Middle East.' Ms Wong also told reporters that Australia was 'not a central player' in the Israel-Iran conflict. Two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) planes landed in Dubai on Sunday ahead of repatriation flights for Australians stranded in Israel. According to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) there were about 2,900 Australians in Iran and 1,300 in Israel who were seeking to leave the region. Acting shadow foreign affairs minister Andrew Hastie, in response, criticised the Albanese government for being "flat-footed" in its response to the conflict on Monday. 'I think, though, what yesterday demonstrated was that the prime minister's flat-footed," he told the ABC. "His instincts aren't great on this, and he should have called a NSC (National Security Council) meeting yesterday for an event of such significance." Shadow competition minister Dave Sharma also told Sky News that Australia had made itself 'irrelevant' through the conflict. 'We had (Defence Minister) Richard Marles… calling for de-escalation at the very same time, almost, that US B2 bombers… were striking nuclear targets in Iran,' he said. 'No one listens to our views seriously anymore on these issues, particularly in the Middle East.' Just hours before President Donald Trump confirmed the US had destroyed Iran's nuclear facilities, Mr Marles had called for 'de-escalation'. "The Iranian nuclear ballistic missile program is most definitely a threat to the peace and stability of not only the Middle East," he told Sky News on Sunday. 'We have used our voice to urge de-escalation. And that's our position in respect of both the Iranian program, but also, more specifically, in respect of this conflict.' Mr Marles was asked if he was having '$1 each way' by not explicitly supporting the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, prohibiting their access to world-ending technology. The Defence Minister stumbled over his answer as he attempted to explain the government's stance on the matter. 'Uh, uh. Um, I'm... articulating the Australian government's position. That's the only thing I can articulate,' Mr Marles said. 'We are making it clear that we see that the Iranian program represents a threat to the peace and stability of the region and the world... 'What we're saying in relation to this specific conflict is that we are worried about its prospect for escalation.' Roughly 24 hours later, Ms Wong insisted the government was 'very clear' in its support for US strikes against Iran. 'Australia has been clear, along with the international community, that Iran cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon,' she told reporters at Parliament House. 'We support action to prevent that from occurring and this is what this was.' Her comments mark a notable shift in tone from the carefully worded government statement released on Sunday. That initial statement did not include any reference to Australia 'supporting' the US action.
The Advertiser
43 minutes ago
- The Advertiser
Most voters want AFL stadium deal redo, poll shows
Both major parties are out of step with state voters in their unwavering support to build a $945 million stadium in a deal for an AFL team, a pre-election poll suggests. With a snap election weeks away, Tasmanian voters were surveyed on their attitude to the deal struck with the AFL to build a roofed stadium at Macquarie Point. The Hobart stadium is a condition of the licence for the Devils' inclusion in the competition in 2028. The online poll of 842 voters, conducted by YouGov on behalf of progressive think tank The Australia Institute from July 12 to 16, indicates most Tasmanians believe the stadium deal is unfair. More than two out of three (69 per cent) support Tasmanian parliament renegotiating with the AFL to avoid constructing a new stadium. Support to renegotiate was strongest among independent (81 per cent) and Greens voters (78 per cent). The idea was only mildly less popular with Labor supporters (71 per cent). Liberal voters were the most likely to disagree with the proposition (38 per cent) but a majority (56 per cent) still wanted parliamentarians to return to the negotiating table. More than two in three also believe the AFL is treating Tasmania unfairly in its requirements for granting Tasmania a license to join the national competition. Perhaps surprisingly, more men (72 per cent) than women (65 per cent) agreed with the statement. Over 65s were particularly scathing, with four out of five miffed with the AFL's treatment. Some analysts have described the Tasmanian election as a referendum on the stadium, but both Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winters have been unwilling to budge on their support. The AFL has been staunch in its refusal to renegotiate the deal, declaring the stadium remains a non-negotiable for the Devils' licence. The Australia Institute's strategy director Leanne Minshull described the stadium deal as a "dud" and one of the most one-sided in Australian sport. She said residents of the Apple Isle were rightly appalled by the AFL's treatment, which effectively amounted to putting a "gun to the head of Tasmanians". "Whoever wins the state election on July 19 must stand up to the AFL and stand up for Tasmanians," she said. "This state deserves to have a team in the AFL, but Tassie taxpayers don't want to be on the hook for a billion-dollar indoor stadium they don't want." Final approval of the stadium is expected to come down to a vote of parliament. Both major parties are out of step with state voters in their unwavering support to build a $945 million stadium in a deal for an AFL team, a pre-election poll suggests. With a snap election weeks away, Tasmanian voters were surveyed on their attitude to the deal struck with the AFL to build a roofed stadium at Macquarie Point. The Hobart stadium is a condition of the licence for the Devils' inclusion in the competition in 2028. The online poll of 842 voters, conducted by YouGov on behalf of progressive think tank The Australia Institute from July 12 to 16, indicates most Tasmanians believe the stadium deal is unfair. More than two out of three (69 per cent) support Tasmanian parliament renegotiating with the AFL to avoid constructing a new stadium. Support to renegotiate was strongest among independent (81 per cent) and Greens voters (78 per cent). The idea was only mildly less popular with Labor supporters (71 per cent). Liberal voters were the most likely to disagree with the proposition (38 per cent) but a majority (56 per cent) still wanted parliamentarians to return to the negotiating table. More than two in three also believe the AFL is treating Tasmania unfairly in its requirements for granting Tasmania a license to join the national competition. Perhaps surprisingly, more men (72 per cent) than women (65 per cent) agreed with the statement. Over 65s were particularly scathing, with four out of five miffed with the AFL's treatment. Some analysts have described the Tasmanian election as a referendum on the stadium, but both Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winters have been unwilling to budge on their support. The AFL has been staunch in its refusal to renegotiate the deal, declaring the stadium remains a non-negotiable for the Devils' licence. The Australia Institute's strategy director Leanne Minshull described the stadium deal as a "dud" and one of the most one-sided in Australian sport. She said residents of the Apple Isle were rightly appalled by the AFL's treatment, which effectively amounted to putting a "gun to the head of Tasmanians". "Whoever wins the state election on July 19 must stand up to the AFL and stand up for Tasmanians," she said. "This state deserves to have a team in the AFL, but Tassie taxpayers don't want to be on the hook for a billion-dollar indoor stadium they don't want." Final approval of the stadium is expected to come down to a vote of parliament. Both major parties are out of step with state voters in their unwavering support to build a $945 million stadium in a deal for an AFL team, a pre-election poll suggests. With a snap election weeks away, Tasmanian voters were surveyed on their attitude to the deal struck with the AFL to build a roofed stadium at Macquarie Point. The Hobart stadium is a condition of the licence for the Devils' inclusion in the competition in 2028. The online poll of 842 voters, conducted by YouGov on behalf of progressive think tank The Australia Institute from July 12 to 16, indicates most Tasmanians believe the stadium deal is unfair. More than two out of three (69 per cent) support Tasmanian parliament renegotiating with the AFL to avoid constructing a new stadium. Support to renegotiate was strongest among independent (81 per cent) and Greens voters (78 per cent). The idea was only mildly less popular with Labor supporters (71 per cent). Liberal voters were the most likely to disagree with the proposition (38 per cent) but a majority (56 per cent) still wanted parliamentarians to return to the negotiating table. More than two in three also believe the AFL is treating Tasmania unfairly in its requirements for granting Tasmania a license to join the national competition. Perhaps surprisingly, more men (72 per cent) than women (65 per cent) agreed with the statement. Over 65s were particularly scathing, with four out of five miffed with the AFL's treatment. Some analysts have described the Tasmanian election as a referendum on the stadium, but both Liberal Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Labor leader Dean Winters have been unwilling to budge on their support. The AFL has been staunch in its refusal to renegotiate the deal, declaring the stadium remains a non-negotiable for the Devils' licence. The Australia Institute's strategy director Leanne Minshull described the stadium deal as a "dud" and one of the most one-sided in Australian sport. She said residents of the Apple Isle were rightly appalled by the AFL's treatment, which effectively amounted to putting a "gun to the head of Tasmanians". "Whoever wins the state election on July 19 must stand up to the AFL and stand up for Tasmanians," she said. "This state deserves to have a team in the AFL, but Tassie taxpayers don't want to be on the hook for a billion-dollar indoor stadium they don't want." Final approval of the stadium is expected to come down to a vote of parliament.
