'In retreat from the wider world': Former prime ministers criticise Anthony Albanese's delayed response to US strikes on Iran
In the early hours of Sunday, local time, President Donald Trump gave the green light to the US Air Force to carry out attacks on key nuclear facilities of Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.
In his address to the nation shortly after the strikes, he declared the facilities had been "completely and totally obliterated" as he urged Iran to "make peace".
It took the Labor government 24 hours to confirm, on Monday, it supported President Trump's actions, then several more hours before Mr Albanese fronted the media.
The government's delayed response has since been called out by key political figures such as Mr Morrison, who pointed fingers at Labor's ambiguity on the Middle East since the October 7 attacks.
On Monday, the former Liberal prime minister stressed the US was Australia's greatest ally, adding it was critical to inform President Trump he was supported by the Australian government.
"If you're in the United States and you take an action like this, and it wouldn't have been an easy call for the President this is not something he would have been rushing to do, itching to do, but you'd want to know your allies were with you 100 per cent," Mr Morrison told Sky News host Sharri Markson.
"How hard is it to go: 'Well done, Mr President, on taking out the nuclear capabilities of a despotic authoritarian regime that, you know, imposes all sorts of extinguishment of liberties on their own people'."
Mr Morrison further criticised Mr Albanese, saying his response should not have taken "this long" and that he should have convened a meeting of the National Security Committee of Cabinet on Sunday.
Mr Abbott shared the same sentiment as his former Liberal colleague and lashed Mr Albanese's response to the Middle East conflict.
Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Mr Abbott said "Australia has been in retreat from the wider world" under the Labor government.
"The most obvious sign of that was about 18 months ago, when the Albanese government refused to send a frigate to the Red Sea," he said.
"This was the first time since the ANZUS Treaty in 1951 that Australia had turned down a specific request from America for military help."
The Albanese government's initial statement, which was attributed only to a government spokesperson, did not express support for the US, but instead called for 'de-escalation' and 'dialogue'.
On Monday, when Mr Albanese was pressed for answers on the issue he said: 'Well, we aren't a central player in this conflict, that's just a fact… What we do is we run an orderly, stable government".
'I made comments about this in three countries over recent days. My comments today are perfectly consistent with that.'
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