Australia news live: Albanese government calling for ‘de-escalation' after US strikes Iran; 70% of renters scared to ask for repairs
Update:
Date: 2025-06-22T21:38:52.000Z
Title: Wong says government remains focused on supporting Australians in Middle East
Content:
Wong said the government remains 'very focused' on doing 'whatever we can' to support Australians in Iran, but called the situation there 'extremely difficult'. She said:
The airspace remains closed in both countries we have deployed Australian officials to the border with Azerbaijan so if people are able to make their way to that which is a obviously highly people have to make a judgment about how risky that is but we urge them to move if they believe they can do so safely.
Wong said airspace in Israel also remained closed and represented a complex situation, too.
There is some prospect of a window of airspace opening [in Israel]. Obviously, that is highly dependent on the situation on the ground, and we are seeking to try and arrange a facilitated flight in the event that the airspace opens.
Update:
Date: 2025-06-22T21:36:41.000Z
Title: Penny Wong: 'We have all agreed …', 'Iran', 'cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon'
Content: Penny Wong: 'We have all agreed … Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon'
Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong said the government supported the US strikes against Iranian nuclear targets yesterday, but remained deeply concerned about what happens next, calling for diplomacy and de-escalation in the Middle East. Wong spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying:
We have all agreed, the world has agreed, Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. So, yes, we support action to prevent that, and that is what this is. But I would make this point: the big question is now what? We do not want escalation in a full-scale war and we continue to call for dialogue and diplomacy. …
We're deeply concerned about continued escalation in a full-scale war with all of the consequences, not just for Australians in the region, but all the peoples of the region and the risk to global instability.
Update:
Date: 2025-06-22T21:33:46.000Z
Title: Welcome
Content: Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I'm Nick Visser. Here's what we'll be looking at this morning.
The Australian government is calling for a 'de-escalation' after the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites yesterday, with almost 4,000 Australian citizens attempting to flee the conflict zone. The federal Coalition backed the attacks and have accused Labor of being 'too ambiguous' in its response, while the Greens called the strikes a 'blatant breach of international law' and urged Australia to distance itself from the US. The Albanese government has maintained the Iranian nuclear program threatens the 'stability of the world'.
Australia risks losing a 'war on nicotine' as illegal tobacco sales explode. Experts have warned against changes that could undermine decades of fighting to bring down smoking rates, with some calling for a major overhaul in how we tax tobacco and regulate vaping products.
Nearly seven in 10 renters say they are fearful of asking for repairs out of fear they could face a rent increase, according to a new survey of more than 1,000 people across the country. The survey also found one-third of respondents would not be able to afford a 5% increase on their current rent.
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Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
We HATE to bother you on your precious weekend, Albo, but the world's on fire: PETER VAN ONSELEN on the real reasons PM and Penny Wong are so uncomfortable about the US strikes on Iran
They do say you should wait 24 hours before making big decisions, especially when they go against your natural instincts. But Australia's delay in supporting US bombings of Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend wasn't a simple case of a slow moving government taking its God-given time. When Donald Trump ordered targeted strikes on Iran most of America's key allies knew exactly what was required: a prompt show of support. The UK and EU delivered, endorsing the importance of preventing Iran developing nuclear weapons. Australia did not. Instead, Penny Wong and Anthony Albanese reached for a generic line about 'de-escalation and diplomacy', issued by an unnamed government spokesperson, ahead of any official statements out of London or Brussels. It was a misfire, both diplomatically and politically. And worst of all it was entirely avoidable, giving at least the impression that even tacit support might not be forthcoming. The government's explanation? They were waiting until the National Security Committee could meet on Monday, with the PM due to speak afterwards. In a moment that called for decisive alignment with our closest ally Australia defaulted to bureaucratic procedure. It is a Monday-to-Friday government in a world that increasingly demands responsiveness around the clock. Former PM Scott Morrison took to morning radio today to point out that he regularly called national security meetings over the weekend on important issues. What was so important this past weekend that Albo and Wong couldn't do the same? There's nothing inherently wrong with caution, of course. In complex security situations there's value in waiting 24 hours before making sweeping public statements. It probably doesn't happen often enough in modern politics. But the government didn't stay silent. As the Prime Minister noted today - responding to criticism - 'we issued a statement yesterday'. They said something very quickly, and it turned out to be out of step with our allies - they misread the room by trying to get ahead of the story and conform with their ideological opposition. They wouldn't be alone in their discomfort on this issue. Trump remains a deeply divisive figure across much of the West. But this wasn't about Trump's domestic politics or his often offensive adversarial style. It was about enforcing red lines on nuclear proliferation, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office. Others understood that, Australia did not, and the misstep could well come with consequences for AUKUS and other entwined relations with the US during the Trump era. Endorsing American military action, particularly under Trump, cuts against Albo and Wong's political instincts. They hail from the now dominant Left wing of the Labor party. That same wing persuaded Simon Crean, as opposition leader, to oppose Australian involvement in the Iraq war at the beginning of this century when John Howard pledged his support to George W Bush. Australia's alliance with the United States isn't conditional on who the president is. If anything, it matters more when the president is unpredictable to affirm our historical ties to the US to help preserve them, years from now, when Trump is gone. Allies as a general rule shouldn't hedge their bets as Albo and Wong tried to do. Trump almost certainly would have noticed the slight. He rewards loyalty and punishes perceived indifference. Whether that's fair or wise is ultimately somewhat beside the point. It's how he operates. The government eventually walked back its initial response, with Wong this morning pledging Australian support in more forthright terms that either the UK or EU had done over the weekend, probably to make up for the misstep. And doing so before the all important National Security Committee meeting anyway. Wong told Channel Nine she backed the attack: 'We support action to prevent Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon', she said, adding 'and that is what this is.' It is no hanging offence from Wong. But it is a clear mistake, and one that reinforces the growing view that this government struggles when events fall outside its curated schedule. Albanese wants to run a stable, measured administration. Fair enough.
Daily Mail
14 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Pauline Hanson demands a major visa ban - as she issues a warning to Australians
has called on the Albanese government to ban visas to Iranians seeking resettlement in Australia, as the One Nation leader warns Australia must remain 'hyper-vigilant' against possible terror attacks. Senator Hanson has written to the Prime Minister to express her support for US President Donald Trump 's decision to 'obliterate' Iran's nuclear facilities on Sunday. 'As a defence ally to the United States, Australia must now remain hyper-vigilant to ensure reprisal attacks do not occur here in our country following threats by Iran's Foreign Minister that strikes would be "very, very dangerous for everybody",' Senator Hanson wrote. 'Your government has remained weak in its response to terrorism against Israel - an intelligence, security and defence partner of Australia. 'I am especially fearful that your Government's position continues to be inadequate against the danger of radical Islam in Australia, which puts the lives of our citizens at greater risk as our terrorism threat remains at "probable".' The terror threat rating means that intelligence services believe 'there is a greater than 50 per cent chance of an onshore attack or attack planning in the next twelve months'. Senator Hanson sought further assurance from the Prime Minister that the government 'will not offer additional visas to Iranians seeking resettlement in Australia'. The Albanese Government dramatically shifted its tone on the US strikes on Monday morning. On Sunday, a government spokesperson offered no endorsement of the US decision to target Iranian nuclear facilities, instead calling 'de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy'. But after the Coalition offered its full support for the 'proactive action', Foreign Minister Penny Wong came out in support of Trump's military intervention. 'The world has agreed Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. So yes, we support action to prevent that. And that is what this is,' Senator Wong told ABC's News Breakfast. 'The big question is, now what? And Australia says, like so many other countries, we do not want escalation and a full-scale war, and we continue to call for dialogue and diplomacy.' When asked about the legality of the strikes, Senator Wong said: 'I think we are all clear that Iran… cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. So yes, the government does support action to prevent that.' Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed Albanese for failing to speak publicly in the 24 hours after the US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities. The Prime Minister is expected to speak after a meeting of the National Security COuncil on Monday morning.
Reuters
15 minutes ago
- Reuters
Iran tensions make thermal coal a winner against pricier LNG
LAUNCESTON, Australia, June 23 (Reuters) - Thermal coal may end up as a major beneficiary of escalating hostilities in the Middle East, as the fuel used to generate electricity becomes cheaper than one of its main competitors liquefied natural gas (LNG). Much of the focus of the potential fallout from the conflict between Israel, and now the United States, and Iran is the threat to crude oil and refined fuels shipped through the Strait of Hormuz. But all of Qatar's LNG also goes through the narrow waterway separating the gulfs of Persia and Oman, and this amounts to almost 20% of the global seaborne supply of the super-chilled fuel. While there has yet to be any disruption of Qatar's LNG, the mere threat that Iran may attempt to block the strait or attack shipping has seen spot LNG prices rise in Asia, the biggest market. LNG for delivery to North Asia rose to $14 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) in the week to June 20, a four-month high and up from $12.6 the prior week. The weekly price assessment also came before the United States joined Israel's bombing campaign against Iran, with President Donald Trump claiming on June 21 that the strikes had "completely and totally obliterated" three nuclear facilities. The involvement of the United States makes it more likely that LNG prices will continue to rise to reflect the increased risk premium. But even at the current level, LNG is no longer competitive against thermal coal in the two major markets where fuel-switching can occur, Japan and South Korea. The price of Australian thermal coal with an energy content of 6,000 kilocalories per kilogram at Newcastle Port rose to a four-month high of $109.41 a metric ton in the week to June 20, according to data from globalCOAL. This is the grade of thermal coal most used by Japan and South Korea, as well as Taiwan. Using LSEG data to convert the price of coal into million British thermal units shows that Australia's Newcastle benchmark is currently around $12.18 per mmBtu, or a 13% discount to the spot LNG price. The most recent low for spot LNG was in early May when the price dipped to $11 per mmBtu, at which point it was cheaper than Newcastle coal, which was $11.47. But spot LNG prices have rallied harder than those for coal in recent weeks, a trend that is likely to continue for as long as tensions remain high in the Middle East. Since it has only been 10 days since Israel started its bombing campaign against Iran it's still too early to see a sustained trend in the volumes of coal being purchased by Japan and South Korea. However, there are some signs that coal imports are starting to increase, with commodity analysts Kpler tracking Japan's arrivals at 6.57 million tons in June, up from 6.39 million in May. More interestingly, Kpler is already estimating that Japan's thermal coal imports will jump to 7.23 million tons, which would be the most since March. It's likely that the July number will be revised higher as more cargoes are assessed. There is also an element of seasonality to Japan's thermal coal imports, which tend to rise in both the winter and summer peak demand periods. This means it will be important to look at the year-on-year changes to see if Asia's third-biggest coal buyer is indeed buying more of the fuel. Japan imported 10.05 million tons of thermal coal in July last year, and given that the volume already assessed for this coming July is more than 70% of that total, it's likely that imports next month will show an increase from July 2024. It's also worth noting that Asia's two biggest coal importers, China and India, don't have much ability to swap LNG for coal given their limited use of natural gas for power generation. But on a longer-term note, both countries are likely to view the current unrest in the Middle East as another compelling reason to reduce dependency on imported crude oil and LNG as rapidly as possible. If that means using their vast domestic reserves of coal, supplemented by imports, to electrify transportation at a faster pace, it's likely that this is a path they will pursue irrespective of climate change concerns. Enjoying this column? Check out Reuters Open Interest (ROI), your essential new source for global financial commentary. ROI delivers thought-provoking, data-driven analysis of everything from swap rates to soybeans. Markets are moving faster than ever. ROI can help you keep up. Follow ROI on LinkedIn, opens new tab and X, opens new tab. The views expressed here are those of the author, a columnist for Reuters.
