Anthony Albanese, Labor support for Trump decision ignites Bob Carr, Andrew Hastie
Updated ,first published
Former foreign secretary Bob Carr complained about the Albanian government’s strong support for US and Israeli attacks on Iran and pointed to growing discontent in some sections of the Labor Party over the party’s apparent disinterest in supporting international law.
Echoing the words of Canadian prime minister Mark Carney, who arrived in Australia on a three-day visit on Tuesday, opposition sector spokesman Andrew Hastie declared that the global rules-based order is dead and power is now the dominant authority in geopolitics.
The comments came as the opposition demanded the federal government do more to support Australian travelers stranded in the Middle East, with Defense Minister Richard Marles signaling “emergency arrangements” were being considered to help evacuate stranded Australians.
Asked about Australia’s stance on the conflict with Iran, Carr, who served as Labor Party foreign minister from 2012 to 2013, replied: “It’s frightening that for the first time in a long time our voices are not speaking out loudly on behalf of international law.”
The vast majority of international law experts said the U.S. and Israeli strikes were illegal because there was no sign of an imminent threat from Iran.
Carr said: “There is much to be said about the gross violation of international law in the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran, but one observation after the first few days of hostilities is that the lie on which the war is based has been exposed. Iran’s weak response to the attack suggests that they are no closer to posing a serious threat to the US and Israel.”
Carr warned that the widening conflict could lead to “very devastating consequences” including high civilian casualties, a flow of refugees to the Middle East and Europe, terrorist counter-attacks and a power vacuum in Iran.
“There is a risk that Iran will face a government that is much worse than the hardline Islamic regime that the United States wants to replace,” Carr said.
Former Labor senator Doug Cameron said Albanese’s rhetorical support for strikes “shows our complete inability to act independently of Trump and Netanyahu”.
Cameron, one of the bosses of the Labor Party Against the War group, said, “There was a time when the Labor Party was after peace, not war.”
“That era is long gone. The leadership had no need for sycophantic submission to militarism.”
Albanese told ABC 7.30 monday night: “Australia openly supports this action, and Australia has a hateful attitude when it comes to the Iranian regime. And of course, it is now up to the Iranian people to determine their own future. We hope that what emerges will be a more democratic and free Iran.”
Minister of Albania and Foreign Affairs Penny Wong said it was the responsibility of the United States and Israel to explain how the attacks comply with international law.
Hastie, a former SAS soldier, told reporters at Parliament House in Canberra on Tuesday morning: “I think the world is ruled by force and I would prefer a strong United States that has reestablished its deterrence rather than other countries like Russia using force to advance their own national interests.”
“You know, it’s nice to talk about the world that once existed post-World War II. What we call it, the global rules-based order. I don’t think that exists anymore, and anyone who says it does is living in a fantasy land. It’s a new world order.”
The war in the Middle East escalated rapidly during the three-day US and Israeli offensive against Iran; The battered country launched attacks on Israel, Lebanon, the UAE and Kuwait. US President Donald Trump warned that a “major wave” of attacks was imminent, saying the conflict could last “much longer” than the four or five-week operation he had previously hinted at.
Marles confirmed that Australia’s Al Minhad Air Base near Dubai was hit by Iranian drones over the weekend. All personnel on base were safe.
Carney used almost the same language as Albanese on attacks on Iran, saying: “Canada supports the United States in acting to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and to prevent its regime from further threatening international peace and security.”
Carney will address the Lowy Institute think tank in Sydney on Wednesday before addressing a joint session of parliament.
He caused a stir at the World Economic Forum in Davos by declaring a “break” in the international rules-based order and calling on mid-sized powers to work closer together.
Closer cooperation between Australia and Canada on critical minerals is expected to feature heavily during the visit.
In the UK, Prime Minister Keir Starmer claimed that US and Israeli attacks were against international law and questioned the feasibility of Trump’s conflict plan.
Starmer’s comments to the UK House of Commons came shortly after Trump said he was “very disappointed” by the prime minister’s decision to deny the American military access to British air bases during the initial attack. Starmer has since granted access to British bases.
In a rare departure from typical UK-Australia foreign policy, Marles said the government supported America’s position.
“Iran pursuing nuclear capability is contrary to the rules-based order and every regime we have around the world to limit the proliferation of nuclear weapons,” Marles told Seven’s. Sunrise.
Labor ministers have repeatedly rejected the suggestion that the Australian military was involved in the conflict. Hastie, who served in Afghanistan, said all options for Australian involvement should remain open but questioned the timeline of the conflict and whether regime change was a credible prospect.
“President Trump said the end situation was that we were going to attack Iran and then leave it to the Iranian people to do regime change in four to five weeks. What would be left of a functioning government? At least in Iraq and Afghanistan, there were coalition troops there to establish some kind of law and order,” Hastie said.
“It’s going to be very messy, and you could see the rise of another Islamist regime that continues to oppress the Iranian people. So I’m very cautious about war being a blunt instrument for regime change. It’s very, very difficult, and I’m very cautious about that because I’ve done nation-building myself by force of arms.”
While key air travel corridors in the Middle East remain closed, Marles said the government was exploring vague “emergency arrangements” to support the return of heirs, while reiterating that the quickest way for citizens to return was for commercial flights to return.
