PM responds to Iran crisis: ‘We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war’
Anthony Albanese says the government supports action to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon – while underlining the need for a diplomatic end to the Israel-Iran conflict.
Speaking with reporters just now, the prime minister said:
The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and 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. We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war.
We continue to call for dialogue and for diplomacy. As I have said for many days now, we are deeply concerned about any escalation in the region and we want to see diplomacy, dialogue and de-escalation.
We have 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. 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.
Key events
Australia trying to evacuate Australians from Iran via Azerbaijani border, Wong says
Penny Wong has told reporters that the decision to withdraw staff from Australia’s embassy in Tehran was “difficult” to make and that Dfat is working on ways to assist the thousands of Australians who remain in Iran.
The foreign affairs minister said:
We were very conscious of the history in Iran, which I think is people well know, and the advice to me – which I discussed with the prime minister and the deputy prime minister – was to ensure we got our people out.
Obviously, the situation in Iran is very distressing for Australians. We have … over 3,000 Australians and their families who have registered with us as seeking to leave. And obviously, airspace remains closed. We have deployed people to the Azerbaijani border in the event that more Australians are able to exit through that border.
Australia considering changing travel advice as Middle East conflict escalates
In a press conference with the PM just now, Penny Wong said that with the US’s involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict come risks for Australians – and that she is considering any changes to travel advice.
The foreign affairs minister said:
There are always risks, not only from escalation in the region, but also potential for risk more broadly.
I’ve indicated publicly this morning that I have asked my department to consider whether there are any if there’s any alteration to travel advice more broadly.
Anthony Albanese then said that Australia’s security agency, Asio, is constantly monitoring terror threat levels and there has been no change in any advice that has been issued.
‘This was a unilateral action by the United States,’ Albanese says
Anthony Albanese is being pushed by reporters on whether Australia was briefed before the US bombed Iran’s nuclear site at Fordow and whether Australia provided any military support via US bases in Australia and the region.
The PM told reporters:
We don’t talk about intelligence matters, but we confirm, of course, that this was a unilateral action by the United States.
He then repeated himself: “We’ve made it very clear this was unilateral action taken by the United States.”
PM responds to Iran crisis: ‘We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war’
Anthony Albanese says the government supports action to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon – while underlining the need for a diplomatic end to the Israel-Iran conflict.
Speaking with reporters just now, the prime minister said:
The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and 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. We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war.
We continue to call for dialogue and for diplomacy. As I have said for many days now, we are deeply concerned about any escalation in the region and we want to see diplomacy, dialogue and de-escalation.
We have 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. 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.
More than 75% of Victorian students going on to further study
New data released by the Victorian government shows more than 75% of students who complete year 12 go on to further education and training, with one in five entering the workforce.
More than half of those students who continue education will pursue a bachelor’s degree at university, according to data published in the On Track 2024 Destinations of Victorian School Leavers report. The most likely jobs for those who move straight into employment are in the food, hospitality and tourism sectors. Ben Carroll, the state’s deputy premier and minister for education, said in a statement:
Senior secondary education in Victoria prepares students for post school options no matter what their pathway.
Victoria is proud to be the Education State and a place where students can get an education that gives them the skills to pursue their dream careers.
More on the Australian government’s stance after the US strikes Iran
Australia supports the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and maintains the latter nation must not be allowed to possess atomic weapons, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has said, calling for Tehran to return to negotiations.
But while Wong has refused to say whether the communications facility at Pine Gap was used in the American bombing of three Iranian sites, she said it was a “unilateral strike” from the Trump administration, and that the US has not asked Australia to get involved in any future military engagement. She said earlier today:
The world has long understood we cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. This action is being taken to prevent that. So, we support action to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon.
Nearly 24 hours after US president Donald Trump said American strikes had “totally obliterated” key Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, the Albanese government on Monday gave its first endorsement of the action, after a statement on Sunday from an unnamed government spokesperson noted the strikes.
Read more here:
Road deaths hit 15-year high, Australian Automobile Association says
Australian road deaths have hit a 15-year high, driven by a large increase in the deaths of cyclists and pedestrians, according to the Australian Automobile Associations (AAA).
There were 1,337 road deaths across Australia in the 12-month period ending 31 May, up 4.8% from a year earlier. Those figures represent a 36.7% increase in the deaths of cyclists and a 15.7% increase in pedestrian deaths. Michael Bradley, AAA’s managing director, said in a statement the National Road Safety Strategy – a 10-year plan to improve safety on Australian roads – needs updating:
Far from halving roads deaths as planned, this latest data shows this Strategy has seen fatalities increase 21.9% since its inception … This strategy saw governments commit to road safety interventions that are either not working or not being delivered.
The upcoming review needs to urgently clarify what’s working, what’s not, and how we need to change the way we’re managing road trauma across Australia.
Road deaths were highest in NSW (350), Queensland (303) and Victoria (299).
ASX plummets more than $10bn after US Iran strikes
Luca Ittimani
More than $10bn has been wiped from the Australian share market on opening after the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, as traders react to worsening economic growth prospects.
The benchmark S&P/ASX200 fell below 8,460 points, back to near where it was at the start of June after holding above 8,500 points on Friday. It had closed at an all-time high of 8,592 on 11 June, days before Israel began its military strikes on Iran, but has fallen in six of the subsequent seven trading days.
Energy companies including Woodside, Origin and Santos rose in value after predictions the widening conflict in the Middle East would drive up global oil and gas prices.
But those higher prices would restrict economic activity in Australia, which saw traders sell down the big banks as well as consumer-facing companies from Flight Centre and Qantas to Breville and gambling company Tabcorp. Furniture retailer Temple and Webster shed more than $100m in value.
Worsening prospects for global economic growth mean a poorer outlook for Australian commodity prices, pushing down share prices for Mineral Resources, Pilbara Minerals and Champion Iron.
Lisa Cox
First legal challenge to fracking under federal water trigger begins today
The first legal challenge to fracking under the federal water trigger begins in the federal court today. Anti-mining group Lock the Gate has challenged gas company Tamboran’s Shenandoah South pilot project in the Northern Territory.
The pilot project in the Beetaloo basin is a 15-well exploration project, with the company planning to sell so-called appraisal gas – which is gas extracted during the exploration phase.
Environment groups last year, concerned about the pilot project’s potential impacts on water including nearby Lake Woods, had called for the project to be assessed under the water trigger in Australia’s environmental laws. The federal government expanded the water trigger in 2023 to include all forms of unconventional gas.
The Lock the Gate Alliance said the project should be referred to the federal environment minister for assessment and a decision under national environment laws designed to protect water from significant impacts.
Georgina Woods, Lock the Gate’s head of research and investigations, said:
We are pursuing this case because we believe Tamboran’s fracking project is likely to contaminate precious groundwater in the Northern Territory and we want Australia’s national environmental law applied.
We believe the expanded water trigger should be used to assess this fracking project for its impacts on water resources. Since neither Tamboran nor the federal environment minister have chosen to do this we have stepped in to take action ourselves.
NZ foreign minister looking for evidence that justified US strikes on Iran
Winston Peters, New Zealand’s foreign minister, said this morning he was looking for “evidence to do with” Iran’s nuclear program that was “way outside the negotiated position they’ve been taking all this time” to justify the US strikes on sites across the country. Peters told Radio NZ that Iran had “been marvellously good at negotiating their way out of things and the question is, have they kept to their commitments, have they breached their international obligations”.
He said the world needed to “find that out before we rush to judgment”.
Yesterday, Peters said he found the strikes “extremely worrying” and said it was “critical” further escalation was avoided. He said:
New Zealand strongly supports efforts towards diplomacy. We urge all parties to return to talks. Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action.
The NZ prime minister, Chris Luxon, said the right response “cannot be more military action” saying politics needed to take precedent, the AAP reports.
Petrol prices expected to rise after US bombs Iran
Luca Ittimani
Petrol prices are expected to rise at least 5c a litre after the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities, with analysts predicting severe retaliation from Iran would see prices spike by a further 20c a litre.
Australian consumers have already been paying more at the bowser since Israel first struck Iran earlier in June. Prices have already climbed 15c/L higher over the last month, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission data shows. Sydney and Melbourne prices barely moving below $1.75/L when they had been bottoming out near $1.60/L in May and similar rises elsewhere.
AMP economist Shane Oliver, speaking before the US strike, said every US$1 change in the international price for a barrel of oil translates to a 1c rise or fall at the bowser, so the extra US$5 rise could see peak petrol prices surpass A$2/L in the capital cities.
Oil prices were below US$65 a barrel a month ago but markets now expect they’ll surpass US$80, if you take the Brent oil global price benchmark for Atlantic basin crude oils.
They could rise further beyond $US100 per barrel, adding about another 20c per litre to petrol prices, if Iran disrupts shipping through the strait of Hormuz, Commonwealth Bank analyst Vivek Dhar said on Monday. Dhar wrote:
Iran needs to first consider whether it wants a symbolic or substantial retaliation. … Oil and gas tankers don’t have an alternative to bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.
Dfat updates travel advice for Australians over Israel-Iran conflict
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Smartraveller website has once again updated its guidance for Australians in the Middle East or considering travel to the region, warning the local security situation could “get worse with little notice” after the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday.
Australians are encouraged to stay up to date with advice as flights may be cancelled amid an ongoing risk of reprisal attacks and further escalation across the region. Dfat has also encouraged travellers to see its general advice on staying safe during armed conflict.
The US has conducted strikes on Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Esfahan.
There is a risk of reprisal attacks and further escalation across the region.
See our general advice on protecting your safety during an armed conflict (1/2) pic.twitter.com/c9oZXJcL4g— Smartraveller (@Smartraveller) June 22, 2025
Qantas and Virgin Australia partner flights unaffected by Iran conflict so far
Qantas flights to Europe and Virgin Australia wet lease flights with Qatar Airways remain unaffected by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. Airspace over the two countries remains closed after the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites yesterday.
Both airlines say they are monitoring airspace around the region closely and will communicate with travellers if any changes are required. Qantas uses a number of flight paths en route to Europe that are reviewed regularly based on weather and security concerns, and they are proactively changed as needed, while Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways also monitor for safe alternatives if needed.
Flight maps show many commercial planes in the sky in the region, although they are flying around Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel.
Australia’s Minjee Lee wins historic third major at Women’s PGA Championship
Australian golf superstar Minjee Lee has cemented her greatness, claiming a historic third career major with a steely victory at the big-money Women’s PGA Championship in Texas, AAP reports.
Lee had her four-shot overnight lead slashed in half early in the final round before hanging on, then surging gamely for a three-shot triumph in more extremely trying conditions at PGA Frisco’s windswept Fields Ranch East course.
The 29-year-old bogeyed three of the first six holes in an anxious start before steadying to close with a sufficiently sound two-over-par 74 on championship Sunday (Monday AEST).
She said of her final-round approach:
Just stick to my gameplan. It’s a battle against myself pretty much, especially with how tough the conditions were this whole week.
Read more here:
Patrick Commins
Australia risks losing ‘war on nicotine’ in same way as war on drugs as illegal tobacco sales explode
Australia is now waging a “de facto war on nicotine” that is doomed to fail in the same way as previous prohibition-style policies, experts say, amid a growing debate about how to respond to an explosion in the illicit tobacco trade.
As health experts warn against changes that would undermine decades of fighting to bring down smoking rates, James Martin, a criminology lecturer at Deakin University, and Edward Jegasothy, an epidemiologist at the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health, have called for a major overhaul in how we tax tobacco and regulate vaping products.
They argue that unaffordable legal cigarettes and an effective ban on retail e-cigarette sales are responsible for the explosion in black-market trade for both products. Martin and Jegasothy wrote recently in Harm Reduction Journal:
Australia’s current strategy may be creating more harm than it mitigates, mirroring many of the unintended consequences historically associated with drug prohibition.
Read more here:
Former ambassador to US says ‘no way’ Australia would put boots on the ground
Amid questions over whether Australia should do more to support its major ally, former Australian ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos says combat troops are not the way forward.
Sinodinos, who served in the role from 2020 to 2023, told AAP after the US strikes on Iran:
There’s no way we would put troops on the ground. I don’t think the government or the political establishment here are suggesting that we just follow whatever the US is going to do.
I’d be very surprised if there’s anybody saying that we, automatically as a result of what the US has done, are now part of that conflict.
