Penny Wong announces suspension of Tehran embassy
Josh Butler
Australia’s embassy in Tehran has suspended operations and the government is ordering officials to leave Iran, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has said, over concerns about “the deteriorating security environment”.
As alarm grows about the conflict between Iran and Israel, Wong said the Australian ambassador to Iran would “remain in the region to support the Australian government’s response to this crisis”, while consular staff are being deployed to neighbouring Azerbaijan, “including its border crossings, to support Australians departing Iran”.
The government is trying to assist Australians to leave Iran but Wong said options were limited.
“The Australian government has directed the departure of all Australian officials and dependents and suspended operations at our embassy in Tehran, based on advice about the deteriorating security environment in Iran,” Wong said this morning.
We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe. Those who are unable to, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place.
Wong said the government was “continuing planning to support Australians seeking to depart Iran” – but at this stage “our ability to provide consular services is extremely limited due to the situation on the ground. The airspace remains closed.”
“Dfat will also continue to provide support through the 24-hour consular emergency centre, direct contact with Australian citizens who have registered on our crisis portal and updates to travel advice,” she said.
The suspension of embassy operations is consistent with steps taken by other countries, including New Zealand and Switzerland.
Australians in Iran seeking consular assistance should call the Australian government’s 24-hour consular emergency centre on +61 2 6261 3305 outside Australia and 1300 555 135 in Australia, Wong said.
Key events
Sarah Basford Canales
Hundreds more Australians register overnight to leave Iran
The number of Australians registered as needing help to leave Iran has risen by 500 overnight as the latest escalation of conflict with Israel continues. As of Friday morning, more than 2,000 Australians in Iran have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs’ crisis portal, up from 1,500 on Thursday.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, described the situation in Iran as “very complicated” and “very risky” yesterday, noting there were fewer avenues to safely evacuate Australians from the country.
Meanwhile in Israel, around 1,200 Australian passport holders, permanent residents and immediate family of Australians have requested the government’s assistance in fleeing. The Australian government arranged for a busload of registered Australians to depart from Tel Aviv across the border to Jordan’s capital Amman on Wednesday.
A second bus was planned yesterday and we’re awaiting confirmation on whether it was able to go ahead. The government is looking at other options for assisted departures, which could include routes through Egypt.
Australians in need of emergency consular assistance can contact the Consular Emergency Centre on +61 2 6261 3305 (if overseas) and 1300 555 135 (in Australia).
Coalition urges PM to visit Nato summit
James Paterson, the shadow finance minister, said prime minister Anthony Albanese should make a last-minute trip to next week’s Nato summit.
Albanese told media earlier this week he may make a snap visit to The Hague after his planned meeting with US president Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 was cancelled.
Paterson told Channel 7 Albanese should go to the Nato meeting even if he isn’t able to lock-in a rescheduled chat with Trump, as he could speak with his European counterparts about the war in Ukraine and the growing conflict in the Middle East:
If he meets with President Trump on the sidelines, that would be a bonus. But frankly, I think his approach of now waiting seven months to go and see the president and not going to see him in Washington DC, relying on a chance meeting on the sidelines of international forum, is a very risky strategy, as we saw at the G7.
‘Suspicious’ fire at multimillion-dollar Melbourne mansion
Victoria police are investigating a “suspicious” house fire in the Melbourne suburb of Toorak early this morning.
Emergency officials responded to a large property on St Georges Road just before 12.30am to find the property in flames. The house was undergoing renovations at the time of the fire.
No one was inside the house, and investigations will continue into the exact cause of the blaze, “which is believed to be suspicious at this stage”, police said.
An arson chemist will travel to the scene later this morning.
Guardian Australia investigation found 57 inmates died using known hanging points
Guardian Australia revealed earlier this month a staggering 57 Australians have killed themselves in the past two decades using hanging points in prisons that authorities knew about but failed to remove.
In a five-month review of 248 hanging deaths in Australian jails, Guardian Australia identified 19 correctional facilities where inmates died after governments and authorities failed to remove known ligature points within cells.
In many cases, this was despite repeated and urgent warnings from coroners to do so. Warning: the story below contains descriptions of self-harm and some readers might find it distressing.
Attorney general Michell Rowland said this week the death toll linked to hanging points was “unacceptable”, telling state and territory governments to “review their practices”.
McCarthy says Australians need to ‘see action’ on Indigenous deaths in custody
Malarndirri McCarthy, the minister for Indigenous Australians, said the federal government, as well as all states and territories, needed to push to end deaths in custody after two men died in recent weeks in police custody in the Northern Territory.
McCarthy spoke to RN Breakfast shortly before a meeting of the joint council on Closing the Gap. She said:
The gathering today of first nations Indigenous affairs ministers … is testament to the fact that this is an incredibly important issue. And Australians need to see action, and this is what we’re doing.
Host Sally Sara asked about how the government would work to address hanging points in prisons, and if those points would be dealt with by the end of the year. McCarthy said the issue had been raised and taken “quite seriously”, but that states and territories needed to take full responsibility for the prisons they ran. She added:
I certainly have raised it directly with my colleagues. We are very serious, not just about this one issue of hanging points, Sally. We do not want to see further deaths in custody.
McCarthy said the past few weeks in the Northern Territory had been “absolutely abhorrent” when it came to deaths in custody:
No one should go to a supermarket and think that they’ll never return home. No one should try and board a plane and think they’ll never ever live. These are two incredibly difficult episodes for those families. They are still trying to come to terms with it.
Bragg says ‘better value’ for taxpayers if Coalition part of Chalmers’ productivity roundtable
Andrew Bragg, the shadow minister for productivity and deregulation, told RN Breakfast this morning it was up to treasurer Jim Chalmers who sits on an upcoming productivity roundtable but taxpayers would be better off if the Coalition was on the invite list.
Bragg said:
As you know, we’re happy to be productive. We are doing our own policy work on productivity, deregulation, cutting of red tape. … I think taxpayers would get better value if we were able to collaborate. But ultimately, who goes to this meeting is up to the treasurer. As he says, there’ll be a role for us regardless.
But I do think that if there is an opportunity for bipartisanship on trying to improve our very anaemic productivity, which I have to say, after three years of Labor, I mean, the government have largely driven a lot of this bad productivity because of their huge commitment to red tape.
But we want to be constructive.
Five ways Australians have changed in 25 years
Australia’s changing way of life is highlighted by five key trends in two pieces of research released today – one by the e61 Institute and another by KPMG.
Luca Ittamani finds that young people are living with their parents for longer compared with 25 years ago thanks to the housing crisis, and are less likely to be living with a partner.
Another result of expensive housing is that young families are more likely to move around because they are less likely to own their own home.
Read more:
Josh Butler
About 2,000 registered with Dfat as wanting to leave Iran
Further to the last post on Iran – it’s understood just over 2,000 Australian citizens, permanent residents and immediate family members are registered as wanting to depart Iran.
Victoria Liberals bail out Pesutto with $1.5m loan to avoid bankruptcy
There was a dramatic meeting of the Victorian Liberals’ 19-member administrative committee last night at which they decided to give former leader John Pesutto a $1.5m loan so he can pay off his legal debt to Moira Deeming.
It means he won’t go bankrupt which, among other things, would have triggered a byelection in his seat of Hawthorn. After the meeting, the party’s state president, Phil Davis, sent an email to members explaining the decision:
You will have no doubt seen media commentary about the member for Hawthorn’s request of the party to assist him in meeting the costs order by the federal court in the Deeming v Pesutto defamation matter.
The party’s administrative committee met this evening and resolved that Moira Deeming should be paid what is owed to her, and therefore the party will contribute $1.55 million directly to Mrs Deeming.
Mr Pesutto will be required to re-pay this amount to the party on a commercial loan basis, with a market-based interest rate, ensuring that the Party earns additional income from this investment.
Settling this matter once and for all is in the interests of the party, as it will see an end to the ongoing commentary that is letting Labor get away with their appalling performance.
By ensuring that Mrs Deeming has been paid, there will be no Hawthorn by-election, and the state parliamentary team can focus on the urgent needs of the Victorian community, particularly campaigning to change the government at the 2026 Election.
Victorians need a change of government. By ensuring that Mrs Deeming gets paid what she is owed, the Party will be stronger as we head towards November 2026.
Read our full story here:
Good morning, and happy Friday. Nick Visser here to take over for Martin Farrer. Stick with us as we dive into the day’s news.
Penny Wong announces suspension of Tehran embassy
Josh Butler
Australia’s embassy in Tehran has suspended operations and the government is ordering officials to leave Iran, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has said, over concerns about “the deteriorating security environment”.
As alarm grows about the conflict between Iran and Israel, Wong said the Australian ambassador to Iran would “remain in the region to support the Australian government’s response to this crisis”, while consular staff are being deployed to neighbouring Azerbaijan, “including its border crossings, to support Australians departing Iran”.
The government is trying to assist Australians to leave Iran but Wong said options were limited.
“The Australian government has directed the departure of all Australian officials and dependents and suspended operations at our embassy in Tehran, based on advice about the deteriorating security environment in Iran,” Wong said this morning.
We urge Australians who are able to leave Iran to do so now, if it is safe. Those who are unable to, or do not wish to leave, are advised to shelter in place.
Wong said the government was “continuing planning to support Australians seeking to depart Iran” – but at this stage “our ability to provide consular services is extremely limited due to the situation on the ground. The airspace remains closed.”
“Dfat will also continue to provide support through the 24-hour consular emergency centre, direct contact with Australian citizens who have registered on our crisis portal and updates to travel advice,” she said.
The suspension of embassy operations is consistent with steps taken by other countries, including New Zealand and Switzerland.
Australians in Iran seeking consular assistance should call the Australian government’s 24-hour consular emergency centre on +61 2 6261 3305 outside Australia and 1300 555 135 in Australia, Wong said.
Israel says it has ‘very close collaboration’ with Australia
Daisy Dumas
Israel’s deputy foreign affairs minister says her country’s war with Iran is an “Israeli mission” and that the country is capable of fighting Iran without America’s direct involvement.
Speaking with ABC’s 7.30, Sharren Haskel also said Israel had “a very close collaboration” with Australia.
She said that given “such an enormous amount of bombardment and missiles and ballistic missiles” had been fired by Iran, some had penetrated Israel’s Iron Dome and two other layers of defence.
The Knesset member went on to say the war was “an Israeli operation”:
Americans are very close allies of Israel. They were informed, and they are still informed, with all of the details of the operation as well. They are working with us to defend the country but this is an Israeli mission. This is our target.
President Trump is considering Americans’ interest and I understand that. He knows how Iran is a threat to humanity … They’re doing their consideration but we had to take into account our interests and to make sure we are capable of defending our people and our children.
She said Trump’s America, should it decide to “join in”, may be capable of eliminating Iran’s nuclear threat, as Israel sees it, “in a shorter time, with much more sophisticated or direct equipment, advanced equipment”. But even if it took longer, Israel was targeting what it needed to keep its people safe.
She said Israel has “a very close collaboration” with Australian security agencies. She did not elaborate, when asked, on whether that included sharing intelligence about Iran’s nuclear program with Australia.
Anne Davies
Unravelling the Northern Beaches hospital deal is proving very complex because the private and public hospital facilities are interwoven in the same building, which is owned by a third entity.
There are separate public and private wards but all services – from theatres, pathology, X-ray, IT, reception and cleaning to nursing support – are shared.
If a mutual agreement is not reached, the proposed amendments would give the health minister the power to issue a termination notice to Healthscope.
In addition, the treasurer would have the power to ensure that compensation negotiations occur in a reasonable timeframe and to appoint an independent person to determine compensation if agreement cannot be reached.
The alternative to this approach is for the NSW government to exercise its voluntary termination rights, the government said.
Under the PPP contract this would see compensation to Healthscope’s receivers and lenders run into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
The health minister, Ryan Park, said: “We’ve made it clear from the very beginning that we don’t support this sort of arrangement.
This is a complex contract but the community deserves certainty.
NSW government moves to end partnership deal over Northern Beaches hospital
Anne Davies
The Minns Labor government is arming itself with new powers to terminate the public-private partnership (PPP) with bankrupt Northern Beaches hospital operator Healthscope in the event that it cannot reach an agreement.
The government announced today it would introduce amendments to a private member’s bill brought forward by the member for Wakehurst, Michael Regan, next week so it could – if required – terminate the Northern Beaches PPP contract.
This follows the appointment of receivers to the parent entities of Healthscope, which the NSW government considers a default under the contract.
Healthscope has argued that the termination would be “voluntary” and would attract compensation as set out on the contract. The government said this would run to hundreds of millions of dollars.
“This is not a decision we take lightly,” the NSW treasurer, Daniel Mookhey, said.
But we are now in a position where the Liberals’ privatisation mess means Healthscope’s receivers are negotiating the future of the Northern Beaches hospital.
While an agreed exit from this failed PPP contract remains my preference, I must ensure the government has the right to step in and protect the Northern Beaches community from this dragging on.
Welcome
Martin Farrer
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then Nick Visser will be in the hot seat.
Israel’s deputy foreign minister told the ABC’s 7.30 last night that her country had “a very close collaboration” with Australian security agencies. However, when pressed on the question she did not elaborate on whether that included sharing intelligence about Iran’s nuclear program. More coming up.
The Minns Labor government is arming itself with new powers to terminate the public-private partnership (PPP) with bankrupt Northern Beaches hospital operator Healthscope in the event that it cannot reach an agreement. More coming up on that too.
