PM says Asio has ‘credible intelligence’ that Iran directed at least two antisemitic attacks on Australian soil
The prime minister is addressing reporters at parliament house and says Asio can reveal the Iranian government directed at least two antisemitic attacks in the Australian community since 7 October 2023. Albanese says:
Asio has gathered enough credible intelligence to reach a deeply disturbing conclusion – the Iranian government directed at least two of these attacks. Iran has sought to disguise its involvement but Asio assesses it was behind the attacks.
Albanese says the Iranian ambassador has been expelled, and he has suspended operations at Australia’s embassy in Tehran.
Key events
Josh Butler
Coalition environment spokesperson Angie Bell says her door is open to the government on its environmental reforms, accusing Labor of failing to live up to its commitments.
“This government has had plenty of time to decide to update the EPBC Act and reform it, and it has failed,” she told a doorstop in Parliament House earlier.
What I will also say, and I have said on record, is that my door is absolutely open to the minister in terms of detail around what he intends to do with the reform that is underway. I want to make sure that stakeholders are thoroughly engaged during this process, and I would love to meet again with the Minister.
Minister Murray Watt said the government wanted to pass the bill by the end of this year, after efforts stalled and the government scrapped its plans for environmental reform in its first term.
Bell says the Coalition wants to talk, but hasn’t heard details of the new bill.
I met with [Watt] once to discuss this moving forward, but let’s see what the government brings forward in terms of what they consider will be acceptable to all the stakeholders.
We really want to work with the government on this because it’s too important to get this reform wrong. It is well overdue, and the government has had time on its hands to actually reform this act… but we don’t know the detail. We haven’t heard the details. We haven’t been asked for another meeting on the details, so I will scrutinise very closely what the government brings forward when they do that.
The Israeli embassy in Australia has responded to Australia’s decision to list IRGC as a terrorist organisation.
In a statement, posted to X, the embassy says it’s a step they have long advocated for:
Iran’s regime is not only a threat to Jews or Israel, it endangers the entire free world, including Australia. A strong and important move.
PM says Australian embassy staff in Iran removed quickly for safety
Albanese and Burgess are asked a final question, on whether they’re concerned about further incidents, and whether there’s concern that Australians in Iran could face retaliatory action after the government’s announcements today.
Burgess says Asio is “open” to the possibility of more incidents.
We and the police are open to the possibility that could occur, and we’re doing our best to get it before it stops. Of course, we’re not all-seeing and all-knowing.
Albanese says the government quickly removed Australian embassy staff to ensure their safety.
We have said, transparently, we were provided with this advice and evidence, more evidence obviously than is appropriate to make public … So, we took that advice, we put in place measures including the safe removal of all of our staff from the Tehran embassy, in order to ensure they were kept safe.
Some alleged perpetrators were paid for involvement, Asio director says
Burgess says there’s an offshore organised crime element to the attacks, which are part of what he calls a “layer cake of cut-outs” between the IRGC and the alleged perpetrators.
Cut-outs are paid intermediaries. Burgess says:
In between them, they tap into a number of people, agents of IRGC, and people that they know in the criminal world, and work through there, so it’s a series of chains. There’s an organised crime element offshore in this. But that’s not to suggest organised crime are doing it. They’re just using cut-outs, including people who are criminal and members of organised crime gangs to do their bidding or direct their bidding …
Some of the alleged perpetrators did this because they were paid to do it.
Asked whether there’s a pattern of behaviour from Iran, and whether other countries have also been targeted, Burgess says:
So the IRGC has form in conducting, going after dissident or anything they consider a threat to the regime in other countries. This is unique to Australia, having a crack at our social cohesion.
Asio director says Iran was involved in ‘threatening, intimidating behaviours’ from October 2023
Albanese says any attack on social cohesion is an attack on Australia.
We are proud of the country that we’ve built. A country where people can live overwhelmingly side by side of different faith, of different background, in harmony. We cherish it. We protect it. We defend it. And that’s what we’re doing here today.
Mike Burgess is asked whether Iran is a major player in the antisemitic attacks, he says:
If you remember, go back to 7 October 2023, we saw the rise in tension and emotion, and we saw protest. Most of that, thankfully, in our great country, was peaceful protest, but there was some threatening intimidation, intimidating actions at that time. But it was on October 24 that we saw that transition. And I’m on the record of saying this from threatening, intimidating behaviours, to direct targeting of people, businesses and places of worship, Iran started the first of those. But not all of those are directed by Iran, in our view.
Asked whether he believes Benjamin Netanyahu should apologise to him, Albanese says he’s not concerned about “personal issues”.
What I’m interested in is making a difference. Making a difference for Australia’s social cohesion, adopting a position which is principled. Which is in line with what Australians want to see.
Asio director says IRGC has direction connection to attacks but Iran embassy and diplomats not involved
The Asio director, Mike Burgess, says the Iranian embassy and diplomats were not involved in the antisemitic attacks.
But Burgess says he won’t comment further on details of the alleged perpetrators.
I won’t comment on any matters that may or go before the courts or are before the courts and subject to police, investors. Police investigations. What we have said is there’s a direct connection that the IRGC are directing, through a series of cutouts, people in Australia to undertake these crimes.
He says Asio informed the government of its assessment on Monday, but the investigations by Asio and the AFP have been ongoing since October last year.
Wong says Iranian officials and ambassador have been given seven days to leave Australia
The foreign minister, Penny Wong, says this is the first time an ambassador has been expelled from Australia in the postwar period.
The Australian officials who were stationed to the Iranian embassy in Tehran are now in a third country.
On the Iranian officials expelled from Australia, Wong says:
There is no doubt that these extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil have crossed a line. And that’s why we have declared Iran’s ambassador to Australia persona non grata, as well as three other Iranian officials, and they’ll have seven days to leave the country.
Wong says the government has warned Australians not to travel to Iran, since 2020, and reiterates that call.
‘Likely’ that further antisemitic attacks were directed by Iran according to Asio assessment, PM says
The government will list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC as a terrorist organisation in response to Asio’s investigation.
Albanese says the two attacks coordinated by Iran include an attack on the Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney, 20 October 2024 and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne, December 2024.
Albanese says:
Asio assesses it’s likely Iran directed further attacks as well.
They were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community. The Australian government is taking strong and decisive action in response.
Asio director Mike Burgess is with the PM and says Asio is still investigating more attacks they believe had possible Iranian involvement.
Asio is still investigating possible Iranian involvement in a number of other attacks, but I want to stress we do not believe the regime is responsible for every act of antisemitism in Australia. It goes without saying that Iran’s actions are unacceptable. They put lives at risk, they terrified the community and they tore at our social fabric. Iran and its proxies lit the matches and fanned the flames.
PM says Asio has ‘credible intelligence’ that Iran directed at least two antisemitic attacks on Australian soil
The prime minister is addressing reporters at parliament house and says Asio can reveal the Iranian government directed at least two antisemitic attacks in the Australian community since 7 October 2023. Albanese says:
Asio has gathered enough credible intelligence to reach a deeply disturbing conclusion – the Iranian government directed at least two of these attacks. Iran has sought to disguise its involvement but Asio assesses it was behind the attacks.
Albanese says the Iranian ambassador has been expelled, and he has suspended operations at Australia’s embassy in Tehran.
Asked about the Israeli strikes on a hospital in Gaza overnight, Ley calls them “horrific”, but won’t say whether the Coalition would support more sanctions on Israelis in response.
She says, as she has in the past, that the responsibility is on Hamas to release hostages, and doing so would end the conflict.
This is simply horrific, simply horrific, and labelling it as a tragic mishap is an understatement, and Israel has undertaken to have a full investigation, which needs to happen, and we will wait for the outcome of that investigation.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the strikes a “tragic mishap” in a post to social media platform X.