Radio Interview, ABC Radio National

SUBJECTS: Conflict in the Middle East.

SALLY SARA, HOST: Richard Marles is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence and joins me in our Parliament House studio. Minister, welcome back to breakfast.

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Sally. How are you?

SARA: Very well, thank you. Are these strikes against Iran, are they justified in Australia's view?

MARLES: Well, we certainly regard the regime in Iran as being abhorrent, and we certainly support the United States in taking action to prevent Iran from being able to acquire a nuclear weapon and to stop its nuclear program. And more than that, we very much support the Iranian people in the way in which they have stood up to this regime. So, we do support the action that the United States has taken, and we very much stand with the Iranian people in this moment.

SARA: Did we provide any practical support, including the use of US facilities on Australian soil, joint facilities?

MARLES: No.

SARA: Were we asked to?

MARLES: No. I mean, we weren't advised of this before it happened, but we wouldn't have expected to be either.

SARA: Are these attacks legal under international law, from Australia's perspective?

MARLES: Well, as I said, we support the United States in preventing Iran acquiring a nuclear capability. The UN Security Council has long been in a position of doing everything within its power to stop Iran acquiring that capability. I mean, ultimately, the legality of these measures is a matter for both the United States and Israel to go through. But, you know, we support the United States in preventing Iran acquiring this capability.

SARA: What's Australia's view on how long this conflict may be and what may follow it to if the aim is regime change, to ensure that that happens and Iran is stable?

MARLES: Well, I really wouldn't speculate on any of that. I mean, as I said, where we stand is in support of the Iranian people in the way in which they have stood up to their government. And it is a repressive regime which has seen the deaths of thousands of Iranians in the last couple of months. And that is something that we have condemned in the strongest possible terms. I wouldn't speculate about how long this is going to take, nor what happens in terms of the Iranian regime going forward. We'll have to just see, as events play out.

SARA: What is Australia prepared to do to support the people of Iran right now?

MARLES: Well, I mean, we've made clear our support and that position is there. This is an action, which has been being taken by the United States and by Israel. And as I said, we've not been a part of this. That said, you know, our position on the Iranian regime is absolutely clear and we absolutely stand in support of the Iranian people.

SARA: Have you had any discussions or has the Prime Minister had discussions with your US, Israeli or Gulf counterparts?

MARLES: Look, I have not. The Foreign Minister has been in discussions with her counterparts across the region and she's spoken about that in the last 24 hours or so. And so there's been that communication, but I've not had communication, nor have I sought, to be honest, a call with my American people.

SARA: What are the consular measures that are in place for Australians who may be in the region?

MARLES: Yeah, so there are a lot of Australians across the Middle East. There's something in the order of 115,000 Australians across the region. And there are Australians in Iran and Israel. The crisis portal has been open for those Australians in Iran and Israel to register, and we have announced, the Foreign Minister has announced this morning, that that has now been extended to Australians who are in the UAE and who are in Qatar. At the moment, our advice, of course, is to not travel to the region. And that has been upgraded in the last couple of days, although, of course, in respect of Iran, it's been that situation for quite some time. It's really important that Australians in the region, if they can, register on the crisis portal and otherwise follow the advice that's coming from Smartraveller. It's a very dynamic situation. The question that people are asking, of course, is there going to be some form of repatriation flights, that kind of thing? I mean, the fundamental issue right now is that the airspace is closed, so there are no flights at all. And while we are engaging in contingency planning, I won't speculate about that other than to say that once the airspace reopens, I would expect actually that it's more likely commercial flights are in a position to operate in the most expeditious way. But we will continue to advise people through those channels of the circumstances and what we're doing.

SARA: What are Australia's concerns about the economic and trade consequences of conflict in this region right now?

MARLES: Well, I mean, it's a region which is very important for the global economy, but obviously it's also a region which is not. This is not new to see this kind of conflict. So, you know, I think the markets will react in the way in which we've seen this occur in the past. I mean, ultimately the answer to that question lies in how long this will continue. And, you know, I won't speculate about that. You know, we will see what plays out.

SARA: Minister, thanks so much for coming into the studio this morning.

MARLES: Thanks, Sally.

ENDS