MATT THISTLETHWAITE, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND TRADE: The Australian Government continues to provide support for Australians to return home safely to their families from the war-torn Middle East. I can confirm overnight that a further 516 Australians arrived home on four flights. Two into Sydney, one into Perth and one into Melbourne, taking to a total of 1,324 Australians who have returned home safely from the region. In addition, yesterday the government announced that we are extending registrations for 24-hour consular support through the Department of Foreign affairs and Trade to Bahrain, Lebanon and Qatar. We're also doing that in addition to the support that we provide to Australians that are in Israel, Iran, the UAE and Qatar, we're also making sure that we're doing more to support Australians. And today I can announce that we're starting bus transits from Doha to Riyadh for Australians stranded in the region and we are working to consider transfers from Kuwait as well, subject to a safety assessment, the Australian consular officials in the region and DFAT officials here at home are working 24/7 to ensure that we can do all we can to support Australians to return home from the war torn Middle East safely to their families. Happy to take some questions.
JOURNALIST: When that bus takes them from Doha to Riyadh, then what happens to do they have to then buy their own flights from Riyadh out and are there Riyadh to Australia services running?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: It's a fast-moving situation and the airspace around the region is opening and then closing. The best option for people to get out is on commercial flights. So, once people get to Riyadh, they will have to avail themselves of commercial flights to seek to come back to Australia. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will provide some basic accommodation support to people when they travel to Riyadh. But the best available option remains commercial flights home to Australia. And Australians in the region if they are offered a seat on a commercial flight, should seriously consider taking that option.
JOURNALIST: There are still thousands who need to get back home. So, would the government consider repatriation flights?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: Look, we're exploring all of the options at the moment, but the best option for large scale repatriations from the area is on commercial flights. And we've seen already 1,324 Australians arrive home safely. If you are offered a seat on a flight, a commercial flight home. You should seriously consider taking that option.
JOURNALIST: A lot of those commercial flights are still coming back largely empty and is the issue here that they're mostly coming back from the UAE and people can't get to the UAE if they are in Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, that kind of thing?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: Yeah. We are disappointed that some of the flights are returning home not full, and our officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have expressed that concern to the airline officials both here and in Australia. Our diplomats in the regions are in constant contact with airline officials to ensure that we're maximising the number of Australians that get onto flights. Our officials are doing hotel visits, they're doing phone calls and they're doing online town halls for Australians that are stranded within the region. The best available advice to people is to continue to monitor the Smartraveller website, because that has the most up to date information for travellers seeking to come home.
JOURNALIST: What action is the Australian government taking against China over the unsafe incident with the Chinese helicopter? And will the PM be speaking to President Xi about this?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: The HMAS Toowoomba, as part of Operation Argos, is working within that region to implement the UN Security Council resolution regarding sanctions against South Korea [North Korea]. In the last couple of days, the HMAS Toowoomba launched a helicopter and the Chinese PLA operated in an unsafe and unprofessional manner in close proximity to that helicopter. The Australian government has conveyed its concerns both here in Australia and in China to Chinese government officials and to representatives of PLA as well.
JOURNALIST: Saudi and Riyadh in particular have become one of the few places to get out of the Middle East. So, they are incredibly busy. Are there any options, are there commercial options for Australians in Riyadh to get from there to Australia right now? And if so, how expensive are they?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: It's a very fluid situation at the moment. On some days the airspace is open, other days it will close. It depends on the civil aviation safety authorities within those regions. We take the safety of Australians as paramount. That's why we provide the most up to date advice that considers those safety warnings to Australians. People can register in those countries to receive 24/7 email updates and text message updates about the latest information regarding airspace openings. But people should not cancel their flights, they should maintain their bookings. They should work with their airlines to ensure that they are regularly checking for airlines going and if they have opportunity at a seat on a flight, then they should take up that opportunity.
JOURNALIST: But are we not just going to end up very likely in a situation where everyone that's stuck in Qatar at the moment just becomes stuck in Saudi Arabia?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: Well, we've made a safety assessment that the opportunity for people to return home is much better here in Riyadh because there's larger openings of airspace. So, we make those safety assessments based on the advice of diplomats on the ground and the work of the governments in those countries. They're taking the situation very seriously. They're only opening airspace where it is safe to do so. That's why it's a very fast-moving situation. And the best advice for Australians is to register through Smartraveller to receive those 24/7 updates.
JOURNALIST: The people that we have spoken to at the airport have wonderful things to say about the Emirates and Etihad airlines and even the UAE government. And they've spoken very poorly about the assistance they've got from the Australian Government. So, why has the Australian Government decided that commercial airlines on the other side of the world are more equipped to help Australians get home than their own governments?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: There's 115,000 Australians approximately within the region. The best option to ensure the safe passage of Australians home at a mass level like that is through commercial airlines. And those airlines are getting through and Australians are returning home. And our diplomats on the ground are working with government officials from those countries to ensure that we maximise the number of Australians on those flights. We've thanked the UAE government for their support of Australians that provided food and accommodation. And the Prime Minister rang the head of government in the UAE to thank him for that support for Australians.
JOURNALIST: What's the advice to people in, Australians in Lebanon? Obviously, Lebanon is largely coming under attack directly. There's a lot of Australians there. What's the advice for them?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: Yeah, our Foreign Minister has spoken to the Foreign Minister of Israel to express our concern regarding the attacks on southern Lebanon by the Israeli Defence Force. Our advice to Australians within the region is if it's safe to do so, to leave immediately. Some of the airspace around Beirut remains open and there are commercial options available for Australians. If it is safe to do so, then Australians in Beirut and border Lebanon should return home immediately.
JOURNALIST: On a separate note, One Nation is announcing its candidate for Farrer today. Are they a chance of winning and will Labor run someone?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: Well, that's a matter for the people of Farrer. Obviously, it's going to be a very important by-election and no doubt will be dominated by national issues and local issues as well. One Nation has sought to divide Australians during this difficult time, basically since their inception. At the moment, we need Australians to come together, to work together to uphold Australian values and principles to ensure that we continue successful multiculturalism within Australia. One Nation stands against everything that Australia stands for when it comes to our success of multicultural policies.
JOURNALIST: The PM visited the Ramadan Night Markets overnight. Is he trying to win back favour with the community there? How much is he trying to do that?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: Well, a couple of weeks ago, I was with the Prime Minister in Bondi at a Jewish festival. You would expect that he would attend an important festival like the Ramadan Night Markets in Sydney. It's a wonderful celebration of multiculturalism in Australia, not to mention some pretty awesome food. And the Prime Minister was warmly welcomed at the night markets. Australia is a nation that is proud of our multicultural heritage. And the great thing about Australia is that when you come to our country, we don't want you to renounce or to forget about your history, your heritage and your culture. It's quite the opposite. We want you to celebrate that because that's what makes Australia the wonderful country it is. And we saw that on display last night and every night at the Ramadan Night markets.
JOURNALIST: But how much is he trying to win back favour with the community there?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: The Prime Minister has a very good relationship with all multicultural communities in our nation. He attends many, many different multicultural festivals from cultures all over the world. And that's the great beauty of Australia, in particular, Sydney. It's this wonderful melting pot of different cultures and that provides those different festivals and those different culinary opportunities that the Prime Minister was a part of last night.
JOURNALIST: Australia has publicly supported the American and Israeli military action, which has had a domino effect leading to all these Australians being trapped in the Middle East. Therefore, will Australia financially compensate the massive cost for people coming home?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: Well, people that are in the region that have bookings on airlines and flights should maintain those bookings. We're providing as much consular support as we possibly can. And today we've announced that we'll do bus transits to Riyadh to ensure that we get people to safety and give them the opportunity to get onto commercial flights back to Australia. I can tell you I've had briefings with DFAT officials every day. We've sent six crisis teams to the region to work on the ground with Australians. Our officials on the ground are working 24/7, doing hotel visits, doing online seminars and doing phone calls to Australians. We're working as hard as we possibly can to provide that important logistics support to get Australians home safely.
JOURNALIST: But there's, you know, these people were coming back, transiting through, or maybe weren't planning to come back via Riyadh, so, there is inevitably additional cost. Is any of that going to be compensated by the Federal Government? Is that even in discussion right now?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: Since the 1st of January this year, there have been 41 Smartraveller updates regarding travel warnings to the region and we continue to provide those updates on a regular basis. We're providing that on the ground consular support to get Australians home as safely as possible. And the support that Australia is providing is consistent with our international partners within the region. Thankfully, the UAE has provided food and accommodation for Australians to reduce some of those expenses. But the Australian Government is doing all that it can to provide that support to get Australians home safely.
JOURNALIST: Has there been no financial compensations on the table?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: Look, at the moment it's in the form of consular support and ensuring that we get Australians home safely.
JOURNALIST: Has there been a request for Australia to provide military support to the US or Israel?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: In terms of this conflict, Australia has provided a statement of support to the United States to ensure that Iran cannot acquire a nuclear weapon. That would be a disaster for the region. Iran is a despotic nation that has murdered its own citizens, that represses the rights of women and minority groups. It's exported terrorism to the region. The conflicts in the Middle East began because of Hamas incursions into Israel. In Australia, the Iranian regime has been involved in antisemitic attacks on Australian synagogues. That's why our government acted quickly to expel the ambassador and to list the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. We're doing - or we're not involved in this conflict, but we've offered that statement of support because we don't want to see Iran acquire a nuclear weapon.
JOURNALIST: In the immediate days after this, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said that we don't have the legal advice to suggest whether the American and Israeli action breached international laws or not. A week later, does Australia have that advice yet?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: Well, we don't comment on advice that the Australian Government gets around security and defence issues for obvious reasons, it could compromise the safety of Australians. But again, Australia is not involved in this conflict and we're continuing to provide - our efforts are focused on providing consular support to get Australians home as quickly as possible.
JOURNALIST: How many Australian personnel are in the Middle East right now? We know there's at least three that were on that submarine. How many in total are currently serving in the Middle East right now?
ASSISTANT MINISTER Yeah, look, we don't just disclose the numbers of Australians that are operating within the Middle East for their security and their safety, but no Australians are directly involved in this conflict.
SPEAKER: Can I just take a question from the phone? If we finish up with that, go ahead.
JOURNALIST: Thank you. Really quickly, Minister, what is the threshold then for the Federal Government in terms of stepping in and repatriating the Australians? And also, the Prime Minister last week mentioned that there are military assets that have been sent by Australia to the Middle East. What are they doing over there?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: Yes, there are military assets that are in the region as a contingency. I can't comment for safety and security reasons on what they are doing. However, our priority is to ensure that we return Australians home safely and quickly. And that is why at the moment the best option is through commercial flights. There are 115,000 Australians that are within the region. The best way to get them home as quickly as possible is on commercial aircraft. And 1,324 Australians have returned home. So, those flights are getting through, today we're extending the support that we're providing through the bus service to Riyadh. We're doing as much as we possibly can to get Australians home quickly.
JOURNALIST: Have those bus services started? They've already begun?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: They start today. They start today.
JOURNALIST: On a separate note, what's your reaction to the state government freezing the assets of Eddie Obeid and his family and the property associated with it?
ASSISTANT MINISTER: Well, Eddie Obeid has been convicted of some horrendous, horrendous crimes and he's serving a prison sentence. So, it's appropriate that the state government has taken this important action. People should not profit from their crimes. Thanks everyone.