Key Points
- Penny Wong says there are plans to keep Australians safe in the Middle East
- Australian writer deported from US over writing
- Bayern smashes Auckland in record club World Cup win
TRANSCRIPT
Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the Australian government is doing all it can to support Australians caught amid fighting between Israel and Iran.
She says 350 Australians in Iran and 300 in Israel have registered a departure request from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The locally reported death toll in Iran has risen to 224, including 70 women and children, while 17 Israelis have been killed since hostilities began four days ago.
Minister Wong says citizens in the area should stay put and follow instructions from local authorities as Australia endeavours to find a way to get them out of danger.
"I understand particularly those who are in the Middle East, in Israel or Iran, how worrying this situation is, how frightening it is. And I also recognize for families of people who are in the region, this is a distressing time. Governments have closed down airspace because of the risk to civilian aircraft. Obviously, no one can fly and we certainly can't. We are currently in the process of planning for assisted departures in the event that it is safe to do so."
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An Australian author who was detained at Los Angeles airport and deported from the United States, says US border forces told him it was due to his written coverage of pro-Palestine university protests.
Alistair Kitchen says he was detained and interrogated by U-S Customs and Border Protection for 12 hours, before being deported back to Melbourne.
The writer has long been critical of the US government's clamp-down on university protests and covered the 2024 Columbia University protests for his blog.
Mr Kitchen told SBS that customs officers told him this was the reason for his detention.
"It was one of the more traumatic experiences of my life. The interrogator turned to me and said, look, we both know why you are here. And I said to him, it's not obvious at all to me why I'm here in detention. And he said, it's because of what you put online during the Columbia student protests. This was an attempt to pressure and silence someone that they knew they could easily get away with silencing. They're willing to target people who don't have institutional power, everyday citizens."
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Defence Minister Richard Marles says the government is committed to AUKUS, despite calls for a backup plan in case the Trump administration scraps the scheme.
The US government is currently reviewing the trilateral defence pact, which includes Australia acquiring nuclear-powered submarines to see if the agreement lined up with President Trump's America First agenda.
Nationals MP, Barnaby Joyce, has called for the government to consider a contingency for acquiring submarines.
Mr Marles says it’s important to stick with a single plan.
"Well, one of the problems that the Coalition had when they were in government was that they were in and out of a deal on submarines with Japan, and they were in and out of a deal with France. They were constantly pursuing contingencies and given that it takes a couple of decades to deliver a submarine capability, if you keep moving to a contingency, that is not a decision to pursue the contingency, it's a decision not to do it at all. Unless you actually stick with a plan, you won't ultimately achieve a successor long range submarine capability to the Collins class. We mean to do that."
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A police officer has been shot dead at a rural property in Tasmania after going there as part of routine duties.
Police say officers went to the property in North Motton in the state's northwest at about 11am today when a member of the public shot an officer as they approached the house.
In a statement, Tasmania Police say, "Another police officer consequently discharged their firearm towards the alleged offender, who then surrendered to police."
The officer died at the scene and the alleged offender was not seriously injured.
A crime scene has been set up at the property, and police say there is no threat to the wider community.
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Shares in Adelaide-headquartered oil and gas giant Santos have soared after receiving a $30 billion takeover bid from an association led by the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, but the deal may depend on winning over the South Australian government.
The deal has an early blessing from the Santos board but shareholders will have to wait to celebrate, as any transfer of license holders under the South Australian Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Act must be signed off by the state's energy minister.
Premier Peter Malinauskas has said Santos was one of the state's most significant companies and a major employer.
Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis says they want to make sure locals won't lose these jobs under new ownership.
"We'll be assessing this and we'll be making a decision on the interests of South Australians, not on shareholders. I think it's fair to say my main concerns are the headquartered company remaining here in South Australia and the jobs in the Cooper basin and the jobs in the headquarters here in South Australia.”
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Auckland City have copped a major loss when players stepped up to take on Bayern Munich at the Club World Cup in the United States.
In the launch of their campaign in Cincinatti, the German side demolished the New Zealanders 10-nil.
It's the biggest win in the history of men's world cup tournaments.
Six minutes in, Bayern scored, following the goal with three more in as many minutes.
Coach Ivan Vicelich says his players knew they were in for a tough day on the field, taking on the European champions.
Some of the Auckland team even had to take time off from their day jobs.
“Look, it’s a dream for players coming from an amateur level to play in this environment. There are no secrets, you can’t hide on the field, but really proud. A lot of players put a good amount of effort in and worked really hard.”
