Former Australian Foreign Minister Bob Carr has criticised the Albanese government’s support for recent US and Israeli strikes on Iran, arguing it signals a departure from Australia’s traditional emphasis on international law. Carr’s comments came as opposition figures questioned whether the global rules-based order still exists, and as the government considered options for assisting Australians stranded in the Middle East.
Speaking to this masthead, Carr expressed concern that Australia’s voice was not strongly advocating for adherence to international law in the wake of the attacks. He noted that many international law experts believe the strikes were illegal, citing the absence of evidence of an imminent threat from Iran. “It’s frightening that our voice, for the first time in a long time, is not loudly speaking up for international law,” Carr said.
Carr suggested that Iran’s limited response to the assault indicated it did not pose a significant threat to the US and Israel. He warned of potentially “hugely destructive implications” stemming from the escalating conflict, including high civilian casualties, a refugee outflow, terrorist counterattacks, and a power vacuum within Iran. He cautioned that the conflict could result in “an even worse government” in Iran than the current regime.
Former Labor senator Doug Cameron echoed Carr’s criticism, stating that Prime Minister Albanese’s support for the strikes demonstrated a lack of independent action and a reliance on the policies of the Trump and Netanyahu administrations. “There was a time when Labor pursued peace, not war,” Cameron said, a sentiment shared by the Labor Against War group, of which he is a patron.
Prime Minister Albanese defended Australia’s position, telling the ABC’s 7.30 program that Australia “abhors” the Iranian regime and hopes for a more democratic future for Iran. He and Foreign Minister Penny Wong have maintained that the US and Israel are responsible for justifying the legality of their actions under international law.
Opposition industry spokesman Andrew Hastie offered a starkly different assessment, asserting that the world is now governed by power dynamics rather than a rules-based order. “I think the world is governed by power, and I prefer a powerful US reestablishing deterrence,” Hastie told journalists. He dismissed the notion of a functioning global rules-based order as a “fantasy land.”
The comments from Hastie align with those of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who, upon arriving in Australia for a three-day visit, also suggested the traditional international order was faltering. Carney had previously described a “rupture” in the rules-based order at the World Economic Forum in Davos, calling for greater cooperation among middle powers.
Australia’s Al Minhad Air Base near Dubai was targeted by Iranian drones over the weekend, Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed, but all personnel were safe. Marles indicated the government was considering “contingency arrangements” to assist Australians attempting to leave the region, while emphasizing that the resumption of commercial flights remained the quickest solution.
In the United Kingdom, Prime Minister Keir Starmer questioned the legality of the US and Israeli strikes and raised doubts about the viability of the Trump administration’s plans for the conflict. His initial reluctance to grant access to British air bases for US military operations was later reversed.
Marles reiterated Australia’s concern over Iran’s nuclear ambitions, stating that pursuing nuclear capability was “flies in the face of the rules-based order.”
