Porepunkah Incident; Australia's Response to Iranian Attacks.
26/08/2025
(See translation in Arabic section)
Sydney-Middle East Times Int'l:
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Firstly, can I say that there are reports from Victoria, from Porepunkah about an active incident that has been underway there. There is grave concern for some of the police officers who are involved. Our thoughts are with the police for the work that they do, each and every day. The men and women who wear our uniform, and wear the uniform of the police force take risks each and every day. And the Victorian Police Commissioner will be providing updates during the afternoon as more facts that are able to be released become clear. Commissioner.
REECE KERSHAW, COMMISSIONER OF THE AUSTRALIAN FEDERAL POLICE: Thanks, PM. Just from the police Blue family, the wider family across Australia, and overseas, our thoughts and prayers are with Victoria Police right now. The Commissioner and the community, and we hope that they are all safe and well, however we are hearing there are some grave concerns for some of those police officers and our hearts go out to the community. Thank you PM, for your kind words.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Commissioner. On an unrelated matter is the reason for the calling of this press conference. Since the terrible events of October 7, 2023, we have witnessed a number of appalling antisemitic attacks against Australia's Jewish community. I’ve made it clear these sorts of incidents have no place in Australia, and that I wanted ASIO and the AFP to investigate as a priority. ASIO has gathered enough credible intelligence to reach a deeply disturbing conclusion - that 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 on the Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney on October 20 last year, and the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on December 6, last year. ASIO assesses it is likely Iran directed further attacks as well. These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil. They were attempts to undermine social cohesion and sow discord in our community. It is totally unacceptable and the Australian Government is taking strong and decisive action in response. A short time ago we informed the Iranian Ambassador to Australia that he would be expelled. We have suspended operations at our embassy in Tehran, and all our diplomats are now safe in a third country. I can also announce the Government will legislate to list Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, as a terrorist organisation. I’ve said many times that the Australian people want two things, they want killing in the Middle East to stop, and they don't want conflict in the Middle East brought here. Iran has sought to do just that. They have sought to harm and terrify Jewish Australians and to sow hatred and division in our community. The actions of my Government send a clear message, a message to all Australians that we stand against antisemitism, and we stand against violence. And a message to nations like Iran who seek to interfere in our country, that your aggression will not be tolerated. I will hand over to the ASIO Director-General, Mike Burgess and then hear from the Foreign Minister and the Home Affairs Minister.MIKE BURGESS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF SECURITY: Thank you, Prime Minister. In this year's Annual Threat Assessment, I warned Australia's complex, challenging and changing security environment is becoming more dynamic, diverse and degraded. Dynamic because we are confronting an increasing number of threats. Diverse because some nation states are using criminal proxies to undertake acts of foreign interference, espionage, and politically motivated violence. Degraded because authoritarian regimes are more willing to engage in reckless, high harm activities. Unfortunately, all three of these characteristics apply in this case. For the past 10 months, antisemitism has been one of ASIO's most pressing priorities, involving the full use of our capabilities and powers. We have investigate dozens of incidents targeting Jewish communities, places of worship, businesses, and prominent individuals. ASIO now assesses the Iranian Government directed at least two and likely more attacks on Jewish interests in Australia. Our painstaking investigation uncovered and unpicked the links between the alleged crimes and the commanders in Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC. The IRGC used a complex web of proxies to hide its involvement. This is the sort of obfuscation and boundary blurring I warned about earlier this year. It's important to understand that ASIO is both a collector of intelligence and an assessor of intelligence. Formal assessments such as this one are not done quickly or taken lightly. Our analysts carefully weight and weight every piece of intelligence. In this case, their conclusions are clear. 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 literally and figuratively lit the matches and fanned the flames. I want to assure all Australians that ASIO and our law enforcement partners take these matters extremely seriously. You do not just have the right to be safe, you have the right to feel safe. PENNY WONG, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Thank you, Prime Minister. Can I first thank the ASIO Director-General, the AFP Commissioner, and of course, my colleague Minister Burke, for the work they have done on this issue and the work they do with their teams to keep Australians safe. Even before today, the Albanese Government had taken stronger action on Iran than any previous Australian Government and we have long known that Iran and its proxies try to destabilise countries in our region and beyond. The Director-General has now outlined the conclusions of ASIO. Iran has sought to undermine the cohesion of our community, they have tried to divide the Australian community, and they have done so with acts of aggression that not only sought to terrify Australians, but put Australian lives in danger. And keeping Australians safe is our number one priority. 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 will have seven days to leave the country. This is the first time in the post-war period that Australia has expelled an ambassador. And we have made this decision because Iran's actions are completely unacceptable. We will continue to maintain some diplomatic lines to advance the interests of Australians. In relation to our embassy in Iran, Australia had an embassy in Iran since 1968, and at that time and since that time it has never been an endorsement of the regime, it has been a channel to advocate for our interests and for our people. However, the Government has now taken the step to withdraw our Ambassador to Iran and we have suspended the operations of our embassy in Iran for the safety of our officials and Australians' broader security. Australia’s officials are, as the Prime Minister said, now in a third country. And I thank these DFAT officers and their families for their service and for their fortitude. Since 2020, Australians have been advised not to travel to Iran, our ability to provide consular assistance is extremely limited. I do know that many Australians have family connections in Iran, but I urge any Australian who may be considering travelling to Iran, please do not do so. Our message is, if you are an Australian in Iran, leave now if it is safe to do so. This has been a distressing time for many Australians. I again thank ASIO and AFP for their efforts. The Albanese Government has been so determined through this period to keep our community united. We have sought to lower the temperature in Australia, and to not reproduce the conflict in the Middle East in Australia. I again urge others to consider whether their actions help those who want to divide our nation. We all want the killing in the Middle East to stop, and we want to retain our character as a nation that welcomes people of different race, religion, views, united by respect for each other's humanity and our collective desire to live in peace. We will always safeguard our communities and protect Australians from all forms of hate.
TONY BURKE, MINISTER FOR HOME AFFAIRS: Thanks, Prime Minister. I want to thank ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and all the state and territory police forces for the work that has led to today's announcement. I know the significant amount of work and analytical rigor that goes into ASIO assessments. This is an unprecedented attack on our society, it's aimed at creating fear, stoking internal divisions, and eroding social cohesion. It's true that no one was injured in these attacks, it is not true that no one was harmed. The community of the Adass Israel Synagogue was harmed, the community that shopped at the Lewis’ Continental Kitchen and the owners were harmed, the Jewish community were harmed, other communities who were blamed were harmed, but simply Australia was attacked and Australia was harmed. There is antisemitism in Australia. It is real, it is debilitating, yet this attack was driven by antisemitism that originated in Iran. That said, nothing changes the fact that it was an antisemitic attack and nothing changes the fact that the impact is identical. For some antisemitic elements in Australia, the attack has emboldened them. Any antisemitic attack, in fact, any attack based in any dehumanising bigotry is an attack on Australia. This extraordinary attack which occurred on our soil means we have to adapt our response to the changing threat. That's why the Government intends to introduce a new regime under the criminal code, so that we can list the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. This sends the strongest possible signal that this conduct has reached a new and totally unacceptable low. The existing regime, designed decades ago, was not intended to deal with the threats we are now facing. Australia stands together. These attempts at division will fail, and they already have. We stand together in unity and strength. The antisemitism that drove this attack cannot be allowed to fall blame to Australians of Iranian heritage. That is exactly the kind of disunity and division that these attacks were designed to create, and we reject that, and stand together. |
