Melissa Clarke, Host: Penny Wong, thanks very much for speaking to AM this morning.
Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Good to be with you.
Clarke: Australia has called for a de-escalation of this conflict. How realistic is that when the US is amassing tens of thousands of troops in the region?
Foreign Minister: Ultimately, the conduct of this war depends on the United States, and of course, Israel and Iran. What the Prime Minister said last night is what we've been saying for some time. This is having an enormous effect on global energy markets, on the global economy, and of course, Australians at the bowser.
Clarke: Are you expecting the US to put boots on the ground to try and reopen the Strait of Hormuz?
Foreign Minister: That is entirely a matter for the US but what we have said is that – and I said this from the very first day – we didn't see the prospect of successful regime change being imposed externally. And I made the point, I think in the very first day, the very first press conference, that historically we've seen that trying to impose regime change from outside rarely works.
Clarke: So, Australia would not contribute in any way if the US did proceed with ground operations?
Foreign Minister: We've made it clear that we would not provide boots on the ground.
Clarke: Would the military assets that we already have in the region, like the Wedgetail early warning aircraft, could that be used as part of those operations?
Foreign Minister: Our posture is defensive, not offensive. We've made that very clear. And we provide a defensive capability when Iran chose to attack countries that were not combatants, to attack countries that were not party to taking strikes on Iran, countries of the region. And you remember, this escalated very quickly because Iran chose to spread the conflict very wide, 12 countries, I think, in the first three days.
Clarke: How would you describe the current state of relations between Australia and the US?
Foreign Minister: We are strong allies. We obviously may have differences of views on some issues, but fundamentally we work very closely together across those areas where we have shared interests. The US remains our most important strategic partner.
Clarke: Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered an extension of his country's military invasion of southern Lebanon. You expressed grave concerns about this when it began. It's now escalated further, what's Australia's position now?
Foreign Minister: We remain deeply concerned about escalation in Lebanon, the displacement of so many civilians. Hezbollah chose to drag Lebanon into the war by striking Israel. And we saw the Lebanese authorities, including the Lebanese President, make comments about that, expressing their concern. And Hezbollah must disarm in accordance with the agreements from last year. But continued escalation, we would say, is not in Israel's interests and certainly not in the interests of the civilian population of Lebanon.
Clarke: There are a lot of Australian citizens living in Lebanon, one of our largest expatriate communities, I think --
Foreign Minister: 15 thousand.
Clarke: Is there more Australia can do to try and help people who are physically in danger's way?
Foreign Minister: I'd make the point that Lebanon, most of Lebanon has been "Do Not Travel" for a very long time and that I have said over the course of this conflict that people should leave the region. In fact, we've had, as of this morning, some 10,000 Australians have returned home from the region. And that is a good thing, a good thing for them and their families. And I appreciate all the work of foreign affairs officials throughout the region who have assisted or facilitated that.
Clarke: Last week, Australia and Singapore made a joint commitment to continue the trade of fuels, our LNG, their petrol and diesel. Are you seeking similar formal commitments or formal statements from other countries that we import fuel from, like Malaysia and Korea?
Foreign Minister: Early on in this conflict, I reached out to our counterparts in the region who are our primary suppliers of liquid fuels. That's where the refined fuel comes from that we use, diesel and petrol. So, of course I reached out to Korea, to Singapore, to Malaysia. We'll continue to do that. We're very pleased to have Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and our Prime Minister agree to a statement about mutual reliability. We supply LNG and we seek continued reliability of the supply of liquid fuels.
Clarke: Will you try and get a formal written commitment the way that Lawrence Wong has provided? Do you want that same level of commitment from other countries?
Foreign Minister: We want to engage with countries who are supplying to us on the basis that we are a reliable supplier and we seek that they are reliable suppliers. Now, obviously, there are physical constraints on this, which is why the Government is not only relying on these discussions, they are one important aspect of how we are looking to secure supply for the country. You've seen us release part of our stockpile and you've also seen the announcement on Saturday of the Government, through Export Finance Australia, underwriting private sector purchase of fuel, with particular focus on the regions. So, these are all measures which are about dealing with the supply shock that our economy and our people and Australians are experiencing.
Clarke: Is Australia willing to leverage its gas exports if it comes to the crunch and we need to try and get supply and it's not forthcoming for refined fuels?
Foreign Minister: Wel believe we're reliable and we ask for reliability in return.
Clarke: Penny Wong, thanks very much for joining AM this morning.
Foreign Minister: Good to speak with you.