NATALIE BARR, HOST: Foreign Minister Penny Wong joins us in Canberra now. NATO has shot down a missile headed for Türkiye. The US has torpedoed an Iranian warship off the coast of Sri Lanka. Is this becoming a global war?
PENNY WONG, FOREIGN MINISTER: First, good to be with you, Nat. Look, certainly the conflict is spreading and that's of deep concern. Iran attacking a NATO member, which now means it has struck 11, sought to strike 11 countries, is deeply concerning. And of course, this is going to have an effect on the global economy. I hope we can get to a point of diplomacy and dialogue in the very near future, because it is a concern, the extent to which this conflict is spreading and we are being affected.
BARR: Minister, what was the Iranian warship doing near Sri Lanka and what's Australia doing to up our own defences?
FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, obviously, I'm not in a position to talk about what the Iranian warship is doing. Obviously, they are seeking to project power. Look, we continue to invest in Australia's defence capability. And this is a reminder of why the AUKUS partnership, to enable Australia to replace its existing submarine capability with a new submarine capability, matters. Deterrence matters. That is one of the ways in which you secure peace. Of course, you hope you never have to use that capability, but it's one of the things you need to make sure you can secure peace.
BARR: The former head of safety at Qantas is saying this morning, if you have travel plans to Europe in the next five months, cancel them. That's pretty big for a lot of Australians. Do you agree with that?
FOREIGN MINISTER: We'll continue to update travel advice on the best available information. What I am going to say is that the conflict has spread much more quickly and much more widely than we anticipated, and I think than most governments anticipated. No one would have anticipated that in the first 72 hours Iran would have struck nine countries. No one would have anticipated that Iran would have responded in the way it has, which it has not done before, which is to attack travel hubs such as the United Arab Emirates. And so this conflict has spread much more widely and people do need to think very carefully about their travel plans and continue to look at the advice that we provide. At the moment the conflict is unpredictable. That is what I can say.
BARR: Okay, because a lot of Australians, we're a travelling nation, don't we? We’re planning–
FOREIGN MINISTER: We certainly are.
BARR: So Euro summers, we'd be probably looking at them, you would say?
FOREIGN MINISTER: Well, we are a travelling nation, as can be demonstrated by how many people, Australians are currently in the Middle East and that's why my priority, our Government's priority, is to do first is their safety and security. This is a conflict zone. And then doing everything we can to bring them home. We've had one flight come. I think we've seen footage of that. I know, I understand Kochie was at the airport, so I'm really glad that, you know, he and so many other Australians were able to welcome those Australians home. We have three flights that are currently scheduled today out of the UAE. I just want to emphasise they’re always possible to cancellation at the last minute.
BARR: Minister, thank you.
FOREIGN MINISTER: Great to speak with you.