Natalie Barr, Host: Foreign Minister Penny Wong joins us now from Canberra. Good morning to you. Has our aircraft landed in the region yet?
Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Good morning, Nat, good to be with you. I'm not sure where the aircraft is, but as you know, we have dispatched a reconnaissance aircraft to the Middle East at the request of the United Arab Emirates, given the continued Barrage by Iran on these countries who have not been part of the strikes against Iran, and given the number of Australians who we know are in countries that Iran is targeting.
Barr: So, legally speaking, is Australia at war?
Foreign Minister: We're engaged in what's described as collective self-defence. That is, we are not taking offensive action against Iran, we're not providing boots on the ground to go into Iran. What we are providing is a capability that helps the Gulf countries defend themselves against the attacks Iran is engaging in. And you understand why - these are countries that have not taken action against Iran and these are countries where a lot of Australians are. You've heard me say that around 115,000 Australians are in the region, 24,000 at the commencement of the conflict in the United Arab Emirates. We are very focused on doing everything we can to keep Australians safe at home, but also overseas.
Barr: Okay, we're sending missiles, we're sending this aircraft, we're sending almost 100 personnel with it. We are also giving asylum to some members of this team Tehran has labelled traitors. Do you think this makes Australia more of a target?
Foreign Minister: A couple of points I'd make. The first is Australians are already in countries that are being targeted by Iran, and that's the purpose of our deployment. Iran is already targeting where Australians are when it puts missiles or drones into the United Arab Emirates or into Qatar or other countries of the region. We already have Australians there. The second point is just to really emphasise this, Iran has not needed provocation. We know that. Iran has already directed attacks on Australian soil. And you might recall, Nat, that led to the Government expelling the Iranian ambassador last year.
Barr: But I'm talking about back home, back here on Australian soil. Your government kicked out the Iranian ambassador last year. There was an arson attack on a cafe and on a synagogue. Because of what is happening and what Australia is doing, are you concerned about homegrown terror here?
Foreign Minister: The terrorism threat level hasn't changed and it's already probable. We know we live in a very difficult time and we know that our security agencies work very hard to keep Australians safe. The point I'm making is while we still had a diplomatic relationship with Iran, before any conflict, Australia was already the target of Iranian attack. That's what the two attacks, including on the Adass Israel Synagogue, were. So, I think we all understand what sort of regime we're dealing with here.
Barr: Okay, Minister, thank you very much for your time.
Foreign Minister: Good to speak with you.