Brace yourself. Question time has begun. I think we all know what the topic is going to be.

Sussan Ley:

Moments ago, Australians learned the most egregious acts of foreign interference against our nation. The expulsion of the Iranian ambassador from our country and the listing of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation are entirely necessary actions the Coalition has previously called for, and supports. Can the Prime Minister update the House on these developments and the actions the government is taking in the national interest?

Albanese:

I thank the member for her question. And for the parliamentary bipartisan support for the actions that we have taken. We know that since those terrible events by the Hamas terrorists on October 7 we have witnessed a number of appalling anti-Semitic attacks against Australia’s Jewish community.

We have been clear that these attacks have no place in Australia. And the government asked ASIO and the AFP to investigate as a priority, and I do want to thank the extraordinary work that has been done to get – to get to the bottom of what is – has been quite a complex issue.

ASIO has now 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 through the use of criminal elements being paid here in Australia. ASIO assesses that apart from these two attacks, it is likely there are more 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. And it’s totally unacceptable and the Australian government is taking strong and decisive action in response. The Iranian ambassador is being expelled. We were briefed by ASIO yesterday.

We went through our appropriate processes and ensured that the Australian diplomats who are based in Tehran were able to get safely to a third country before these revelations became public because of concern for their safety and I confirm that that has occurred and we have suspended operations at the embassy in Tehran.

The government will legislate so that we can list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the IRGC, has a terrorist organisation. The actions of my government send a very clear message to nations like Iran, who seek to interfere in our re, that — in our country, that your aggression will not be tolerated. As we face those who seek to do us harm, Australia must stand together. We briefed the premiers of Victoria and New South Wales, as well as I spoke with Rabbi Khanh of the Adass Israel synagogue. We also spoke with the restaurant in the member for Wentworth’s electorate as well that was impacted by this.

There is more investigations going on, I must say. So there will be a limit to what the information that the ASIO Director-General and the officials will give. Obviously our priority is making sure that the perpetrators of this direct and indirect are brought to justice and we don’t want to engage in any talk that potentially disrupts the investigations which are ongoing. As I said, ASIO is very clear, the Director-General, there’s at least two accounts the government has been briefed and certainly the – I would hope that the Leader of the Opposition and appropriate people take advantage of a briefing as well. This – this is the case that this is the most serious response that any Australian government has given.

We don’t expel an ambassador lightly because of the consequences of that. But we do think that it is an appropriate response given the extraordinary behaviour and the direct link they’ve been able to draw through a direct chain to individuals and to the IRGC.