Opposition industry spokesman Andrew Hastie declares the global rules-based order extinct, with force now dominating geopolitics. He questions whether U.S. and Israeli military strikes on Iran could achieve regime change.
Hastie’s Stark Assessment
Hastie shares his views during a media briefing at Parliament House in Canberra. “I think the world is governed by power, and I prefer a powerful US reestablishing deterrence, rather than other countries like Russia using might to advance its national interest,” he states.
He dismisses the post-World War II global rules-based order as outdated. “It’s nice to talk about the world that once existed… I don’t think that exists any more, and anyone who says it does is living in a fantasy land. This is a new world order,” Hastie adds.
Escalating Middle East Conflict
The three-day U.S. and Israeli assault on Iran intensifies, prompting retaliatory strikes from Iran against Israel, Lebanon, the UAE, and Kuwait. U.S. President Donald Trump warns the conflict may extend far beyond the initial four-to-five-week timeline, with a “big wave of strikes” approaching.
International lawmakers raise concerns over the strikes’ legality under international law. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese deems legality a U.S. matter, citing limited Australian intelligence access.
Government Stance and UK Divergence
Defence Minister Richard Marles backs the U.S. position. “Iran walking down the path of acquiring a nuclear capability flies in the face of the rules-based order, and flies in the face of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty,” Marles tells Seven’s Sunrise.
Labor leaders reject Australian military involvement. In contrast, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer initially criticizes the strikes as violating international law and withholds U.S. access to British air bases. Starmer later approves access after Trump’s expression of disappointment.
Regime Change Skepticism
Hastie, a former SAS commander with Afghanistan experience, urges keeping all Australian options open but expresses caution. “President Trump said the end state is we’re going to strike Iran and then leave it up to the Iranian people to do regime change in four and five weeks time. What’s going to be left of a functioning government?” he questions.
He warns of potential chaos: “It’s going to be very messy, and you can just see the rise of another Islamist regime that continues oppressing the Iranian people. So I’m just very circumspect about war as a blunt instrument for regime change.”
Supporting Stranded Australians
The opposition calls for stronger federal action to aid Australians stranded in the Middle East amid closed air corridors. Marles announces contingency plans for evacuation while prioritizing commercial flight resumption.
“There’s 115,000 Australians in the region, and about 11,000 Australians on any given normal day go on a flight which transits through either Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha,” Marles explains on Nine’s Today. “We are going through some contingency arrangements right now – which I won’t speak about publicly – looking forward over the coming days and weeks.”
