News live: Labor heavyweight says Australia’s support of US strikes ‘inconceivable’ if not for Aukus

Anti-nuclear group says Australian support for Iran strikes sends ‘dangerous message’ The Australian branch of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican) said today the Albanese government’s support for the US strikes on Iran was “deeply unhelpful” in achieving peace in the region. Ican said the prime minister’s backing sent a “dangerous message to the international community that Australia backs military aggression over dialogue”. The anti-nuclear group said in a statement: Instead of aligning with nuclear-armed states acting outside the law, Australia should act independently to uphold international law and negotiated outcomes… Before her deeply disappointing support for the American attacks, foreign minister Penny Wong has more helpfully called for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy. Ican Australia supports this approach and urges the government to adopt one further D – disarmament. You can read more about Ican’s calls here: Anthony Albanese quizzed on intelligence that led to support for action against Iran – video Do you have any questions about politics this week? Back to Back Barries is Guardian Australia’s political analysis podcast. This week, veteran political journalist George Megalogenis is filling in for co-host Barrie Cassidy. He joins former Liberal adviser and pollster Tony Barry to pull apart the spin behind the strategies. And they want to hear from you! Send your politics questions to backtobackbarries@theguardian.com and they’ll pick some to answer on this week’s episode, out on Saturday. Tobacco sales fell a fifth in 2024-25: IGA owner Tobacco revenue fell by a fifth in the year to April at IGA’s parent company, Metcash, with the slump in legal tobacco sales accelerating as the illicit cigarette trade takes over the market. Tobacco was still a major pillar of grocery store sales, Metcash’s financial report revealed, accounting for $1.8bn of the companies’ $10.6bn in food segment revenue in the 12 months to April. But sales fell $450m annually, after making Metcash nearly $2.3bn the previous year and $3bn back in 2021. The company said the decline was due to a continued sharp rise in illicit tobacco sales and a “largely ineffective” police response, in a presentation to investors on Monday. Changing government regulations had seen tobacco sales fall a further 30% in May and June 2025 compared with the same period the previous year, it said. As the legal market for tobacco shrinks, Metcash said its control has increased, now accounting for about fifth of legal sales and third of grocery store tobacco sales – an outsized share of the market given its IGA and other supermarkets represent less than a tenth of general grocery sales. Experts have warned Australia’s “de facto war on nicotine” has fired up the illicit tobacco trade. You can read more from our economics editor, Patrick Commins, here: Growing supermarket sales offset the decline in cigarette sales for Metcash, which saw its market capitalisation rise $100m on Monday after releasing the year’s financial results. The company also owns wholesale distributors and other independent store networks including Cellarbrations and Mitre 10. Anthony Albanese responds to Iran crisis: ‘We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war’ – video Customers are missing out on bonus savings rates – and banks don’t have to actively warn you One of Australia’s most popular savings account operators, ING, has ignored regulatory advice to tell customers when they are about to lose bonus rates on promotional accounts, leaving savers at risk of missing out. The practice has helped ING and other banks access customers’ money at little or no cost to finance other parts of their businesses, including profitable mortgage books. Savers can be disqualified from earning the advertised rates if they do not make a required number of transactions, deposit a certain amount, grow their balance or otherwise miss their bank’s list of monthly requirements. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission found in 2023 that two in three savers were missing out on bonus rates. It recommended banks be forced to warn customers at risk of breaching bonus conditions with real-time alerts and prompt savers to consider their bonus eligibility and whether other products may better suit their needs with annual notifications. Read more here: Postage prices set to go up after watchdog gives the OK The cost of sending a letter is set to rise as the consumer watchdog waves through a price bump to reflect the decline in snail mail, AAP reports. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission approved the 13.3% price increase, allowing Australia Post to nudge stamps for ordinary small letters up to $1.70 from $1.50. The final hurdle for the fee change is the communications minister, Anika Wells, who still has an opportunity to reject the change. If finalised, the new stamp fees will kick in on 17 July. Under the fee changes, ordinary large letters between 125 and 250 grams will jump from $4.50 to $5.10. Stamps for large letters lighter than 125g will tick higher from $3 to $3.40. Charities will still be offered discount rates. The former Labor senator and union leader Doug Cameron has unleashed on the Albanese government over its support for the US strikes on Iran. Speaking as national patron for Labor Against War, Cameron said if the federal government was committed to the rules-based order it would condemn the US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, which international law experts have described as unlawful under the UN charter. Cameron told Guardian Australia: We [Labor Against War] condemn the Australian government’s support for the aggression that Trump is using against Iran. We believe it is illegal, and we believe it’s inconsistent with the long-held Labor party’s support for the United Nations and for the United Nations charters. It [the government’s position] is inconsistent with the long history of Labor support for peace and nuclear disarmament. It is inconsistent with actions of previous leaders like [John] Curtin, like [Gough Whitlam] and like Simon Crean. A vocal critic of the Aukus submarine deal, Cameron said it was “inconceivable” the government would have supported the strikes had it not locked itself into a security pact that “subjugated” Australian foreign policy to US interests. The former NSW senator and left-faction heavyweight also took a swipe at his own wing of the party, accusing it being “mute” on the issue. It’s about time voices for peace, once again, dominated the Labor party … not this appeasement of the US and Israel. Albanese says Iran suffering ‘consequences’ of pursuing its nuclear ambitions Anthony Albanese was questioned about intelligence that led to Australia’s support for action to stop Iran from pursuing its nuclear ambitions. The PM said there was “no other explanation” for Iran to have sought an increase in the grade of uranium stocks “other than engaging in a program that wasn’t about civilian nuclear power”. He said Iran had been given an opportunity to comply but chose not to – “and there have been consequences of that”. He also said: The United States have made clear their position and we continue to call for dialogue. Had Iran complied with the very reasonable requests that were made, including by the IAEA, then circumstances would have been different. Australia trying to evacuate Australians from Iran via Azerbaijani border, Wong says Penny Wong has told reporters that the decision to withdraw staff from Australia’s embassy in Tehran was “difficult” to make and that Dfat is working on ways to assist the thousands of Australians who remain in Iran. The foreign affairs minister said: We were very conscious of the history in Iran, which I think is people well know, and the advice to me – which I discussed with the prime minister and the deputy prime minister – was to ensure we got our people out. Obviously, the situation in Iran is very distressing for Australians. We have … over 3,000 Australians and their families who have registered with us as seeking to leave. And obviously, airspace remains closed. We have deployed people to the Azerbaijani border in the event that more Australians are able to exit through that border. In a press conference with the PM just now, Penny Wong said that with the US’s involvement in the Israel-Iran conflict come risks for Australians – and that she is considering any changes to travel advice. The foreign affairs minister said: There are always risks, not only from escalation in the region, but also potential for risk more broadly. I’ve indicated publicly this morning that I have asked my department to consider whether there are any if there’s any alteration to travel advice more broadly. Anthony Albanese then said that Australia’s security agency, Asio, is constantly monitoring terror threat levels and there has been no change in any advice that has been issued. ‘This was a unilateral action by the United States,’ Albanese says Anthony Albanese is being pushed by reporters on whether Australia was briefed before the US bombed Iran’s nuclear site at Fordow and whether Australia provided any military support via US bases in Australia and the region. The PM told reporters: We don’t talk about intelligence matters, but we confirm, of course, that this was a unilateral action by the United States. He then repeated himself: “We’ve made it very clear this was unilateral action taken by the United States.” Anthony Albanese says the government supports action to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon – while underlining the need for a diplomatic end to the Israel-Iran conflict. Speaking with reporters just now, the prime minister said: The world has long agreed that Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon and we support action to prevent that – that is what this is. The US action was directed at specific sites central to Iran’s nuclear program. We don’t want escalation and a full-scale war. We continue to call for dialogue and for diplomacy. As I have said for many days now, we are deeply concerned about any escalation in the region and we want to see diplomacy, dialogue and de-escalation. We have been upfront about the challenge facing the international community – that is, dealing with the threat posed by any Iranian nuclear weapons program and dealing with the risk of regional escalation. That’s why Australia called upon Iran to come to the table and abandon any nuclear weapons program. Iran didn’t come to the table just as it has repeatedly failed to comply with its international obligations. More than 75% of Victorian students going on to further study New data released by the Victorian government shows more than 75% of students who complete year 12 go on to further education and training, with one in five entering the workforce. More than half of those students who continue education will pursue a bachelor’s degree at university, according to data published in the On Track 2024 Destinations of Victorian School Leavers report. The most likely jobs for those who move straight into employment are in the food, hospitality and tourism sectors. Ben Carroll, the state’s deputy premier and minister for education, said in a statement: Senior secondary education in Victoria prepares students for post school options no matter what their pathway. Victoria is proud to be the Education State and a place where students can get an education that gives them the skills to pursue their dream careers. More on the Australian government’s stance after the US strikes Iran Australia supports the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities and maintains the latter nation must not be allowed to possess atomic weapons, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has said, calling for Tehran to return to negotiations. But while Wong has refused to say whether the communications facility at Pine Gap was used in the American bombing of three Iranian sites, she said it was a “unilateral strike” from the Trump administration, and that the US has not asked Australia to get involved in any future military engagement. She said earlier today: The world has long understood we cannot allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon. This action is being taken to prevent that. So, we support action to prevent Iran getting a nuclear weapon. Nearly 24 hours after US president Donald Trump said American strikes had “totally obliterated” key Iranian nuclear enrichment facilities at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, the Albanese government on Monday gave its first endorsement of the action, after a statement on Sunday from an unnamed government spokesperson noted the strikes. Read more here: Road deaths hit 15-year high, Australian Automobile Association says Australian road deaths have hit a 15-year high, driven by a large increase in the deaths of cyclists and pedestrians, according to the Australian Automobile Associations (AAA). There were 1,337 road deaths across Australia in the 12-month period ending 31 May, up 4.8% from a year earlier. Those figures represent a 36.7% increase in the deaths of cyclists and a 15.7% increase in pedestrian deaths. Michael Bradley, AAA’s managing director, said in a statement the National Road Safety Strategy – a 10-year plan to improve safety on Australian roads – needs updating: Far from halving roads deaths as planned, this latest data shows this Strategy has seen fatalities increase 21.9% since its inception … This strategy saw governments commit to road safety interventions that are either not working or not being delivered. The upcoming review needs to urgently clarify what’s working, what’s not, and how we need to change the way we’re managing road trauma across Australia. Road deaths were highest in NSW (350), Queensland (303) and Victoria (299). More than $10bn has been wiped from the Australian share market on opening after the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, as traders react to worsening economic growth prospects. The benchmark S&P/ASX200 fell below 8,460 points, back to near where it was at the start of June after holding above 8,500 points on Friday. It had closed at an all-time high of 8,592 on 11 June, days before Israel began its military strikes on Iran, but has fallen in six of the subsequent seven trading days. Energy companies including Woodside, Origin and Santos rose in value after predictions the widening conflict in the Middle East would drive up global oil and gas prices. But those higher prices would restrict economic activity in Australia, which saw traders sell down the big banks as well as consumer-facing companies from Flight Centre and Qantas to Breville and gambling company Tabcorp. Furniture retailer Temple and Webster shed more than $100m in value. Worsening prospects for global economic growth mean a poorer outlook for Australian commodity prices, pushing down share prices for Mineral Resources, Pilbara Minerals and Champion Iron. First legal challenge to fracking under federal water trigger begins today The first legal challenge to fracking under the federal water trigger begins in the federal court today. Anti-mining group Lock the Gate has challenged gas company Tamboran’s Shenandoah South pilot project in the Northern Territory. The pilot project in the Beetaloo basin is a 15-well exploration project, with the company planning to sell so-called appraisal gas – which is gas extracted during the exploration phase. Environment groups last year, concerned about the pilot project’s potential impacts on water including nearby Lake Woods, had called for the project to be assessed under the water trigger in Australia’s environmental laws. The federal government expanded the water trigger in 2023 to include all forms of unconventional gas. The Lock the Gate Alliance said the project should be referred to the federal environment minister for assessment and a decision under national environment laws designed to protect water from significant impacts. Georgina Woods, Lock the Gate’s head of research and investigations, said: We are pursuing this case because we believe Tamboran’s fracking project is likely to contaminate precious groundwater in the Northern Territory and we want Australia’s national environmental law applied. We believe the expanded water trigger should be used to assess this fracking project for its impacts on water resources. Since neither Tamboran nor the federal environment minister have chosen to do this we have stepped in to take action ourselves. NZ foreign minister looking for evidence that justified US strikes on Iran Winston Peters, New Zealand’s foreign minister, said this morning he was looking for “evidence to do with” Iran’s nuclear program that was “way outside the negotiated position they’ve been taking all this time” to justify the US strikes on sites across the country. Peters told Radio NZ that Iran had “been marvellously good at negotiating their way out of things and the question is, have they kept to their commitments, have they breached their international obligations”. He said the world needed to “find that out before we rush to judgment”. Yesterday, Peters said he found the strikes “extremely worrying” and said it was “critical” further escalation was avoided. He said: New Zealand strongly supports efforts towards diplomacy. We urge all parties to return to talks. Diplomacy will deliver a more enduring resolution than further military action. The NZ prime minister, Chris Luxon, said the right response “cannot be more military action” saying politics needed to take precedent, the AAP reports. Petrol prices are expected to rise at least 5c a litre after the US bombed Iranian nuclear facilities, with analysts predicting severe retaliation from Iran would see prices spike by a further 20c a litre. Australian consumers have already been paying more at the bowser since Israel first struck Iran earlier in June. Prices have already climbed 15c/L higher over the last month, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission data shows. Sydney and Melbourne prices barely moving below $1.75/L when they had been bottoming out near $1.60/L in May and similar rises elsewhere. AMP economist Shane Oliver, speaking before the US strike, said every US$1 change in the international price for a barrel of oil translates to a 1c rise or fall at the bowser, so the extra US$5 rise could see peak petrol prices surpass A$2/L in the capital cities. Oil prices were below US$65 a barrel a month ago but markets now expect they’ll surpass US$80, if you take the Brent oil global price benchmark for Atlantic basin crude oils. They could rise further beyond $US100 per barrel, adding about another 20c per litre to petrol prices, if Iran disrupts shipping through the strait of Hormuz, Commonwealth Bank analyst Vivek Dhar said on Monday. Dhar wrote: Iran needs to first consider whether it wants a symbolic or substantial retaliation. … Oil and gas tankers don’t have an alternative to bypassing the Strait of Hormuz. Dfat updates travel advice for Australians over Israel-Iran conflict The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Smartraveller website has once again updated its guidance for Australians in the Middle East or considering travel to the region, warning the local security situation could “get worse with little notice” after the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites on Sunday. Australians are encouraged to stay up to date with advice as flights may be cancelled amid an ongoing risk of reprisal attacks and further escalation across the region. Dfat has also encouraged travellers to see its general advice on staying safe during armed conflict. Qantas and Virgin Australia partner flights unaffected by Iran conflict so far Qantas flights to Europe and Virgin Australia wet lease flights with Qatar Airways remain unaffected by the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran. Airspace over the two countries remains closed after the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites yesterday. Both airlines say they are monitoring airspace around the region closely and will communicate with travellers if any changes are required. Qantas uses a number of flight paths en route to Europe that are reviewed regularly based on weather and security concerns, and they are proactively changed as needed, while Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways also monitor for safe alternatives if needed. Flight maps show many commercial planes in the sky in the region, although they are flying around Iran, Iraq, Syria and Israel. Australia’s Minjee Lee wins historic third major at Women’s PGA Championship Australian golf superstar Minjee Lee has cemented her greatness, claiming a historic third career major with a steely victory at the big-money Women’s PGA Championship in Texas, AAP reports. Lee had her four-shot overnight lead slashed in half early in the final round before hanging on, then surging gamely for a three-shot triumph in more extremely trying conditions at PGA Frisco’s windswept Fields Ranch East course. The 29-year-old bogeyed three of the first six holes in an anxious start before steadying to close with a sufficiently sound two-over-par 74 on championship Sunday (Monday AEST). She said of her final-round approach: Just stick to my gameplan. It’s a battle against myself pretty much, especially with how tough the conditions were this whole week. Read more here: Australia risks losing ‘war on nicotine’ in same way as war on drugs as illegal tobacco sales explode Australia is now waging a “de facto war on nicotine” that is doomed to fail in the same way as previous prohibition-style policies, experts say, amid a growing debate about how to respond to an explosion in the illicit tobacco trade. As health experts warn against changes that would undermine decades of fighting to bring down smoking rates, James Martin, a criminology lecturer at Deakin University, and Edward Jegasothy, an epidemiologist at the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health, have called for a major overhaul in how we tax tobacco and regulate vaping products. They argue that unaffordable legal cigarettes and an effective ban on retail e-cigarette sales are responsible for the explosion in black-market trade for both products. Martin and Jegasothy wrote recently in Harm Reduction Journal: Australia’s current strategy may be creating more harm than it mitigates, mirroring many of the unintended consequences historically associated with drug prohibition. Read more here: Amid questions over whether Australia should do more to support its major ally, former Australian ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos says combat troops are not the way forward. Sinodinos, who served in the role from 2020 to 2023, told AAP after the US strikes on Iran: There’s no way we would put troops on the ground. I don’t think the government or the political establishment here are suggesting that we just follow whatever the US is going to do. I’d be very surprised if there’s anybody saying that we, automatically as a result of what the US has done, are now part of that conflict. Penny Wong was on every major network this morning to address the US strikes in Iran. On Channel 9, the foreign minister was asked how Australia would respond if the US asked the country to get more involved in the Middle East conflict. She said the White House had made “no such request”, but added she wouldn’t speculate about what could happen in the future. I again would say we are concerned, as are so many people around the world, about continued escalation. No one wants to see full-scale war in the Middle East. Australia runs a joint intelligence surveillance base with the US at Pine Gap in the Northern Territory. Wong did not say if that facility played any role this weekend when asked, although she noted the US made “clear” this was a unilateral strike. NSW budget to include $80m to jump start new investment and innovation The Minns government will allocate nearly $80m in the upcoming NSW budget to a new investment and innovation authority meant to accelerate approvals for major projects across industry. The program, called the Investment Delivery Authority, is modelled after a similar effort for housing and is expected to assist about 30 large projects each year that could result in billions worth of investment in the state each year. The authority will be tasked with identifying reforms to “remove hurdles for private investment” and offer government support if a project is chosen for assistance. The body will accept expressions of interest from projects valued over $1bn from all sectors, coming into effect in the 2025-26 financial year. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said in a statement: The fact is major projects from the private sector are getting bogged down in red tape, which is making it harder to do business in NSW when we should be doing everything we can to get things moving. Our state is open for business and this change will encourage more people to bring their best ideas to life in NSW, all backed by our government. A new poll of Tasmanian voters reveals more than two-thirds of respondents believe the state’s stadium deal with the AFL is unfair and should be renegotiated. The poll, conducted by YouGov for the Australia Institute, found 69% of those questioned agreed that the AFL was “treating Tasmania unfairly” in the deal, and the same percentage found the state’s parliament should “renegotiate with the AFL to avoid building a new stadium”. Leanne Minshull, strategy director for the Australia Institute, said in a statement: This state deserves to have a team in the AFL, but Tassie taxpayers don’t want to be on the hook for a billion-dollar indoor stadium they don’t want. Read more about the stadium deal here: Penny Wong said earlier there are more than 4,000 people registered with the Australian government as wanting to leave the Middle East: 1,300 in Israel and 2,900 in Iran. Hastie says Coalition supports strikes, but want a ‘peaceful settlement from here’ The acting shadow foreign affairs minister, Andrew Hastie, reiterated this morning the Coalition supported the US strikes on Iran, but called for diplomacy moving forward. He told RN Breakfast: I’m glad to see that Penny Wong has essentially endorsed our position and I’m glad we have bipartisanship on this, that the world, as she said, has agreed Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. … We support those strikes, and now we want to see dialogue and diplomacy. We want to see a peaceful settlement from here. And I’m just not going to speculate on what steps might be taken next. RN Breakfast host Sally Sara pressed Hastie on the legality of the strikes and if there was any concern there. Hastie said those things would be debated in the coming days, but added: What’s happened has happened, and the question is: Do we support the US in their strikes? Yes, we do. Why? Because we don’t want to see Iran getting a nuclear weapon. Almost seven in 10 renters worry about asking for repairs in case it prompts a rent increase, AAP reports. A survey of more than 1,000 renters across Australia has also found a third would be unable to afford a 5% increase on what they’re currently paying. Half the respondents lived in homes that need repairs and one in 10 needed them carried out urgently. The survey found 31% of rental homes have cockroach, ant or other pest problems, almost a quarter are leaky and one in five have issues with hot water, while almost as many feature mouldy bathrooms. Rents, meanwhile, have surged a staggering 47% in the past five years amid calls for nationwide rental increase limits. Researchers found 68% of tenants feared asking their landlord to repair their residence would mean upping the rent, 56% suspected it would get them evicted and 52% worried that they would be placed on a blacklist stopping them renting another property. The study was conducted by the Australian Council of Social Services, University of NSW, Sydney-led Poverty and Inequality Partnership, National Shelter and the National Association of Renter Organisations. Wong says it is ‘right’ to call for diplomacy and de-escalation now Wong also spoke to ABC News this morning, saying: It is right to call for diplomacy and de-escalation at this point because we do not want to see escalation and a full-scale war in the Middle East. That would be devastating for the people of the region and it would be a bad thing, it would be obviously highly disruptive to global stability. The foreign minister said Iran had long flouted its obligations when it came to nuclear material, adding: I think it is important to remember that the facilities that were struck only existed for the purpose of Iran’s nuclear program. That’s what we are talking about. The world has long agreed Iran is not in compliance with its international obligations when it comes to nuclear material and the world long agreed it’s not in the interests of collective peace and security for Iran to gain access to a nuclear weapon. Wong says government remains focused on supporting Australians in Middle East Wong said the government remains “very focused” on doing “whatever we can” to support Australians in Iran, but called the situation there “extremely difficult”. She said: The airspace remains closed in both countries we have deployed Australian officials to the border with Azerbaijan so if people are able to make their way to that which is a obviously highly people have to make a judgment about how risky that is but we urge them to move if they believe they can do so safely. Wong said airspace in Israel also remained closed and represented a complex situation, too. There is some prospect of a window of airspace opening [in Israel]. Obviously, that is highly dependent on the situation on the ground, and we are seeking to try and arrange a facilitated flight in the event that the airspace opens. Foreign affairs minister Penny Wong said the government supported the US strikes against Iranian nuclear targets yesterday, but remained deeply concerned about what happens next, calling for diplomacy and de-escalation in the Middle East. Wong spoke to RN Breakfast this morning, saying: We have all agreed, the world has agreed, Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. So, yes, we support action to prevent that, and that is what this is. But I would make this point: the big question is now what? We do not want escalation in a full-scale war and we continue to call for dialogue and diplomacy. … We’re deeply concerned about continued escalation in a full-scale war with all of the consequences, not just for Australians in the region, but all the peoples of the region and the risk to global instability. Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Nick Visser. Here’s what we’ll be looking at this morning. The Australian government is calling for a “de-escalation” after the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites yesterday, with almost 4,000 Australian citizens attempting to flee the conflict zone. The federal Coalition backed the attacks and have accused Labor of being “too ambiguous” in its response, while the Greens called the strikes a “blatant breach of international law” and urged Australia to distance itself from the US. The Albanese government has maintained the Iranian nuclear program threatens the “stability of the world”. Australia risks losing a “war on nicotine” as illegal tobacco sales explode. Experts have warned against changes that could undermine decades of fighting to bring down smoking rates, with some calling for a major overhaul in how we tax tobacco and regulate vaping products. Nearly seven in 10 renters say they are fearful of asking for repairs out of fear they could face a rent increase, according to a new survey of more than 1,000 people across the country. The survey also found one-third of respondents would not be able to afford a 5% increase on their current rent. Stick with us.