Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Dolega. Conflict in the Middle East over the past few days has continued to destabilise the region. However, we have had some positive news with confirmation that a plane with more than 200 Australians onboard is on its way from Dubai. However, with 10 countries under attack by Iran, the situation in the Middle East could get even worse, and the conflict is still spreading. Bahrain, Cyprus, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have all been struck by Iran. The US consulate in Dubai, not far from the Australian consulate, has also been attacked, and I can confirm that our personnel across the region are safe and accounted for. I'm also pleased to advise the Senate that Emirates Flight EK414 has taken off from Dubai and is en route to Sydney with more than 200 Australians onboard.

But the government is very clear. We know there are many more thousands of Australians who are in the Middle East and are waiting for flights to come home. This will be a challenging time for many Australians. Travel disruptions could go on for some time. Commercial flights continue to be the fastest way to help Australians leave the Middle East at scale. Of course, the government has been working on contingency planning, and that continues, and DFAT has continued to surge consular capacity to where it is needed. I announced before question time today that we are deploying six crisis response teams to the region over the next 24 hours. These teams will support on-the-ground consular efforts, as our No. 1 priority remains the safety and security of all Australian in the region.