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

We act in Australia's national interests. That is what our government does. You have heard me, each day, outline the rationale for decisions that the government has taken. We act in Australia's interests. We responded to a request. I made clear that there have been a number of requests. We also have made clear that the request to which the government is responding is a written request from the United Arab Emirates, who are under attack not because they have partaken in action against Iran but because Iran is seeking to increase the cost of conflict, attacking civilians and—

Senator, you may not consider that a problem; we do. We think attacks on civilians in the Middle East who are not part of combatant nations—