The Australian government is introducing legislation to terminate a new diplomatic lease for the Russian embassy near Parliament House in Canberra on national security grounds.
“The government has received very clear security advice as to the risk presented by a new Russian presence so close to Parliament House. We’re acting quickly to ensure the leased site does not become a formal diplomatic presence,” he said.
“To be clear, today’s decision is one taken in the national security interests of Australia, and I thank the Coalition and crossbenchers in the House and the Senate for their cooperation in this matter.”
The prime minister affirmed that the legislation, introduced on the morning of June 15, would pass both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
He also confirmed that Russia’s existing embassy in Griffith, Canberra, which is about 10 minutes away from Parliament House, will be able to remain.
“Russia does have a diplomatic presence here, and that will continue at its existing premises in Griffith, just as Australia has a diplomatic presence in Moscow,” Albanese said. “This is not about changing that. This is about the specific risk presented by this site, and that is why we are taking this action.”
Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil said the main issue with the proposed second Russian embassy in Canberra was its location.
“This location sits directly adjacent to Parliament House. The government has received clear national security advice that this would be a threat to our national security, and that is why the government the acting decisively today to bring this longstanding matter to a close,” she said.
PM: Criticism of Australia Not Helping Ukraine Not Right
The prime minister again condemned Russia’s “illegal and immoral invasion” of Ukraine and expressed support for the country.“We understand that—that the struggle of the people of Ukraine is not just about Ukrainian national sovereignty—as important as that is. This is a struggle about the sovereignty of international law, about whether national borders are sovereign, about whether the rule of law will apply,” he said.
“So we stand very strongly with the people of Ukraine. We are continuing to make contributions and continuing to provide support which is occurring every day, every week, and every month.”
Albanese refuted criticism that Australia is not helping Ukraine as much as it could.
“When you make an announcement of Bushmasters, it doesn’t mean that the 90 Bushmasters arrived the next day. They’re being built and transported to Ukraine,” he said.
“Australian soldiers are training Ukrainian soldiers in the United Kingdom, and there are a range of ways in which we are providing support. We are working consistently along with the Department of Defence to see what we can do to add further support to Ukraine.”
As of February, Australia had provided almost $700 million (US$481 million) in aid to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, including medical and humanitarian assistance.
Australia also announced financial sanctions and travel bans on 90 other people and 40 entities, including Russia’s largest arms manufacturer, submarine developer, airline and missile designer, for helping the Russian government prolong and finance the war in Ukraine.
