Pauline Hanson has slammed Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for not acting quicker against Iran, claiming she had urged the government to do so two years ago.
On Tuesday, Albanese revealed the Iranian government was behind two anti-Semitic attacks in Australia and announced the expulsion of Iran’s ambassador.
The Prime Minister said ASIO intelligence had linked Iran to two ‘extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression’ on Australian soil: the firebombing of the Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on December 6, and the arson attack on Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney‘s Bondi Beach two months earlier.
In a social media post on Wednesday, Hanson said she had previously warned the federal government about Tehran’s covert operations but was ignored.
‘Two years ago in the Senate, I warned the Albanese Government about Iran’s role in global terrorism,’ the One Nation leader said.
‘I named it. I called for action, expel their diplomats and shut down their influence. They did nothing.
‘Now we learn Iran was behind terror attacks on Australian soil, firebombings, threats, and violence.’
Two years ago, Hanson addressed the Senate to call on Australia to re-examine its relationship with the regime in Iran, ‘the financier and supplier of Islamic terror across the world’.
One Nation leader Pauline Hanson (pictured) said she warned the federal government two years ago in the Senate about Iran
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (pictured) speaks to the media during a press conference at Parliament House after the Iranian ambassador was expelled
‘At the very least, our diplomatic presence in Tehran must be withdrawn and any Iranian diplomats should be expelled from our country,’ she said.
‘There is already strong evidence that Iranians who have escaped that country’s terrorist regime are being stalked and threatened in Australia by the regime.
‘There is no place for that in our nation, just as there is no place in Australia for sick minds calling for the gassing of Jews.
‘There is no place in this parliament for those who have also expressed support for this terror.’
Hanson said the Prime Minister’s delayed response had compromised national security.
‘Albanese’s weakness is putting Australian lives in danger,’ she said.
‘The political class may mock me. They may call me names. But time and time again, I speak up and I’m proven right.
‘They call One Nation far right. They should be calling us right so far.’
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Hanson said she warned the federal government about Iran two years ago
Adass Israel Synagogue, Ripponlea, in Melbourne was firebombed in December last year
She added Australians deserve leaders who act before a crisis unfolds.
‘I’m warning Australians again, under Albanese, things will get worse, and the threat to our safety will only grow.’
Albanese revealed on Tuesday Iran’s ambassador, Ahmad Sadeghi, had been expelled, and operations at Australia’s embassy in Tehran have been suspended.
All Australian diplomats are now safe in a third country.
‘The Australian people want two things, they want killing in the Middle East to stop, and they don’t want conflict in the Middle East brought here,’ Albanese said.
‘Iran has sought to do just that. They have sought to harm and terrorise Jewish Australians and sow hatred and division in our community.’
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said this was the first time in Australia’s post-war period that Canberra had expelled an ambassador.
She urged Australians in Iran to leave immediately.
Lewis Continental Kitchen in Sydney’s Bondi Beach was attacked two months earlier. ASIO believes both attacks were carried out at the behest of the Iranian government
Iranian ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi (pictured) is seen leaving the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Wednesday
‘I know many Australians have family connections in Iran, but I urge any Australian who may be considering travelling to Iran please do not do so,’ Wong said.
‘If you’re an Australian in Iran, leave now if it is safe to do so.’
ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess said investigations are continuing into other possible Iranian-linked attacks in Australia.
‘The IRGC used a complex web of proxies to hide its involvement. This is the kind of boundary blurring I warned about earlier this year.
‘They put lives at risk, they terrified the community, and they tore at our social fabric. Iran and its proxies lit the matches and fanned the flames.
‘I want to assure all Australians that ASIO and our law enforcement partners take these matters extremely seriously.’
Earlier this month, during a 10 News First interview, Hanson claimed more Australians are aligning with her long-held views.
She said she feels vindicated in her warnings about the impacts of mass migration, arguing the system is now clearly broken and hurting everyday Australians.
‘A lot of people say we should’ve listened to her years ago,’ she said.
‘If we don’t wake up to ourselves, we’re going to be a third world country, and that’s exactly where we’re going.’
In her first Senate speech in 2016, she argued Australia was at risk of being ‘swamped by Muslims who bear a culture and ideology that is incompatible with our own.’
While the Albanese government defends migration as critical to economic growth and filling workforce gaps, Hanson argues it’s creating deeper divides and resentment.
