Wong won’t confirm reports more Iranian football team members have sought asylum
The government is keeping mum on reports of two more members of the Iranian women’s football team seeking asylum in Australia.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, is doing the media rounds this morning, and tells the Today Show she’ll leave any updates to the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, who will hold a press conference later this morning.
Wong says the women were given the opportunity to speak with department officials alone, without their minders. She describes images of the remainder of the Iranian team getting on the bus to leave as “very confronting”.
Asked whether she’s concerned about their welfare and what will happen to those who are returning to Iran, Wong says:
double quotation mark I am reluctant to add to speculation about the response when they get home, because obviously we I’m concerned for their safety. We know this regime has engaged in brutal treatment of women and girls but of its citizens, and we’ve seen that over the years, which is why the government put so much effort into making sure that people did get given the choice, and as I said, they were offered an opportunity, and had the opportunity, I should say, to talk to Australian officials alone.
Key events
Clive Palmer makes a fresh run for politics
Not content with funding millions of dollars to not win any seats, billionaire mining magnate Clive Palmer is announcing today that he’ll be running for the House of Representatives at the next election.
Get ready to see a fresh bout of big yellow posters near you.
Palmer won the seat of Fairfax in Queensland in 2013 against now shadow foreign affairs minister Ted O’Brien. He won by just 53 votes after a recount (where his scrutineers challenged many of the votes, dragging the recount on for four weeks).
Palmer says he’ll be making the announcement at 11:30am today.
Wong also denies Australia is at war
Jumping back to her interview on RN Breakfast, Sally Sara asks Penny Wong if Australia is now at war, due to its military involvement in the Middle East.
Wong has previously said Australia is supporting the “collective defence” of Gulf nations under attack.
This morning she again highlights the scale of Australians who call the Middle East home.
double quotation mark We are dealing with the requests, including from the UAE. Our first priority is to protect Australians at home and abroad. And we made a decision to respond to the United Arab Emirates for a request for defensive capability. And we were very conscious when we did that, first, that not only are they defending their citizens, but they’re defending our citizens. They’re defending Australians who are in the United Arab Emirates or, in fact, many of the other Gulf countries.
Asked whether Australia’s support for the UAE could make us a target, Wong says Iran has already targeted Australia – after Asio found at least two antisemitic attacks were orchestrated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
double quotation mark The Iranian regime has never needed provocation. The Iranian regime conducted attacks on Australian soil whilst we still had a diplomatic relationship with them.
Marles denies Australia involved in offensive action in Iran
Despite an escalation of Australia’s involvement in the Middle East, with the government yesterday announcing it would deploy an E-7A Wedgetail military surveillance aircraft and missiles for the United Arab Emirates, Labor still maintains it’s not involved in attacks.
Richard Marles, the deputy prime minister and defence minister, told 2GB this morning that the UAE has a “close and friendly” relationship with Australia, and the action has been to protect the Gulf nations under attack by Iran.
double quotation mark It is defence, and it’s defensive of the Gulf states … We were very much acting at the request specifically of the United Arab Emirates. It had been under sustained attack by Iran from the moment that this conflict began and yet the UAE has not been a protagonist against Iran at all, and that’s the case for 10 other countries in the region.Iran has sought to widen this conflict, attack its neighbours simply because it can, and we obviously condemn that in the strongest possible terms.
Wong defends bill to block temporary visas from Middle East
Moving to ABC RN Breakfast, the foreign minister, Penny Wong, defends the government’s decision to introduce a bill to stop people from some countries travelling to Australia on some temporary visas and seeking to stay permanently because of the Middle East war.
Host, Sally Sara, points out that the bill to block people from countries including Iran was introduced the same day that the government announced it had offered humanitarian visas to the five Iranian football players.
Wong says, “the legislation doesn’t apply to humanitarian visas”.
This is true – the legislation states it doesn’t apply to humanitarian visas and has a few exceptions for people who have dependent children in Australia or who are immediate family of Australian citizens.
But there’s still a question mark over the timing of the announcement. Wong says:
double quotation mark I know that there’s been some political criticism, but it should be based on fact. It’s not legislation which targets humanitarian visas. It’s legislation which enables us to manage temporary visas … We have to work out how we manage our borders in a context of a very large-scale event. There are arrangements within the legislation, I think what [Tony Burke] describes as safeguards, so if people’s entry is genuinely required, we think it’s appropriate they can still come.
Australia has ‘considered a range of requests’: Wong on Middle East
The foreign minister is walking a tight line as the government faces questions on how long Australia will remain in the Middle East conflict, what action it will take, and whether support for Gulf nations will increase.
Yesterday the prime minister announced the government was sending an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance plane and missiles to the United Arab Emirates in a defensive capacity for Gulf nations facing strikes from Iran.
Penny Wong told journalists in the press gallery corridor earlier that the “initial deployment” of the aircraft, which will have 85 personnel on board, will be for four weeks.
double quotation mark The initial deployment is for four weeks, and obviously we will see what happens as this conflict continues. We hope that the countries of the region can find a way to get to a greater level of stability and calm, obviously, that requires Iran to stop attacking the countries of the region.
Wong and the government have continued to state that the future of the Iranian government is for the Iranian people and that there are no examples of “regime change being able to be successfully and sustainably implemented externally.”
On ABC News Breakfast, Wong is asked if Australia has been asked to help keep the Strait of Hormuz open. Wong said that the government has received a range of requests:
double quotation mark We’ve considered a range of requests, and the capability we have deployed is the one that we announced yesterday.
Bridget McKenzie will run for the Nationals leadership
Bridget McKenzie will put her hat in the ring, alongside Matt Canavan and Kevin Hogan, to replace David Littleproud who announced his resignation from the leadership yesterday afternoon.
Littleproud said he would remain in the party, either on the backbench or in the shadow ministry, but said he was “buggered” and wanted to spend more time with his family.
In a statement on Instagram, McKenzie confirmed her intention, and thanked people for the “wave of support I have received from across the country overnight.”
double quotation mark The Nationals have long been the strong voice of regional Australians and if successful I commit to working every day, using all my experience, energy and drive to secure the future of our great country.
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‘There are developments this morning’: Chalmers on Iranian football team
We’re getting a slightly bigger forward sizzle from the treasurer on how many people from the Iranian women’s football team have sought asylum in Australia.
The home affairs minister, Tony Burke, will speak later this morning at about 9am.
The Guardian understands seven team members have now sought asylum in Australia, including the five players granted visas yesterday. It is unclear if the additional two team members have been granted visas at this time.
Chalmers confirms that there have been more discussions this morning:
double quotation mark There are developments this morning that I’m reluctant to go into because Tony Burke, the minister, will be up later this morning to give people a proper sense of that … It is a tribute to their bravery and to the work of the officials and the ministers that we’ve been able to issue those five visas already. As I understand it, there are more discussions this morning and Tony Burke will have more to say about that later in the day.
Australian economy not ‘immune’ to global volatility: Chalmers
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers, says the budget will not be immune to global volatility, but maintains that the economy is well placed to handle the uncertainty.
Speaking to ABC AM this morning, Chalmers is getting ready to hand down a budget in two months and one day (but who’s counting). He says inflation, productivity, and global uncertainty are three things the budget will have to take into account – and two of those things are directly impacted by the war in the Middle East.
double quotation mark We’re seeing a lot of volatility play out on these global markets … We won’t be immune from that. We’re not complacent about it, but we’re also really well placed in Australia to deal with what’s coming at us from around the world.Clearly, we had an inflation challenge in our economy already and this risks making it worse. That’s clear. And we’ve been upfront about that.
Host, Melissa Clarke, asks Chalmers whether the volatility could also see a rise in Australia’s gas prices, giving the budget a windfall, as occurred after Russia invaded Ukraine.
Chalmers says that “remains to be seen” and will in part depend on how long the conflict goes on.
double quotation mark We wouldn’t necessarily bank a big change in revenue for those companies until we would understand better how long this thing will drag out.
Wong won’t confirm reports more Iranian football team members have sought asylum
The government is keeping mum on reports of two more members of the Iranian women’s football team seeking asylum in Australia.
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, is doing the media rounds this morning, and tells the Today Show she’ll leave any updates to the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, who will hold a press conference later this morning.
Wong says the women were given the opportunity to speak with department officials alone, without their minders. She describes images of the remainder of the Iranian team getting on the bus to leave as “very confronting”.
Asked whether she’s concerned about their welfare and what will happen to those who are returning to Iran, Wong says:
double quotation mark I am reluctant to add to speculation about the response when they get home, because obviously we I’m concerned for their safety. We know this regime has engaged in brutal treatment of women and girls but of its citizens, and we’ve seen that over the years, which is why the government put so much effort into making sure that people did get given the choice, and as I said, they were offered an opportunity, and had the opportunity, I should say, to talk to Australian officials alone.
Government reassures fuel supply in ‘excess’ in Australia
Labor is facing pressure from the opposition over panic buying and some fuel shortages being felt across the country, while it tries to reassure the public there is enough supply.
The housing minister, Clare O’Neil, and shadow attorney general, Michaelia Cash, were sparring on Sunrise this morning.
O’Neil said Australians should feel confident, and again (for the billionth time) tells everyone to stop panic buying.
double quotation mark We have an excess of fuel in the country that’s in excess of the legal requirement. The reason that we are seeing issues [across the] country is because people are buying more fuel than they need. We are managing this on a daily basis, and people should feel confident in our system of fuel security as a country and buy what they need.And we will work through these issues with petrol stations around the country.
Cash said it wasn’t good enough to blame families and farmers for the shortages, and said the government should be doing more to address supply shortfalls.
double quotation mark It’s everybody else’s fault. Let’s blame mum and dad Australia, let’s [blame] farmers. Let’s blame the small businesses, let’s blame the truckies. How about the government actually start governing?
More than 3,000 Australians return from Middle East
As of this morning, 3,003 Australians have arrived back home from the Middle East on 21 flights since 4 March.
There are currently two flights on en route to Melbourne and Sydney and there are three additional flights scheduled to depart from the region today:
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EK406 from Dubai to Melbourne
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EK412 from Dubai to Sydney
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QR988 From Doha to Melbourne
Krishani Dhanji
Good morning, Krishani Dhanji here with you ahead of another big sitting day, thanks to Martin Farrer for getting us started.
As conflict in the Middle East and members of the Iranian women’s football team seeking asylum in Australia remain the focus of the morning, the foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, will be doing the media rounds.
The government says more than 3,000 Australians have now arrived back home from the Middle East as limited flights – we’ll bring you more on that shortly.
I’ve got my coffee, I hope you’ve got yours, let’s get cracking!
Naplan tests to roll out today
Caitlin Cassidy
Around 1.4m students are set to sit down for Naplan tests today, the annual national assessment loved by statisticians and loathed by many education experts
Naplan measures how students in years 3, 5, 6 and 9 are progressing in literacy and numeracy, with this year marking the second cycle since the test was brought forward from May to March with new proficiency levels.
The head of the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (Acara), Stephen Gniel, said his organisation had worked with the Islamic Schools Association of Australia, as the test window coincides with Ramadan, to help schools and teachers support affected students.
double quotation mark We’re encouraging schools to schedule their tests as soon as possible in the test window and to run Naplan tests first thing in the morning to ensure fasting students’ energy levels are at their highest.
Gniel assured students that there was no need to study for the tests.
double quotation mark The best preparation that kids can do is make sure they go to school regularly … This is about knowing where each student is up to.
Schools and education authorities will receive preliminary results early in term 2, with full results to be published in early August.
Two more Iranians seek asylum in Australia after football team flies out – reports
Martin Farrer
Two more members of the Iranian women’s football team have reportedly sought asylum in Australia after competing in the Women’s Asian Cup tournament.
According to multiple reports, a plane left Sydney airport on Tuesday night local time for Malaysia with players and staff, ending a dramatic two days during which five players were granted asylum after refusing to return home.
That number rose to seven on Tuesday night, according to several media outlets, when two more members of the group decided to remain in Australia.
Reports said the squad left Sydney at 10.43pm local time on Malaysia Airlines flight MH140 bound for Kulala Lumpur but it was not clear what route they would take back to Iran after that because the country’s airspace is closed due to the Middle East conflict.
Full story here:
NSW public health system experiencing record demand, data shows
Natasha May
NSW public hospital and ambulance services saw “record numbers” of emergency department attendances, admitted patient episodes and ambulance responses, latest government data shows.
The Bureau of Health Information (BHI) today released its latest quarterly report for public health services in NSW from October to December 2025. The numbers showed despite this unprecedented demand across the system, “performance remained stable in key areas”, according to BHI chief executive, adjunct Prof Heiko Spallek said.
The 820,009 attendances at emergency departments was the highest since BHI began reporting in 2010, with an increase in presentations for more urgent conditions and fewer patients presenting with less urgent conditions.
The percentage of patients starting their treatment on time (66.3%) was relatively stable compared with the same quarter a year earlier, the report found.
A record number of patients (79,004) left emergency departments without, or before completing, treatment – up by 10,846 (15.9%) from the same quarter a year earlier.
Ambulance services also saw the highest number of calls and incidents since 2010, and while the number of ambulance responses was relatively stable (up 0.6%) compared with the same quarter a year earlier, it was also a record high, the BHI found.
The number of patients admitted during the quarter (518,436) was the highest of any October to December quarter since 2010.
The average length of stay for overnight non-acute episodes (such as rehabilitation, geriatric evaluation and management) was 19.3 days – the highest of any October to December quarter.
The number of elective surgeries (58,922) was up 7.2%, with more surgeries performed across all urgency categories.
At the end of December 2025, there were 92,812 patients on the waiting list, down 7.4% from the same time a year earlier. Of those patients, 3,845 had waited longer than clinically recommended, down 43.8% from the same time in 2024.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with breaking overnight stories and then Krishani Dhanji will be steering the news ship.
It looks like another busy start for Tony Burke this morning amid reports that two more Iranian female footballers sought asylum in Australia last night rather than fly home with the rest of the squad. More coming up.
And public hospital and ambulance services in New South Wales saw “record numbers” of emergency department attendances, admitted patient episodes and ambulance responses in the last quarter of last year, figures show. More details shortly.
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