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Key Points
- Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government is not helping any families linked to the self-proclaimed IS group to return home.
- She said she wants to see Australia “prioritised” when it comes to fuel supplies from Asia.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has not confirmed whether any families associated with the self-identified Islamic State group are en route to Australia. However, she stated that upon arrival, they could potentially face legal action.
Speaking from Adelaide on Monday, prior to her Asia visit aimed at securing additional fuel resources for Australia, Wong emphasized, “These individuals are Australian citizens, and the government is not facilitating their return home.”
She added, “Should they return, they will be subject to the full extent of Australian law.”
Meanwhile, one woman has already been prohibited from re-entering Australia through a temporary exclusion order.
Wong mentioned that no additional temporary exclusion orders have been implemented at this time.
Securing energy supplies
Wong is scheduled to arrive in Japan on Monday night, and will also visit China and South Korea, seeking to shore up Australia’s fuel supplies.
As with previous trips led by her and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Wong will seek to leverage Australia’s food and natural gas exports in exchange for more fuel.
“We want to remain a reliable supplier and we want to see Australia prioritised when it comes to diesel, petrol and fertiliser,” she told reporters in Adelaide before her departure.
“The Strait of Hormuz supplies about 80 per cent of the oil to our region, so Australia and the countries of the region are disproportionately affected. That means we’ve got to work together,” she said.
Wong will meet her counterparts in Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul as part of the trip.
“The Australian government remains committed to a stable and constructive relationship with China, which is in the interests of both our countries,” she said in a statement before her departure.
“Australia and China have a comprehensive strategic partnership and benefit from deep economic ties, with our trade relationship underpinning supply chains, investment and livelihoods in both economies.”
The Asian tour will finish with a trip to Seoul, where the foreign minister will meet with her South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun.
South Korea is one of Australia’s prime sources of refined fuels, including petrol, diesel and aviation fuel.
The trip follows Albanese’s recent visits to South East Asian nations to shore up fuel supplies driven by the war in the Middle East.
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