SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has detailed how his visa offer to the Iranian women’s soccer team unfolded.
“There’s been a lot of work going on in recent days to make sure we gave those women every possible opportunity to seek assistance if they wanted it,” Burke said.
Burke said he spoke with both ASIO Director General Mike Burgess and AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett before rushing through the visa applications.
“At around 9.15 last night, when I was with them, I signed off on their applications to go into humanitarian visas and I asked the department to process it as quickly as they could. They went back to the offices and processed it immediately, finishing the process in around 1.30 this morning,” Burke said.
The minister thanked his Coalition counterpart, Jonno Duniam, for his co-operation.
The Australian Federal Police has confirmed it has assisted members of the Iranian women’s soccer team over the past 72 hours, during which time at least five players have been granted humanitarian visas.
“The AFP has long and enduring relationships with the Iranian diaspora through the AFP’s community liaison teams,” the force said in a statement.
“The AFP acknowledges the community leaders, not-for-profit groups and ordinary Australians for their assistance and advocacy in this matter.”
In question time, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said he had spoken with the AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett before expediting the players’ visa applications.
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has rejected claims of a fuel shortage disaster by Queensland Energy Minister David Janetzki, who on Monday demanded the federal government release a plan to deal with regional shortages of petrol and diesel.
Janetzki sent a widely reported letter to Bowen yesterday that demanded “national leadership” from Bowen and warned that Queensland was “on the precipice of major impact on daily life”.
Bowen wrote back to Janetzki today to inform him that state and federal governments, including Queensland, were already working together through the National Oil Supplies Emergency Committee, which has met twice in the past week.
The committee’s advice stated that while there are disruptions to regional fuel supply, panic buying was driving the shortages, not lack of supply into the country.
“You appear to be unaware, however, that [the committee] – including Queensland’s senior official – twice confirmed that Australia’s liquid fuel emergency response level remains at the lowest of six possible levels under the National Liquid Fuel Emergency Response Plan,” Bowen’s letter to Janetzki said.
Independent fuel suppliers have reported difficulty in filling orders, as major companies restrict distribution. Social media is awash with reports of regional motorists claiming service stations are empty, and farmers are reporting diesel price spikes and delays to orders from private suppliers.
The federal government is investigating concerns that fuel wholesalers are hoarding supplies and reports that farmers are panic-buying to avoid future price spikes.
Nationals leader David Littleproud has said Australia must ensure the Iranian women’s soccer players fleeing the theocratic regime must be screened for anti-democratic values.
Littleproud, whose party has been scrambling to counter One Nation on the hot-button issue of migration, told Sky News he welcomed Labor’s move to grant asylum to the players who refused to sing the Iranian national anthem before an Asian Cup match this month.
But, he added: “They’re coming from a region where there was tyranny, and we want to make sure that they don’t bring any of those values to Australia.
“If they are genuine, then obviously we welcome this decision by the government and so long as the proper processes have been adhered to.”
Barnaby Joyce, the former Nationals leader who defected to One Nation, was taken aback by Littleproud’s remarks. “Well done David: you are now to the right of Donald Trump!” Joyce said.
US President Donald Trump phoned Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at 2am (AEDT) lobbying for the team to be protected. Australia had already granted asylum by the time Trump called, but the president’s advocacy reflected the support for the pro-democracy players among conservatives and progressives alike.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Monday that some countries, including China, Russia and France, have contacted Tehran regarding a ceasefire, Iranian state TV reported.
Gharibabadi said Iran’s first condition for a potential ceasefire would be the end of further aggression against the country.
Reuters
Supporters have attempted to block the path of a bus carrying the Iranian women’s soccer team, which is en route to Gold Coast Airport.
Just minutes ago all the players were taken onto the bus, with one player appearing to be dragged on by her teammates.
Protesters lay in front of the bus, chanting “save our girls”, as police attempted to move them on.
Eventually, the bus got through and left, headed for the airport with a police escort.
A bus carrying a majority of the Iranian women’s soccer team has left their accommodation on the Gold Coast, with one player appearing to be pulled on board by teammates.
Supporters who have followed the team on the Gold Coast say the players and support staff will head to the city’s airport at Coolangatta before flying to Sydney.
Players had been coming in and out of the lobby at the RACV Royal Pines Resort for two hours, with the entire contingent leaving and re-entering after about half an hour.
At 1pm local time (2pm AEDT), all the players were taken onto the bus, with one player seeming to be pulled by her teammates.
Supporters at the resort say they are headed for the Gold Coast Airport to board a flight to Sydney, which a source confirmed to this masthead.
The Coalition has publicly backed the Labor government’s latest decisions in the Middle East war.
At a press conference this afternoon, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor welcomed the granting of visas to five players from the Iranian women’s soccer team, and the deployment of medium-range missiles, 85 military personnel and a surveillance plane to the Gulf, after a request from the United Arab Emirates.
“What we see today is allies working together to push back against this despotic regime,” Taylor said.
On the Iranian players, Taylor said: “These women are standing up against the regime with enormous courage, and I think has captured the imagination of the Australian people. Every reasonable Australian would want a good outcome for their safety and for their future.”
Senator James Paterson, the opposition defence spokesman, added: “It is clear it is in Australia’s national interest for the waterways around the gulf and the airspace to be cleared as soon as possible. If they can be cleared that will allow the resumption of the flow of oil through the Gulf and Australians to leave the Gulf to come home on commercial flights. The point of the should assist in making it happen more quickly.”
Earlier today, the Greens came out against the military deployment, and party leader Larissa Waters said “Australia has been fully dragged into another US forever war” which most Australians didn’t want.
An announcement by Israel’s military late on Monday night (7.30am on Tuesday AEDT) of more missiles inbound from Iran marked 24 hours of relentless waves of attacks.
In all, Israel’s military alerted its population 12 times throughout the day about incoming missile salvos from Iran. From Lebanon, Iran-backed Hezbollah also fired rockets into Israel on Monday.
One man was killed by Iranian missile fire, raising Israel’s death toll to 11. More were injured in the attacks and as they made their way to shelters.
Meanwhile, Tehran residents heard more than 20 heavy explosions as many rushed to safer places.
The strikes on Iran’s capital, also around 7.30am on Tuesday AEDT, were the heaviest on the city since beginning of the war.
The sound of bombers and warplanes flying overhead was constant for about half an hour. Witnesses reported explosions in western areas of the city. Electricity was cut off in some neighbourhoods.
Similar explosions in other Iranian cities were reported on social media. Iranian media did not report on damage and casualties from the strikes.
AP
Returning to one of today’s key developments now, that five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team in Australia for the Asian Cup have been granted humanitarian visas to stay.
Canberra made the decision due to fears for the women’s safety after the team declined to sing the national anthem during a match on the Gold Coast last week.
Craig Foster, a former captain of the Australian men’s soccer team, said he found the development “positive and concerning”.
“Obviously, there is still a very large group who haven’t had the opportunity to access the same advice or exercise their rights in the same way,” Foster told ABC News 24.
“Effectively, the last couple of days have taken a more positive turn whilst the team was locked down and effectively kept hostage, an intervention should have been made by the football governing bodies,” he added, referring to tournament organisers the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA.
“In the absence of that, the Australian government has been able to put themselves in a position where at least five women were able to access advice and make that decision.
“The key issue for all Australians now is that they’re not to be forcibly removed or removed from the country without the remaining players gain access to that independent advice and able to exercise their rights as well.”
An official squad list named 26 players, plus head coach Marziyeh Jafari and other coaches. Homes Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the offer of asylum was extended to all on the team.
Foster has long been a passionate advocate for refugees and multiculturalism. In 2018, he was pivotal in a campaign to free Bahrainian footballer Hakeem al-Araibi from a Thai jail and bring him to Australia before he could be extradited to Bahrain.
With AP
