Politics live: Albanese says US won’t need Australian military help against Iran; Mark Carney to arrive in Australia

PM says on 7.30 that the late Iranian leader should not be mourned. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastMarles defends reports of 24 hour wait to reach consular staffMarles is asked about reports of Australians in the Middle East waiting 24 hours to reach consular staff, as they plan their evacuation from the region.There are a significant number of Australians there, we’re obviously working through all of this as quickly as possible. We are posting advice on Smart Traveler as soon as it comes to hand, and we are very much encouraging people to monitor that very closely.There’s been some reports of marginal airspace being opened up in a limited way, but really that’s the issue that we’re monitoring closely. We are going through some contingency arrangements right now, which I won’t speak about publicly … but for most people, the most expeditious way in which they will be able to leave is going to be through commercial flights as soon as [they open].I think it’s hard to speculate exactly how long this will go. Obviously, we are monitoring this very closely, but we’ve not been asked to participate. This is an action which is being undertaken by the United States and by Israel.I mean, what is unlawful is for Iran to be seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon capability. I mean, that flies in the face of the non-proliferation treaty and the international regime. Continue reading...