Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stays silent on Pine Gap’s involvement in Israel-Iran conflict

The Prime Minister has been pressed on whether a Northern Territory military facility – run by the US – has any involvement in the ongoing tensions in the Middle East. Read the latest.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

The Prime Minister has refused to say if a Territory spy base has any part of an ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, as one political party calls for government to bar the US from using military bases in Australia.

Speaking at a press conference in Canberra on Monday, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese would neither confirm nor deny if Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap – located south of Alice Springs – played any part in the US strikes on Iran.

“We don’t talk about intelligence matters, but we confirm, of course, that this was a unilateral action by the United States,” Mr Albanese said.

Mr Albanese’s comments come a day after Greens Senator and party defence and foreign affairs spokesman David Shoebridge called for the Albanese government to bar the US from using Australian bases in the Middle East conflict.

“That means ending the AUKUS agreement, prohibiting the use of US military bases in Australia, including Pine Gap, from being used in this conflict, and clearly opposing military action by the US and Israel against Iran,” he said.

Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap. Picture: File

Previously, the US military has not ruled out potentially using NT bases – such as RAAF Base Tindal, south of Katherine – as a launch pad for B-52 bombers.

Joint Defence Facility Pine Gap is run by the US government, with the Australian government assisting, and has long been shrouded in secrecy.

The facility opened in the 1970s, and operates as a signal intelligence facility.

Within the past year, there have been numerous protests by pro-Palestinian activists at the entry to the facility calling for the base to shut.

Mr Albanese said “we don’t want escalation and a full-scale war”.
“We continue to call for dialogue and for diplomacy. As I’ve said for many days now, we are deeply concerned about any escalation in the region and we want to see diplomacy, dialogue and de-escalation,” he said.

On Sunday, the US launched strikes against nuclear sites at Fordow, Esfahan, and Natanz in Iran.

US President Donald Trump said it was a “very successful attack” by B-52 stealth bombers with a “full payload of bombs” dropped on the Iranian sites.

Originally published as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stays silent on Pine Gap’s involvement in Israel-Iran conflict