Australia considers tit-for-tat sanctions against Russia

THE Abbott government has foreshadowed tougher sanctions against Russia.

THE Abbott government has foreshadowed tougher sanctions against Russia after the withdrawal of Australian personnel from the Ukrainian crash site of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

The move comes after Russia imposed a ban on Australian food exports, sparking outrage from the farming sector while Bill Shorten said the morality of it made him feel “sick in the guts”.

The Prime Minister outlined “stronger sanctions” on Moscow while accusing it of being a “bully” towards Ukraine and calling on President Vladimir Putin to “step back from the brink”.

“I didn’t want to change the level of our sanctions while we had personnel on the ground within 20 or 30km of the Russian border but — now that our personnel have withdrawn from the site, now that our personnel are in the process of returning to The Netherlands after largely completing Operation Bring Them Home — certainly you will find increased sanctions by Australia,” Mr Abbott said.

The Opposition Leader said he would work with the Prime Minister on a “cool” and “calm” bipartisan approach after Moscow introduced a one-year ban on beef, pork, fruit and vegetables, poultry, fish, cheese, milk and other dairy products.

The ban will affect a number of Western countries and is in retaliation of trade sanctions imposed over Russia’s support for separatists in Ukraine.

“For the Russians to be talking about sanctions against us, that makes me sick in the guts,” Mr Shorten said.

“They should not have the moral authority to do that after everything that’s happened.”

Australia has said Russian-backed rebels were most likely responsible for shooting down flight MH17, killing 298 people on board, including 38 people who called Australia home.

Mr Abbott warned if Russia wanted to avoid new sanctions from Australia it must stop interfering in the affairs of Ukraine.

“If there is any movement by Russian forces across the border, it won’t be a humanitarian mission, it will be an invasion,” he said.

“And I say to President Putin that if he wants to be regarded as a world leader, as opposed to becoming an international outcast, hold your forces back.”

Mr Abbott said the free trade agreements with Korea and Japan and negotiations with China would help ease the burden on Australian farmers.

National Farmers Federation president Brent Finlay said he was concerned about Russia's sanctions but that the severity of its impact was still unknown.