Labor on defence over Russia and Iran sanctions

The Albanese government has defended itself against a bipartisan committee that accused it of failing to identify all of the Russian government and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ assets in Australia.

Liberal senator Dave Sharma. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

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The Albanese government has defended itself against claims by a bipartisan committee that it has failed to identify all of the Russian government and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ assets in Australia.

The report accused the government of having “lagged many months behind its allies in imposing sanctions” and said this was “concerning, particularly in circumstances where the same intelligence on individuals and entities is likely available to the US, UK, and Australian governments. The reasons for this are not clear from evidence provided by government agencies.”

It warned there were “billions” of Australian dollars contributing to Russia’s war effort.

The committee said while it was “buoyed” by Australia’s decision to reopen its embassy in Ukraine, “this decision should have been made in concert with allies over two years ago”.

The committee – led by Liberal Dave Sharma and Labor’s Raff Ciccone – said there was “very limited evidence” to suggest the Albanese government had “adequately identified” assets held in Australia by individuals associated with the IRGC – which has been listed as a terror organisation by the US – and the Russian government, which Australia applied sanctions on after its invasion of Ukraine.

“Targeted individuals, states and entities will continue to look for ways to evade sanctions, as can be seen with the continuing – arguably flourishing – trade of Russian oil and the multitude of creative ways Iranian IRGC-­affiliated individuals are finding to work around sanctions,” Senator Sharma wrote.

“The committee is particularly concerned by the fact that Australian money continues to flow unabated, in its billions, to the Russian government and its war efforts through the continuing import of goods made with refined Russian petroleum.”

The committee said the “lack of objective and transparent criteria” for the application of sanctions at least in part drove the “public perception that Australia is unwilling to apply sanctions objectively”.

A spokeswoman for Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the government was considering the recommendations of the “Liberal-led committee”.

“We have taken stronger ­action on Iran than any previous Australian government with sanctions on 200 Iranian-linked persons and entities, including almost 100 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps linked officials and entities,” she said.

“Peter Dutton and the Liberals did not place one new sanction on Iran or the IRGC over nine long years in government and did not object to Iran being elected to the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

“The Albanese government has also taken action to hold Russia to account for its illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine, with more than 1200 targeted financial sanctions and travel bans.”