QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:12): Thank you, Senator Ciccone. The government does understand that Australians are watching the events in the Middle East, and globally, with great concern, and we all understand that Iran's actions have triggered severe global energy shocks. This matters to Australians; it matters to us all.

But something Senator Ciccone said in his question merits repeating, which is: 'How do we work calmly and in the national interest?' because that is the question that politicians should be addressing, and that is the way the government is dealing with this. We are calmly working through these challenges—and they are substantial challenges—to protect Australians from these shocks.

What we see on the other side is, again, those opposite showing the extent to which they are all about themselves. They are all about themselves. When they see any national challenge, their first thought is: 'How do I play politics with it?'—that's their first thought.

And it says something about your ethics. (Time expired)