The Australian government will cancel a lease held by the Russian Federation for its second embassy in the country right next to the Parliament House. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Thursday Morning that the lease would be cancelled due to national security concerns, and a bill has been introduced to parliament regarding the same. The bill reportedly has bipartisan support, and the prime minister expects it to pass both chambers of the parliament today itself.
“Today, the government will introduce legislation to terminate the Russian Federation’s lease for a proposed diplomatic presence just next to Parliament House. We anticipate this legislation will pass both the House of Representatives and the Senate this morning,” Albanese was quoted as saying by the Australian media.
“We’re acting quickly to ensure the leased site does not become a formal diplomatic presence,” the prime minister added.
Why the bill has been introduced?
The bill has been introduced in an effort to circumvent a recent Federal Court ruling that declared an eviction order by the National Capital Authority unlawful, thus paving the way for Russia to erect a sovereign structure in the close vicinity of the Parliament House.
The decision to introduce the bill was made during a meeting of the government’s national security committee at the end of last month, and Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil is set to present it today to enforce the cancellation of the lease.
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According to Albanese, this action is deemed crucial to safeguard Australia’s national security interests, an aspect that the government takes seriously. Minister O’Neil echoed this sentiment in parliament, stating that the lease termination would not have any impact on the existing Russian embassy in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). “This action is absolutely necessary to protect Australia’s national security interests — something that this parliament and our government will never shy away from,” Ms O’Neil told the parliament.
Bill expected to pass both chambers of parliament
Remarkably, the bill was swiftly introduced and passed through the House of Representatives in just four and a half minutes. However, it still requires approval from the Senate to become law. Shadow Defence Minister Andrew Hastie expressed his support for the bill, emphasising the potential risk it poses to national interests based on security advice.
Albanese revealed that the cancellation of the lease was approved by the National Security Committee of Cabinet on May 31. He had informed opposition and crossbench politicians about the decision prior to its public announcement.
