Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

As I said to you, Senator, I think it is very clear, from the public comments made by the Prime Minister of Australia and the foreign minister and others, that our views about the ambassador's comments are that they were repugnant. This has been appropriately managed by senior people within the department and by the representations I made. As I said in my primary answer, we maintain diplomatic relations for our interests not because we agree with the views of the regimes that we deal with. I would remind the senator that Australia has had diplomatic relations with Iran since 1968. I join with you and others in our public condemnation of the ambassador's remarks and in the articulation of our support for Australia's Jewish community in the face of them.