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Sydney mayor backs Shi’ite memorial for ‘martyred’ Ayatollah Khamenei, lashes Chris Minns

ELIZABETH PIKE - 3 March 2026

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A powerful Sydney mayor has defended Shi’ite Muslims who held an event mourning Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in a council-owned community centre, lashing NSW Premier Chris Minns for having a “fetish with attacking the Islamic community” over his criticism of the tributes.

Liverpool Mayor Ned Mannoun told The Australian that Mr Minns was doing “more to hurt social cohesion than any other premier in NSW history” after the state leader labelled memorial events for Khamenei “atrocious”.

The dead Ayatollah is estimated to have killed 20,000 of his own people in January alone for protesting his regime.

As the supreme leader, he was been responsible for years of internal bloodshed and state-sponsored terror attacks all over the world, including antisemitic firebombings in Australia in 2025.

Mr Minns issued the hard-line stance when it was revealed multiple Shi’ite mosques across Sydney were openly inviting members to honour the Iranian leader after he was killed in US-Israeli air strikes, while the events also sparked calls for criminal investigations.

The Australian can reveal the Australian Peace Association, a local Shi’ite organisation, invited members to mourn the “martyrdom” of Khamenei on Sunday night at the Frank Oliveri Community Centre, a venue owned by Liverpool Council.

Mr Mannoun, a Lebanese-Muslim, said he had not been aware of the event but as long as fees were paid and no laws were broken, he had “no issues” with the memorial being held in the council building.

“I don’t think it’s anyone’s job to say who can mourn, (Khamenei) was a religious leader for tens of millions of people all around the world,” Mr Mannoun said. “If they have broken a law please tell me which one

“Chris Minns has a fetish with attacking the Islamic community. He did not apologise for one of his police officers grabbing and throwing people praying on the ground at the Town Hall protest, and that is what I think is atrocious.

“There are millions of Iranian Australians who are in severe shock and who are mourning … there are also millions of Iranian Australians celebrating, that’s the nature of free societies.”

Mr Mannoun said the NSW Premier was yet to apologise for the actions of police at the protest against Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s visit last month in Sydney, when officers dragged away a group of Muslim men praying during the rally.

The Liberal mayor also spruiked his own track record for defending free speech and expression, pointing out that anti-Islamist Dutch politician, Geert Wilders, was welcomed by the council despite calls for his visa to be cancelled.

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Mr Mannoun said Mr Minns and critics were out of step with the Muslim community and misinterpreting the memorial events.

Mr Minns holds the southern Sydney seat of Kogarah which is home to large Muslim communities, and a number of mosques in the area held events for Khamenei.

“Effectively what you are seeing is predominantly the Shi’ite Muslims mourning a Shi’ite scholar that effectively held the rank of a pope, ultimately what they are saying is Shi’ite Muslims should be investigated for mourning,” he said.

“As long as they paid the fees and they didn’t break Australian law I have no issues.

“Whether they did it in a hall or at home, what difference does it make?”

Mr Minns said he rejected the “assertion that calling out the Iranian regime’s crimes is anti-Muslim”.

“Many of their human rights abuses have been directed at Muslims,” Mr Minns said.

“Criticism of that record is not an attack on a faith or on Muslim Australians.”

The war of words over the tributes came as an Islamic centre in nearby Banksia, Husaineyat Sayeda Zaynab, posted AI-generated videos to its social media on Monday showing buildings exploding and soldiers heading into battle, alongside messages that declared “victory is closer than ever before”.

“The resistance of Palestine is the victor. Hezbollah is the victor,” the clip was captioned.

One of the frames appeared to picture a Hamas member, wearing the green “Shahada” headband and a Palestinian flag, looking over a building resembling the Golden Mosque in Jerusalem. The video has since been taken down.

The Australian previously revealed Shi’ite clerics had livestreamed sermons on Sunday night following Khamenei’s death, urging followers to continue the “struggle” against “US-Israeli aggression”.

The sermons prompted Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to warn that agencies would be watching the mosques “very closely,” with the rhetoric appearing to skirt the government’s new laws cracking down on “hate preachers” who vilify people of other faiths.

Opposition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam also called on the government to investigate whether there were any links between the groups holding the events, the people who attended, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The Albanese government listed the Iranian paramilitary as a state sponsor of terrorism last year after two antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne were linked to the IRGC. NSW Police confirmed on Tuesday afternoon it was aware of the events and would continue to assess and investigate “any reported information that alleges breaches of the law”.

The Australian Peace Association was contacted for comment.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/sydney-mayor-backs-shiite-memorial-for-martyred-ayatollah-khamenei-lashes-chris-minns/news-story/94a0afcf4c8984d8dc7b3cf793fb444f

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Defence taskforce on standby for Middle East evacuations

BEN PACKHAM - 3 March 2026

Defence has established a special taskforce to support potential evacuations from the Middle East, putting personnel on alert for overseas deployment if Australians come under threat from the escalating Iran conflict.

Army units at Brisbane’s Enoggera Barracks are among those on standby to support stranded Australians, The Australian can reveal, as Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed the government was preparing for all contingencies.

A source said the joint taskforce was likely to include infantry personnel, logistics specialists, air movements personnel and aviators.

Mr Marles also confirmed Australian Defence Force personnel at Al Minhad Air Base, in the United Arab Emirates, were safe after it was attacked by Iran over the weekend. The base typically hosts 70-80 Australian personnel.

“There was some drones which did attack that base on the first night. We have a number of Australians who operate from a headquarters that we’ve had at Al Minhad now for many, many years. They’re all accounted for. They are all safe, ” Mr Marles told Seven’s Sunrise.

About 115,000 Australians are currently believed to be in the Middle East, with many stranded in the region after the cancellation of more than 12,000 flights since the war began.

The government has said commercial airlines will offer the best chance for Australians seeking to return home once flights from the region return to normal, but it is planning for worst-case scenarios.

“We’re working through contingencies but I really don’t want to speculate on them because it clearly is a function of what plays out and that is very uncertain,” Mr Marles said.

“But we have all the scenarios in mind and we are preparing as best we can for them.”

Foreign Minister Penny Wong spoke to UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday morning (AEDT), who said the country was working hard with airlines to arrange fresh flights.

She said the situation was “unprecedented” given the numbers of Australians involved and the restriction of flights out of the UAE – an aviation hub that Australia would normally rely on in a crisis.

“The number of affected Australians dwarfs any consular operation the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has ever conducted,” Senator Wong said.

“Typically around 11,000 Australians a day travel through the region, 11,000 every day, the majority through the United Arab Emirates.

“I am advised that a small number of commercial flights to other destinations were able to depart overnight, however, the unfortunate reality is that immediate resolution to this situation is unlikely.”

She said it was a “perilous and unpredictable time” in the Middle East, with the conflict escalating and expanding.

“On a single day, the 2nd of March, Iran fired missiles or drones at nine countries in the region.

“Iran has launched attacks on Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, including a drone attack as far as the UK military base in Cyprus in the Mediterranean.

“We condemn these reckless attacks by Iran including against civilians and civilian infrastructure. The regime is also threatening to attack vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, jeopardising global oil supplies and shipping, and we call on Iran to cease its actions.”

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has issued “do not travel” warnings for an array of Middle Eastern countries including Israel, Lebanon, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait, Iraq, Syria and Yemen. Australians are warned to “reconsider your need to travel” to Saudi Arabia and Oman.

“If you travel to or through the Middle East, you may be unable to leave if conflict escalates. Flights can change or stop at short notice. Roads and borders can close,” DFAT’s Smartraveller website said.

The US State Department has issued “Depart Now” warnings to Americans in countries throughout the region.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/defence-taskforce-on-standby-for-middle-east-evacuations/news-story/9cf2efa64fc4fd79d77c6149b35dbdf7

https://www.smartraveller.gov.au/news-and-updates/global-travel-impacts-conflict-middle-east

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We’re natural allies: new Israeli envoy Hillel Newman’s entreaty to Labor

BEN PACKHAM - 2 March 2026

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Israel’s new ambassador to ­Australia, Hillel Newman, says he wants to upgrade bilateral ties to include regular strategic dialogue between senior ministers, declaring the two countries need to move on from their “challenging” relationship of recent years.

With his country mired in another war in just his second week in the job, Dr Newman thanked the Albanese government for its support for the joint Israeli-US operation against Iran, vowing to keep fighting “for as long as is necessary” to remove “existential threats”.

He said he believed the conflict would transform the Middle East, laying the foundations for an expanded Abraham Accords partnership between Israel and the Gulf states being hit by retaliatory Iranian strikes.

Dr Newman, who presented his credentials to Governor-General Sam Mostyn last Wednesday, said he was warned by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar that the Canberra posting was a difficult job following tensions between the countries’ governments and an explosion in antisemitism in Australia.

“He said, ‘Look, it’s a challenging position also because of the politics that are going on. We trust you to make a change’. So I’m coming here to try and make a change,” Dr Newman said.

He said Australia and Israel were “natural allies”, despite the absence of a formal alliance, and he hoped to see the relationship upgraded during his tenure to include regular high-level strategic talks. “At least we can promote a strategic dialogue,” he said. “Start discussing the issues in depth and practical co-operation.

“There are many things that Israel can do which will be of great benefit to Australia. You know, Australia has its concerns as well, whether it’s Asia, whether it’s the Indo-Pacific region, Israel has a lot of contacts there. A lot of things are going on.”

Amid ingrained criticism of ­Israel on the hard-left of Australian politics, Dr Newman said “many of them don’t want to hear the truth”. He said he had little to say to Australian antisemites, ­arguing they were “totally ­immoral” and “bent on hatred”.

But he said he wanted to build a deeper understanding of Israel among “the innocent or naive Australians who are swept up in this tide”. “I would say to them, ‘Please start checking the facts, checking the truth,” Dr Newman said. “There was no genocide, (no) intentional starvation.”

Hours after Donald Trump said he believed the war would be over in four to five weeks, Dr Newman said the conflict would finish for Israel when Iran was no longer in a position to threaten his country with ballistic missiles or its nuclear program.

“The existential threats must be removed,” he said. “If you ask if the objective is a regime change, of course, no one will cry if a regime change takes place, and we lay the foundation for a regime change, But that’s not the objective of the war, because the people of Iran must decide their destiny. We can’t decide for them.”

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As the war widens, and with Iran striking out against US allies in the region, Dr Newman ­predicted other nations would join the 2020 Abraham Accords, struck between Israel, Bahrain, the UAE, Morocco and Sudan.

He said that when they realised Israel was not an enemy but an ally, they would “come forward and make peace”.

“If the hands of the United States and Israel and the Western world come out strong, then part of their fear will be diminished. There’s a lot of fear out there,” Dr Newman said.

“And I think they will come if they believe … that the fear from the power from Iran and the radicals is diminished and will come forward with peace with Israel.

“The real distinction today in the world is not between Jews and Muslims or Christians and ­Muslims. The real distinction is between radicals and moderates.

“Israel is ready to make peace anytime. It’s just for them to make the decision.”

Dr Newman, who has a PhD in Jewish history, previously served as ambassador to Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, and as Israel’s consul-general in Los Angeles. He replaced Amir Maimon, who managed to maintain a good working relationship with the government despite a souring of Australia-Israel relations following the October 7, 2023 terror attack.

In a lowpoint in bilateral ties, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed Anthony Albanese last year as “a weak politician who betrayed Israel and abandoned Australia’s Jews”. The blast followed Labor’s recognition of a Palestinian state last year, and the explosion of antisemitism in Australia in recent times.

The Bondi massacre targeting Jewish Australians last December helped to heal the rift, prompting the Prime Minister and his ­senior ministers to strengthen ties with the Jewish community, and belatedly agree to a royal commission with a major focus on antisemitism.

Israel’s President Isaac Herzog praised Mr Albanese’s leadership following the massacre during his visit to Australia last month, saying he hoped for a “new beginning and a better future”.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/new-israel-envoy-hillel-newmans-message-to-labor-im-here-to-make-a-change/news-story/e367477b77bad414bdc6cef8dc5a6200

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpxoYUTEmMc

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to push his middle power strategy during Australia visit

Katy Watson and Nadine Yousif - 3 March 2026

Prime Minister Mark Carney has touched down on Tuesday in Sydney, Australia — the next stop on his Indo-Pacific tour aimed at shoring up investment in Canada and building new trade alliances.

On the agenda is a meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, a leader with whom Carney shares much common ground.

Carney will also address Australia's parliament, becoming the first Canadian prime minister to do so in nearly 20 years. His remarks are expected to echo the themes of his widely noted speech in Davos, which urged "middle powers" to stand together.

The visit follows a four-day trip to India, where Carney signed deals worth billions in a significant diplomatic breakthrough with Delhi.

In Australia, Carney's office said the prime minister will discuss deepening cooperation on defence and maritime security, critical minerals, trade and artificial intelligence.

Like India, a bulk of the Canadian prime minister's trip will include meetings with business leaders and investors "to attract new capital into Canada", his office said.

Relations between Canada and Australia date back more than a century, anchored in a shared colonial history and Commonwealth status, as well as steady cooperation on security, diplomacy and trade.

Albanese and Carney also have much in common as individual leaders.

Both lead centre-left parties in their countries, and both have US President Donald Trump partly to thank for their political success.

Benefiting from the so-called "Trump effect", the global uncertainty triggered by Trump's second inauguration last year helped both Carney and Albanese secure historic election victories within a week of each other, as voters saw them as the steadier hands for navigating turbulent times.

"Canada is one of Australia's closest friends, built on generations of trust, with a shared commitment to supporting stability across the Indo-Pacific and beyond," said the Australian prime minister in a statement ahead of his meet up with Carney.

"As our countries face new challenges and opportunities, we must deepen our cooperation with partners to promote our national interests."

For Carney, the trip symbolises concrete action in line with his Davos speech, where he appealed to fellow middle powers to stand together in the face of economic "coercion" from great powers — a message widely interpreted as being aimed at Trump and his tariff policy.

"Middle powers must act together, because if we're not at the table, we're on the menu," he said.

Carney added that countries like Australia and Canada should instead "develop greater strategic autonomy" to preserve their interests.

Albanese has praised the speech, telling the Australian Broadcasting Corporation last month that it is "consistent" with how Australia sees the current state of affairs.

Ahead of the address to Australia's parliament, Carney will make similar remarks on "on shifts in the global order and the opportunities they present for middle powers" at the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based think tank.

In that spirit, Carney and Albanese intend to build on deals such as the one they signed in October to strengthen trade and cooperation on critical minerals.

The visit will also include a "defence-focused" stop, officials with the Canadian government told reporters last week.

Canada and Australia have cooperated on several military projects, including joint naval deployments in the South China Sea and the use of Australian technology for radar systems in Canada's Arctic region.

The trip comes amid global turmoil following the US attacks on Iran over the weekend. The two leaders will likely discuss the fall-out and any impact on their respective countries.

It is also the first meeting between Carney and a fellow Commonwealth leader since the arrest of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on 19 February.

Prime Minister Albanese has said that he supports the removal of the former prince from the British throne's line of succession. Carney, however, has not yet made a public statement on the matter.

Carney is scheduled to be in Australia until 6 March, first in Sydney and then in Canberra, after which he will depart to Japan for a meeting with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/czj1g3zjkg1o

https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/canadas-carney-arrives-australia-meeting-middle-powers-2026-03-03/