Australia Approves Legislation Targeting Foreign-Directed Travel Amid Diplomatic Rift

The Australian Parliament formally approved legislation on November 6, 2025, granting the Federal Government authority to remove specific tourism destinations from approved lists, effectively banning travel deemed a security risk starting next year. This legislative measure follows a period of escalating diplomatic tension and is intrinsically linked to national security assessments conducted by domestic intelligence agencies.

The core justification for the new law involved evidence presented by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), which suggested the ban was designed to counteract alleged two-way travel between Sunni Muslim communities in Sydney and Melbourne that occurred during 2024. This intelligence assessment, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese characterized as reaching a "deeply disturbing conclusion," provided the evidentiary foundation for the government’s preventative response.

The immediate diplomatic consequence was a severe deterioration in bilateral relations with Tehran. Prime Minister Albanese announced that the Iranian Ambassador in Canberra, along with three other diplomats, had been declared "undesirable persons" and were mandated to depart Australian territory within one week. This expulsion marks the first such action taken by Australia since the period following World War II, underscoring the gravity of the situation.

Further underscoring the government's stance, intelligence reports cited by Canberra linked the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to antisemitic attacks in Sydney and Melbourne in the preceding year, including an arson attempt at a Melbourne synagogue and an attack on a Sydney Jewish-owned business. In conjunction with the diplomatic expulsions, the Australian government moved to legislate against the IRGC as a terrorist organization, aiming to counter hostile acts and prevent foreign entities from sowing division within Australian society.

In response, the Iranian government unequivocally rejected the allegations presented by Australia, labeling the expulsion and related actions as an "unacceptable reaction and contrary to diplomatic relations between the two countries," signaling a firm diplomatic impasse. The new legislation, the Counter-Terrorism (Protection of the Nation) Bill 2025, grants the Minister significant power to designate "removal concern countries," a provision that has prompted concern from critics, such as the Australian Greens, regarding its scope and potential impact on multiculturalism.