It’s time for Scott Morrison to match actions to his rhetoric on Russia, to stop talking loudly and start using as big a stick as he can manage given Australia’s limited size and proximity.
Yesterday afternoon, in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, he began catching up with where the Europeans were on Tuesday, extending sanctions on individuals to another 25 “army commanders, deputy defence ministers and Russian mercenaries”, though he will not yet match the EU’s sanctions on hundreds of members of the Russian Parliament who support Putin — that’s for unspecified “further waves of sanctions”. Sanctions will also be extended to another four companies “involved in the development and sale of military technology and weapons”.
The Biden administration again went further. Russia’s biggest bank, Sberbank, was cut off from US-dollar transactions. Its second-largest bank, VTB, was also sanctioned and the administration froze the assets of another three banks. Thirteen state-owned enterprises were sanctioned — along with Belarusian banks, firms and officials — seven prominent Russian families were targeted and some technology transfers were prohibited.
Australia obviously lacks the financial power of the United States, but the sheer extent of the new round of US sanctions makes Australia look dilatory and tokenistic at best.
Credit where due, Morrison yesterday afternoon made sure he reached out to both Ukrainian Australians and to Australians of Russian background, discussing the government’s consultations with the Ukrainian community and adding, “I want to send a particular message to Australians of Russian descent. I know that they will also be feeling terrible about these events. Whether they are of Ukrainian descent or Russian descent, we’re all Australians and we thank them for their contribution to Australia, and we stand together with them as Australians.”
It was an important signal of inclusiveness at a time of potential community division, and it stands in contrast to Tony Abbott’s deliberate targeting of Muslim Australians in 2015.
Strong message, strong actions
But Morrison has a number of options if he wants to properly live up to his rhetoric of condemnation.
Expel Russian diplomats in Australia: Morrison inexplicably ruled this out yesterday, insisting that “even in moments of terrible conflicts such as this, it is important to maintain channels of communication”. Yet it is plain Putin is far beyond the point of communication, and in any event Morrison can always pick up a phone, rather than the Foreign Minister calling in the Russian ambassador for a “dressing down”. Putin’s man in Canberra must surely quake at the thought of a telling-off from Marise Payne.
Seize Rusal’s 20% stake in the Queensland Alumina Limited plant: Rusal is Russia’s giant aluminium producer, which earns billions in profits and holds a one-fifth stake in Rio Tinto’s QAL plant in Gladstone, Queensland. Rusal’s board and management can direct their complaints to the Kremlin.
End exports of alumina to Russia: Russia relies heavily on alumina exports from Ukraine and Australia — in our case, around half a billion dollars worth a year. Time to shut off its supply, which will in turn inflict significant damage on Russian exports of aluminium products, mainly to Europe.
Block all Russian imports: They’re worth $250 million a year to Russia, and they’re dominated by fertiliser and crude oil, which can be sourced elsewhere.
Block access for Russian students: It’s not a big market — around 1000 a year before the pandemic — but they would include the sons and daughters of some of Russia’s elite families.
Block all entry by Russians except for humanitarian visas: No tourism or business travel, no temporary worker visas.
Critics will respond that such steps will have little impact on Russia and in the case of trade simply divert it elsewhere, possibly to other Western countries that may benefit from a more aggressive stance by Australia. But a regime of more aggressive sanctions by Australia will lift the pressure on other countries — especially European countries, which have closer relations with Russia — to do the same.
Or, we admit that we’re only willing to back Ukraine and condemn the Putin regime to the extent it’s convenient to do so.
That would be the Australian way. As the late Christian Kerr pointed out a decade ago, when the USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1980, Malcolm Fraser was savage in his condemnation — and (unsuccessfully) demanded Australian athletes boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics. But when it came to blocking wool exports to the Soviets — including from his own property — Fraser was less enthusiastic. And he refused to follow the Carter administration’s block on wheat exports to the USSR, too.
At the time, Paul Keating labelled it opportunism. Maybe the same analysis applies right now.
The Prime Liar of Aust talks tough on China, tougher than Albo or so he claims, but very mild on Russia for some reason. Dont expect any substance in anything he does or says on Russia, or China for that matter. He is all announcement and no delivery.
But what can he deliver in reality anyway?
Nothing.
we are irrelevant in this but watch scomo plugging fear and hoping for an extra leg to a khaki election…..
I’m still laughing! Sanctions by Australia are like a flea bite to a dog.
True, but however minor it is at least expressing unity with other countries that oppose violent overthrow of a democracy and that is better than doing nothing at all imo.
Strange how the US was complicit in the overthrow of the previous Democratic Government in Ukraine in 2014 isn’t it? Where was the outrage then and when the US, Australia and UK illegally invaded both Iraq and Afghanistan? Overthrowing another Sovereign Nation to change its political system has long been the practice of the West yet we decry it when a non-Western Country does it. Utter hypocrisy. It’s only Western Nations that carry on like this BTW.
Steady on Bernard.
The contrived indignation Morrison exhibits over the Ukraine invasion is all about the next election. It’s for domestic consumption only. We can’t let contrived emotion or any other emotion for that matter get in the way of big business particularly the mining sector and particularly Rio Tinto, the darlings of the neo-conservatives of the Liberal Party.
Barnaby’s got the right idea; for once he has kept his mouth shut.
Pity Morrison can’t do the same.
I don’t think Australia should interfere with Russia’s foreign policy until we have a foreign policy of our own instead of one decided for us by our Great and Powerful American friend. One decided by McCaine, Pompeo and Blinken. One minute we are buying submarines form the French the next from the US. Helloooo? I think we should get nuclear subs with nuclear missiles. That would make Xi sit up and take notice. Popping a Nuc. into Tiananmen square should put a stop to his silly laser games.
I like Russians. They beat Hitler, they have shown incredible determination in adversity and they kicked out the monarchy. Remember that the Communist revolution was a result of bad rule by despotic Tsars, famine and ultimately the bread riots. Ordinary Russians were illiterate, were extremely poor and were ill prepared for self government so they ended up with the brute called Stalin.
Stalin had thousands murdered, millions imprisoned and he caused a major famine in Ukraine where millions died, but that was Stalin, not the Russian people.
The notion that Ukraine and Russia are nation states with thousands of years of history is nonsense. With no roads and communications it has only been in the last hundred years that the various ethnic groups even knew the others existed let alone been able to form nation states so Putin’s claims regarding the Russianess of Ukraine is nonsense, but also is Ukraine’s claims of being some sort of historical nation state with a US like manifest destiny.
Its the US that has egged the Ukrainians on in this silly notion so that instead of finding their own way with Russia the Anti Russian Ukrainians have resorted to the American Way that has been shown time and time again in many countries to be a dead end. Do Ukrainians think that the US is a democracy? If so they are as silly as I think they are. The US is a corporate oligarchy or as Sheldon Wolin termed it a Corporate Totalitarian State. A mafia state where the Don will exact great retribution from any country that steps out of line. (eg. Cuba, North Vietnam, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Venezuela, El Salvador, Columbia, The Philippines, Italian Communists, Greek Communists….)
What I want to know is when are the Europeans going to stand up and do something about the happenings in their own back yard. Where’s Charles De Gaulle when you need him most. I was hoping that the French might step up. We know the Germans won’t, the Italians are too disorganized and narcissistic, the Spanish can’t organise themselves, the UK are tragic so I thought the French might be up to the task, but alas no deal.
I really do despair.
Interesting essay, Robert. I agree with your initial premise; Morrison’s chest beating is nothing more tha. The next election. I’m sure he and his minders know we are totally irrelevant in these global strategic issues. Putin has been planning this since he got into power, and while it right for us to protest, to be the first (again!) to attack China, he is plunging us into even more difficulty. The Morrison lot are our worst ever diplomats. Their skill in this area is negative, definitely not positive. Subtlety is an unknown word . . . .
Great job Robert!
Thanks Robert, some helpful thoughts there..
The majority of my Russian knowledge comes from The Beatles and Sting! I also like those babushka dolls and St Basils Cathedral has been my favourite building in the whole world since I saw a photo of it circa age 8 but apart from that I know nuffink! Except that armed conflict is generally bad news and you would think advanced and civilised societies would be past it by now… Nup, not while war mongerers rule the planet…
What did he say when Australia invaded Afghanistan?
Mate, you are full of double standards.
That was after Osama Bin Laden was based in Afghanistan and flew two planes into the World Trade Centre and killed over 3000 people?
And the Afghani people – especially the women – would still prefer that westerners were in Afghanistan to protect them from the Taliban?
USSR invaded Afghanistan for the same reasoning USA invaded Iraq – establish a government closer to its desires
The USA undermined the USSR in Afghanistan and armed Osama and friends who then attacked the US. The US then attacked Iraq (who had NO role in 9/11) and left a mess that gave rise to ISIS.
There is plenty of blame to go around AND no rational excuse to attack sovereign nations that have not attacked across their borders. I sometimes think that humanity is inherently stupid when it comes to war – all empires crumble. The infamy of the most violent dictators are remembered- particularly the ignominy of their passings.
The WEST is using the old ” LIMP LETTUCE LEAF ” to hit Putin , he must be laughing !!!!