Australia halts construction of Russian embassy near Parliament

In fact, the new Russian embassy should be next to the Australian Parliament building. Now the Australian government has blocked construction. Prime Minister Albanese cited national security concerns as the reason.

The Australian government has halted construction of a new Russian embassy near parliament in Canberra for “national security” reasons.

“The government has received very clear security advice about the dangers of a new Russian presence so close to Parliament,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. He also stressed that the Australian government condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Emergency stoppage of construction work

With the support of the opposition, the government brought the legal basis for the decision through both houses of parliament in a quick procedure – the entire procedure took less than two hours. “We are moving quickly to ensure that the lease does not become a formal diplomatic mission,” Albanese said.

Not about blocking Russia’s diplomatic representation in Australia. Consular building should not be the only one close to Parliament. The new laws recognize that Russia can seek financial compensation.

From a legal perspective, the law prohibits the construction of any diplomatic mission on property, regardless of the country. However, Australian politicians have made little secret of the fact that their actions are aimed in particular at unpopular parliamentary neighbours, Russia.

Bypasses Parliament Court order

The background is a court ruling a few weeks ago. By this, the Australian Government’s planning authority was barred from revoking Russia’s right to use a leased area in the diplomatic district of the capital Canberra. Citing national security interests, the ruling has now been overturned.

The planning commission approved the lease of the property in December 2008, and building permission was granted in 2011. Russia contracted to complete construction within three years – but the new embassy building, which was half-finished, was never completed.

The planning authority finally terminated the lease, arguing that the permanent construction site disrupted the “overall aesthetic feel” of the diplomatic quarter and did not do justice to its “importance and dignity”.

However, a court declared the termination invalid, which is why the law has now been passed. Albanese said the current Russian embassy in suburban Griffith would remain unaffected, as would the Australian mission in Moscow. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs, no decision has yet been made on the future use of the site.