Albanese Calls Civilisational Threat 'Extraordinary', Returns to Regularly Scheduled Silence

Guardian Australia · Dan Jervis-Bardy Chief political correspondent · Wednesday 8 April 2026

Albanese Calls Civilisational Threat 'Extraordinary', Returns to Regularly Scheduled Silence

The PM welcomed a two-week US-Iran ceasefire over the Strait of Hormuz while offering his strongest Trump criticism to date — the word 'extraordinary' — over threats that 'a whole civilisation will die'.

'Extraordinary' — the word you use when the sommelier brings the wrong red, not when a bloke threatens to annihilate a civilisation. Albanese's 'rare moment of criticism' is doing a lot of heavy lifting there. Talleyrand said diplomacy is the art of saying nice doggy while looking for a stick. We've said nice doggy and left the stick at home.

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