The Australian government says it is waiting for the US to “set out the facts” on the operation to capture the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro, before passing judgment.
The Labor ministers Jim Chalmers and Tim Ayres on Monday stressed the importance of international law after the US military intervention.
But when asked whether the extraordinary operation ordered by President Donald Trump to extract Maduro and his wife, and take them to the US to face charges of involvement in narco-terrorism, breached the United Nations charter, Ayres said the Albanese government was focused on “establishing the facts here and gathering evidence about what has occurred”.
“It’s for the United States to make out the argument here and to set out the facts,” Ayres, the industry minister, said on Radio National. “This is very early in this series of events, of course, and we are, as a government, working carefully to establish the facts.”
Chalmers, the federal treasurer, went further in a press conference, saying Australia would be monitoring the situation closely.
“We are supporters of international law, and it’s for the Americans to make clear the legal basis of the steps taken over the weekend,” Chalmers said.
The Nationals leader, David Littleproud, said any intervention into Venezuela must be “more than about oil or drugs”, and warned against a prolonged military operation like the Iraq war.
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Most Australian politicians have so far been unwilling to pass judgment on the legality of Trump’s incursion into Caracas. Chalmers said the situation was “fast-moving”.
“Our position is to encourage the relevant parties now to engage in dialogue and diplomacy and to ensure that there’s not an escalation,” he said.
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, said Maduro’s removal was a good thing.
“The Coalition’s position has always been for a transition to democracy in Venezuela. Dictators and despots should always face justice,” she told a press conference.
On Sunday the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said Australia had long held concerns about the human rights and democratic situation in Venezuela, and Littleproud on Monday branded Maduro an “illegitimate, brutal dictator”.
Ayres said: “We have made it clear, of course, that following international law is absolutely important and we are taking steps, as you would expect at a consular level, to ensure that the safety of Australians who are in Venezuela at the moment is being looked after,” he said.
“It is very early in this series of events, and a series of announcements have been made, and we will continue to watch this closely and carefully in the Australian national interest.”
On ABC TV, Ayres added: “It’s certainly the case that Australia supports the application of international law and compliance with international law. It’s for the United States to make out these arguments.”
Littleproud welcomed the ouster of Maduro, whose brutal rule over Venezuela included allegations of stealing elections and defying democratic results, and violent suppression of protests or opposition. But the Nationals leader said it was “important that the sovereignty of Venezuela is respected”.
“That, I think, is where the world is looking, waiting with bated breath around what the next move is of the Trump administration,” he told Sunrise. “I don’t think the Trump administration wants to repeat Iraq.
“This should be more than about oil or drugs. This should be about returning the country of Venezuela back to its people. And I think that’s the clear pathway that the Trump administration will need to be able to articulate.
“I think there’s been universal applause for Maduro to be gone. But I think it’s important that we see that the country’s return to Venezuelan people as soon as possible, in the most orderly way.”
Littleproud’s colleague, the shadow trade minister, Kevin Hogan, also raised concern about how Venezuela would now be run.
“There are there are now questions, obviously, that have to be answered,” he told Radio National. “What happens now in the immediate future of Venezuela?”
The Greens senator David Shoebridge on Sunday raised concern about the Trump administration’s intervention, claiming that the forced removal of Maduro was a gross breach of international law.
“Lawlessness without consequences helps dictators, tyrants and aggressors,” he said. “It places the world on a very dangerous footing.
“This US war is not about self-defence, like so many before it, this is a war about resources, oil and dominance.”