Sunrise panel heats up as guests clash—Nat Barr steps in to calm debate
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Live television is never short on drama, but even seasoned viewers of Sunrise were left wide-eyed when host Natalie Barr was forced to step in and restore order during a particularly heated debate between her guests.
The topic? Nothing less than Australia’s response to a major international crisis—one that’s got the whole world talking.
A discussion about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s response to the ongoing Iran crisis became increasingly tense during a segment on Channel Seven, culminating in a heated exchange between two panellists, with one asking: ‘Whose side are you on?’
Mr Albanese addressed the media at around 11.30am on Monday, more than 24 hours after former US President Donald Trump launched a series of so-called 'bunker bombs' targeting three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, marking a significant escalation in the Middle East conflict.
Initially, a government spokesperson did not directly support the US strikes, and when Mr Albanese did issue a statement, he described the military action as a ‘unilateral action taken by the United States’, only later expressing support for the decision.
During a panel discussion hosted by Sunrise presenter Natalie Barr, Amanda Rose, founding director of Western Sydney Women, criticised the Prime Minister’s stance, suggesting that he should have taken a firmer position against the US.
‘They (the government) shouldn't just support the US simply because they've supported us before,’ she said. ‘They can say, “Yes, we have an alliance with the US but we don't agree with what Donald Trump has done”.’
Fellow panellist James Willis, a journalist for the Daily Telegraph, countered that maintaining strong ties with the US was critical to Australia’s national interest.
‘It works both ways. If Australia is ever under threat, we would expect America and the UK to come to our aid—it’s as simple as that,’ he argued.
Also read: Petrol price hits $2 mark as Middle East conflict drives global oil surge
Ms Rose responded by questioning the reliability of the US under Trump’s leadership, stating: ‘We can't have an alliance with a leader of a country who is so unstable, that not only does he bomb another country, he then provokes them.’
She added that Mr Albanese lacked a direct relationship with Trump and had failed to make Australia's position clear.
‘Maybe if Albanese had that conversation with Trump and actually had a relationship with him, he could say, “We don't agree with this”. But he doesn't. He hasn't done anything.’
‘We are sitting ducks in Australia. We have no defence strategy. There is no defending us from our leaders’ perspective—and then we just say we support the USA.’
Also read: A $25 billion loss on the ASX—Is your retirement fund affected?
Willis reiterated the importance of the US alliance, saying: ‘Which is why if it ever came to it, we would need the United States and the UK to come to our aid.’
Rose replied: ‘What a sad state of affairs that Australia doesn't have a strong enough defence that we actually have to rely on a country.’
At this point, Natalie Barr stepped in to moderate the conversation, noting: ‘We never have though—for decades and decades the US has been our big daddy.’
Barr also pointed out that Iran had breached the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a key factor in Trump’s decision to act. However, Ms Rose responded by criticising what she described as double standards in global nuclear policy.
‘What they're saying is we don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons. However, Russia, China, Israel, America can have them,’ she said.
She continued: ‘Even America who's got a track record of lying about the weapons of mass destruction in order to enter a country to bomb them, so they don't have a history of being honest about starting war.’
‘They've got nuclear weapons. But other people can't have them. It's the hypocrisy.’
Her comments prompted Willis to interject: ‘Whose side are you on here, honestly?’
To which Rose replied: ‘The innocent people that are going to be killed if there's World War Three!’
Source: ABC News (Australia) / Youtube.
Willis then said: ‘One of these countries could've been weeks away from using nuclear weapons. If there was intelligence to that effect, America has to act.’
Ms Rose responded: ‘They've been saying that for 30 years.’
The two continued speaking over one another until Barr stepped in again to restore order.
When questioned about the timing of his response, Mr Albanese said: ‘We aren't a central player in this conflict, that's just a fact.’
‘What we do is we run an orderly, stable government. But I made comments about this in three countries over recent days. My comments today (Monday) are perfectly consistent with that.’
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Trump posted on social media declaring a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
‘It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE … for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED,’ he wrote.
However, reports of continued rocket fire followed the statement, and Iran’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Abbas Araghchi, stated that no such agreement had been reached. Israel has not yet commented.
Do you feel Australia should always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States, or is it wiser to take a more independent path? And how confident are you in the way our leaders are managing these complex international issues? Share your opinions in the comments below!
The topic? Nothing less than Australia’s response to a major international crisis—one that’s got the whole world talking.
A discussion about Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s response to the ongoing Iran crisis became increasingly tense during a segment on Channel Seven, culminating in a heated exchange between two panellists, with one asking: ‘Whose side are you on?’
Mr Albanese addressed the media at around 11.30am on Monday, more than 24 hours after former US President Donald Trump launched a series of so-called 'bunker bombs' targeting three of Iran’s nuclear facilities, marking a significant escalation in the Middle East conflict.
Initially, a government spokesperson did not directly support the US strikes, and when Mr Albanese did issue a statement, he described the military action as a ‘unilateral action taken by the United States’, only later expressing support for the decision.
A fiery debate broke out on Sunrise as panellists Amanda Rose and James Willis clashed over Prime Minister Albanese’s response to the US bombing of Iranian nuclear sites, with Rose calling for more independence and criticism of the Trump administration. Image source: Sunrise / Youtube.
During a panel discussion hosted by Sunrise presenter Natalie Barr, Amanda Rose, founding director of Western Sydney Women, criticised the Prime Minister’s stance, suggesting that he should have taken a firmer position against the US.
‘They (the government) shouldn't just support the US simply because they've supported us before,’ she said. ‘They can say, “Yes, we have an alliance with the US but we don't agree with what Donald Trump has done”.’
Fellow panellist James Willis, a journalist for the Daily Telegraph, countered that maintaining strong ties with the US was critical to Australia’s national interest.
‘It works both ways. If Australia is ever under threat, we would expect America and the UK to come to our aid—it’s as simple as that,’ he argued.
Also read: Petrol price hits $2 mark as Middle East conflict drives global oil surge
Ms Rose responded by questioning the reliability of the US under Trump’s leadership, stating: ‘We can't have an alliance with a leader of a country who is so unstable, that not only does he bomb another country, he then provokes them.’
She added that Mr Albanese lacked a direct relationship with Trump and had failed to make Australia's position clear.
‘Maybe if Albanese had that conversation with Trump and actually had a relationship with him, he could say, “We don't agree with this”. But he doesn't. He hasn't done anything.’
‘We are sitting ducks in Australia. We have no defence strategy. There is no defending us from our leaders’ perspective—and then we just say we support the USA.’
Also read: A $25 billion loss on the ASX—Is your retirement fund affected?
Willis reiterated the importance of the US alliance, saying: ‘Which is why if it ever came to it, we would need the United States and the UK to come to our aid.’
Rose replied: ‘What a sad state of affairs that Australia doesn't have a strong enough defence that we actually have to rely on a country.’
At this point, Natalie Barr stepped in to moderate the conversation, noting: ‘We never have though—for decades and decades the US has been our big daddy.’
Barr also pointed out that Iran had breached the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, a key factor in Trump’s decision to act. However, Ms Rose responded by criticising what she described as double standards in global nuclear policy.
‘What they're saying is we don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons. However, Russia, China, Israel, America can have them,’ she said.
She continued: ‘Even America who's got a track record of lying about the weapons of mass destruction in order to enter a country to bomb them, so they don't have a history of being honest about starting war.’
‘They've got nuclear weapons. But other people can't have them. It's the hypocrisy.’
Her comments prompted Willis to interject: ‘Whose side are you on here, honestly?’
To which Rose replied: ‘The innocent people that are going to be killed if there's World War Three!’
Source: ABC News (Australia) / Youtube.
Willis then said: ‘One of these countries could've been weeks away from using nuclear weapons. If there was intelligence to that effect, America has to act.’
Ms Rose responded: ‘They've been saying that for 30 years.’
The two continued speaking over one another until Barr stepped in again to restore order.
When questioned about the timing of his response, Mr Albanese said: ‘We aren't a central player in this conflict, that's just a fact.’
‘What we do is we run an orderly, stable government. But I made comments about this in three countries over recent days. My comments today (Monday) are perfectly consistent with that.’
Earlier on Tuesday, Mr Trump posted on social media declaring a ceasefire between Iran and Israel.
‘It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE … for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED,’ he wrote.
However, reports of continued rocket fire followed the statement, and Iran’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Abbas Araghchi, stated that no such agreement had been reached. Israel has not yet commented.
Do you feel Australia should always stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the United States, or is it wiser to take a more independent path? And how confident are you in the way our leaders are managing these complex international issues? Share your opinions in the comments below!
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