Government is speeding up legislation in parliament amid national security concerns over the site.
The Australian parliament will pass legislation to prevent Russia from building a new embassy in Canberra over national security concerns.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the legislation would terminate Russia’s lease on land in the capital, following advice from security services.
“The government has received very clear security advice about the risk of a new Russian presence so close to the parliament building,” Albanese told reporters. “We are acting quickly to ensure that the rental site does not become a formal diplomatic presence.”
The move follows a long-running lawsuit over the location after Australia’s federal court last month ruled that an eviction notice issued by the National Capital Authority (NCA) – a government body charged with planning the city – was invalid.
“To be clear, today’s decision has been made in the interest of Australia’s national security, and I thank the Coalition [opposition] and crossbenchers in the House and Senate for their cooperation in this matter,” Albanese said.
Russia bought the lease in Canberra’s diplomatic district in 2008 and had the construction plans approved in 2011. Under the terms of the agreement, the work should be completed within three years, but the embassy has only been partially built.
The NCA then decided to terminate the Russian lease, citing that “continued unfinished works detract from the overall aesthetics, importance and dignity of the area set aside for diplomatic missions”.
The termination of the lease will not affect the existing embassy of Russia, which is located in the former Soviet Union embassy in the suburb of Griffith, further away from the parliament building.
Home Secretary Clare O’Neil said the “main problem” with the proposed second Russian embassy was its location, as the site is right next to parliament. No embassy should be built there, she said.
Albanese said his government expected a reaction from Russia to the decision and that they “will wait and see what response comes”.
“We don’t expect Russia to be in a position to talk about international law given their rejection of it so consistently and so brazenly with their invasion of Ukraine,” he said.
The Russian embassy has previously stated that it was determined to complete construction despite Australia’s objections.
Australia is one of Ukraine’s largest non-NATO supporters and has been supplying aid, ammunition and defense equipment to the country since the large-scale Russian invasion in February 2022.
It has also banned the export of alumina and aluminum ores, including bauxite, to Russia and sanctioned more than 1,000 Russian individuals and entities.
Australian Opposition spokesman Andrew Hastie said his party was behind the government on national security issues.
“Russia has not acted in good faith towards its neighbors in recent times. It continues its campaign [in Ukraine] destroying the principles of territorial and political sovereignty,” Hastie said.
“There is a lack of confidence. There is a real risk to our national interest here and the security advice is that this lease should be terminated.”