Australian news and politics live: Penny Wong says Australia alarmed by Israel-Iran escalation

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has confirmed there are no reports of Australians being affected by the Air India crash, with no requests for consular assistance received so far.

“That was my advice as I was preparing for this press conference that as yet, we have had not any - anyone reach out for consular assistance,” Ms Wong told media in Adelaide on Friday.

“Obviously, we stand ready to provide support to Australians as required.”

Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner travelling from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick, tragically crashed shortly after takeoff on Thursday.

There were 242 fatalities, including 230 passengers and 11 crew members.

The sole survivor was a British national who was seated in 11A near an emergency exit.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said Anthony Albanese’s visit to Fiji, as he travels to Canada ahead of the G7 summit, underscores the importance of the relationship.

She labelled Fiji as a “very important partner” for Australia in the Pacific and said the PM and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka were “good friends”.

“I was in Fiji a couple of weeks after the election as part of my initial visit in the second term to the Pacific. We really are grateful for the friendship and partnership that we have with Fiji. Obviously, we understand that we need to continue,” she said.

“And why do we have to do that? It’s about Australian security, it’s about the stability of the region, it’s about ensuring the prosperity of all peoples in the region.”

Australia has formed a new partnership with the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation to deliver urgent medical care in Gaza.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Anne Aly announced a new $5 million commitment to go toward supplying Jordanian field hospitals operating inside Gaza.

Dr Aly said hospitals have treated over 600,000 patients and performed more than 22,000 surgeries since the war began.

“Every child deserves medical care. Every child deserves food. The support that we’re announcing today equates to roughly 2.9 million rations of nutritional support,” Dr Aly said.

Shadow defence minister Angus Taylor has put the pressure on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to sort out issues around AUKUS with the US, saying: “We must have peace in our region”.

“There would be a very high price to pay if something were to go wrong with AUKUS because we must have peace in our region and AUKUS is crucial to that,” he told ABC.

Mr Taylor said Mr Albanese needed to reassure the country by confirming a meeting with US President Donald Trump ahead of the G7 summit, which the Prime Minister is travelling to.

“We know personal relationships really matter,” he said, putting pressure on the PM to get this right.

Before Anthony Albanese took off, the Australian Prime Minister shared his thoughts for “everyone affected” by the deadly Air India plane crash.

“The news of a passenger plane crash in Ahmedabad is absolutely devastating,” he wrote on X.

“In this time of tragedy, Australia’s thoughts are with everyone affected.

“Our government is receiving regular updates and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.”

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is travelling to Canada and the United States, where he will meet with world leaders; however, a meeting with US President Donald Trump remains in limbo.

Mr Albanese will first travel to Fiji, where he will meet Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, before continuing to Canada.

On the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, Mr Albanese is expected to meet new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer as well as others.

However, it is a meeting with Mr Trump that Mr Albanese may be hoping for most. On Thursday, the Pentagon launched a review of AUKUS to ensure it aligned with Mr Trump’s “America First” agenda. The Republican president has never publicly voiced his support for AUKUS.