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 Australia |  Qatar |
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Bilateral relations exist between the Commonwealth ofAustralia and the state ofQatar. There are 3,000 Australians in Qatar.[1][2] In 2012, Qatar opened an embassy inCanberra, Australia and an Ambassador to Qatar and theUAE was appointed, the first time an Ambassador to Qatar has been appointed. In 2016, Australia opened an embassy inDoha,Qatar.[3] The Australian ambassador to Qatar is Shane Flanagan.[4][5]
Qatar and Australia are major rivals in theLNG industry,[1] and the relationship is currently in a state of tension. Diplomatic relations between the two countries deteriorated significantly since 2020 after Qatar-government directed strip searches inHamad International Airport affected thirteen Australian women who were transiting the country in October 2020. In 2021, after theInternational Olympic Committee announced the Australian city ofBrisbane as the preferred host of the2032 Summer Olympics, Qatar attempted to dispute Australia’s victorious bid, criticising both Australian officials and the IOC about the decision-making process, with Qatar’s challenge ultimately being unsuccessful.[3][2]Relations further deteriorated after the Australian Government's blocking of an expansion plan byQatar Airways in July 2023 onnational interest grounds, with the 2020 airport strip searches cited as one of the reasons for the rejection.[6]
Up to 2017,Hassad Food, which is an investment arm of theQatar Investment Authority, had invested more than $500 million to buy prime agricultural land in Australia, to own 3,000 square kilometres, with five properties in New South Wales, one in Victoria, one in Queensland, three in South Australia and three in Western Australia.
On 1 October 2024,Qatar Airways, wholly owned by the Qatari Government, announced its intentions to purchase a 25% "cornerstone" stake inVirgin Australia.[7] According to Australia's metric regarding foreign investment in critical services, the proposed investment by Qatar Airways is substantial to a level where it could be against Australia'snational interest, hence requires screening and approval by Australia'sForeign Investment Review Board, and the transaction can ultimately be blocked by theTreasurer of Australia.[7]
On 2 October 2020, thirteen Australian female passengers aboard aQatar Airways flight toSydney fromHamad International Airport inDoha were forced to deplane before takeoff, and were subsequentlystrip searched and "subjected to an invasiveinternal examination" against their will. This was alleged prompted by the discovery of a newborn baby in an airport bathroom.[8] This evolved into a diplomatic incident between Australia and Qatar with Australian foreign ministerMarise Payne stating "the treatment of the women concerned was offensive, grossly inappropriate, and beyond circumstances in which the women could give free and informed consent".[9] However, Qatar promptly and vehemently voiced its disapproval of the incident, with Qatari officials issuing multiple apologies soon after the event took place.[10] Moreover, theFederal Court of Australia ruled in favor of dismissing the case, as it determined that the searches did not occur on a Qatar Airways aircraft nor were conducted by the airline's staff.[11]
In October 2024, it was revealed that in July 2023, an Australian Government staffer transiting Qatar accidentally left a bag containing confidentialcabinet documents on an Indian airliner after disembarking at Doha's Hamad Airport. The documents were allegedly not related to the Australian Government’s then-impending denial of Qatar Airways’ Australian expansion plan in a week’s time.[12] The staffer realised the mistake within “minutes” and the aircraft was yet to leave Doha.[12] However a search on the aircraft revealed that the briefcase was missing, and the airport’s lost property office advised the staffer that they did not have the bag.[12] This raised the possibility that it was potentiallystolen by an individual or group linked to the Qatari Government with the documents compromised and currently in the hands of Qatari government officials. Australia’s embassy in Qatar was notified and Qatar is yet to respond to the allegations.[13] At a press conference inSydney on 4 October 2024, Australian Prime MinisterAnthony Albanese refused to comment on whether Australia’snational security was compromised.[14]
As of July 2023Qatar Airways, theflag carrier airline ofQatar has services to and fromHamad International Airport in Doha to five Australian cities. In July 2023, Qatar Airways was denied additional capacity to Australia onnational interest grounds.[15]
Afterterrorist organisationHamas attackedIsrael in October 2023, theAustralian Government was working towards bringing back Australians stranded in war-torn Israel back home, with theRoyal Australian Air Force and Australian flag carrierQantas operating free and dedicated rescue flights out of Israel on behalf of the government.[16] However, in a surprising turn of events, Qatar Airways also offered help to evacuate stranded Australians in Israel. While Qatar’s flight QR7424 played an important role by providing dedicated rescue services to some 222 Australians who were trying to escape Israel, this move was seen as iniquitous due to Qatar Airways' owner, the state of Qatar, being alarge state sponsor of Hamas andother terrorist organisations. It was also viewed as a deceitfulpublicity stunt by Qatar Airways in an attempt to garner support from the Australian public after Qatar Airways was denied extra capacity into Australia three months prior on national interest grounds.[17][18]
Furthermore, in the same month, Minister of State for International Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, HELolwah bint Rashid Al Khater, and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia, HETim Watts, engaged in discussions regarding bilateral cooperation. The talks also covered developments in theGaza Strip and strategies for collaborative humanitarian aid efforts in the region.
In November 2023, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE SheikhMohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Australian Minister of Foreign Affairs HEPenny Wong stressed the need for coordinated regional and global diplomatic actions to secure an urgent ceasefire and permanent access through theRafah border crossing. This is vital to maintain the steady delivery of relief supplies and humanitarian aid to the distressed Palestinian community inGaza. Qatar's deep apprehension regarding the severe humanitarian crisis in the region was also highlighted, along with gratitude for Qatar's ongoing humanitarian initiatives in Gaza.[19]
In March 2024, Australian Ambassador HE Shane Flanagan praised Qatar for its mediation endeavors in achieving a ceasefire in Gaza.[20]
In May 2024, Qatar strongly condemned the Israeli military's assaults onRafah and called for swift international intervention to avert additional harm, safeguard civilians, and uphold global legal standards.[21] Additionally,Australia expressed solidarity with Qatar's call for a humanitarian truce to facilitate the release of captives and enable unimpeded aid delivery, while also voicing staunch disapproval of any potential ground incursion in Rafah, stated by Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia.[22]
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