Labor expresses its deep condolences for the 176 lives lost in the crash of Ukrainian International Airlines flight PS752 in Iran on Wednesday, including 63 Canadians and 82 Iranians.
Labor acknowledges that the Australian government shares the assessment by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.
This underscores the need for a thorough, independent investigation into the crash.
Labor has requested a briefing on these developments.
Labor strongly supports Australian diplomatic assistance being provided to Canada at this time and encourages all parties to work collaboratively to determine the cause of this tragedy.
Authorised by Paul Erickson, ALP, Canberra.