Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is in New York under guard after US President Donald Trump attacked the capital Caracas and unveiled plans to tap the country's substantial oil reserves and sell its resources to pay for the American operation on Saturday, Australian time.
Australia has historically had little interaction with Venezuela, but after a number of Venezuelans fled Down Under during the previous presidency of Hugo Chavez, Latin American politics expert Raul Sanchez Urribarri says Australia can no longer afford to be a "completely aloof player".
"Australia's default position on Venezuela sided with the US in terms of supporting different efforts to democratise the country," the associate dean at La Trobe University told AAP.
"It's not enough nowadays to align ourselves exclusively with one power or another, it's about having our own strategic position that reflects our best interests and values."
He urged the Labor government to examine its own knowledge of the region and suggested Australia offer expertise on electoral systems to help democratise Venezuela in the event of a political transition.
For now, Australia is monitoring the situation, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese urging all parties to support diplomacy to prevent an escalation.
"We continue to support international law and a peaceful, democratic transition in Venezuela that reflects the will of the Venezuelan people," he said on Sunday.
Unlike UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who branded Mr Maduro an "illegitimate president", or French President Emmanuel Macron, who said his Venezuelan counterpart had "gravely undermined the dignity of his own people", Mr Albanese's statement puts Australia at a greater distance from the US stance, Dr Sanchez Urribarri said.
"It's trying to articulate a position that veers, when it needs to veer, from the core interest of the United States," he said.
The Greens and an anti-war arm of Labor party members have urged Australia to separate itself from the Trump administration, with the latter labelling the president's moves as "brazen military aggression".
Protests against the US action will be held in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth on Sunday evening.
The federal opposition welcomed Mr Maduro's capture by US troops.
But among the Venezuelan diaspora, America's offensive has conjured more complex feelings - tentative hope for the future and fears for their relatives.
More than 6600 people born in Venezuela are living in Australia, according to the 2021 census, and estimates suggest about 10,000 residents have Venezuelan ancestry.
"Many of us have experienced forced separation from loved ones, exile, and the long-term impacts of authoritarian rule," the Venezuelan Association of Australia told AAP in a statement.
"In moments like this, our shared hope remains for a free, democratic, and united Venezuela where people can live with dignity, safety and opportunity."
The federal government's advice website Smartraveller on Sunday warned Australians not to travel to Venezuela, and those in the region who need assistance should contact the government's emergency consular assistance team.
The Venezuelan government in October announced it would close its Australian embassy in a "strategic re-assignation of resources" as tensions between the US and Mr Maduro's administration continued to escalate.
Mr Trump now says the US will "run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition," but gave no further details.
Mr Maduro's government appears to remain in charge and Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been endorsed by Venezuela's Supreme Court as interim president.
The US has accused Mr Maduro of running a narco-state and rigging the 2024 election, claims the ousted president - who's facing trial in the US - has denied.
with agencies
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