Anthony Albanese has responded to the United States’ calls for a huge rise in defence spending amid fears about China, while hitting back at Donald Trump’s move to double tariffs on steel and aluminium. On Saturday Pete Hegseth urged US allies in the region, including Australia, to “share the burden” and lift defence spending to 5% of GDP, warning that “Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific”. “There’s no reason to sugar coat it,” he said. “The threat China…
Tag: Anthony Albanese
‘Tears blur my vision’: Australian writer jailed in Beijing thanks Albanese for support in emotional letter
Jailed Chinese-Australian academic Yang Hengjun has written to Anthony Albanese from his prison cell in Beijing, thanking him for repeatedly expressing Australia’s “grave concerns” about his deteriorating health to Chinese officials. Yang, who was given a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court in February 2024 after already serving five years in detention on espionage charges that he denies, told the prime minister “words are now failing me”. “Tears blur my vision,” Yang wrote on what he described as the sixth anniversary of his imprisonment. “I can only use a…
Australia politics live: Coalition slams Keating for China meeting; RBA tipped to hold rates
From 1h ago Coalition slams Keating for China meeting Daniel Hurst The Coalition has taken aim at former prime minister Paul Keating for accepting a meeting with the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, who is visiting Australia later this week. The Coalition’s foreign affairs spokesperson, Simon Birmingham, said the idea of the meeting was “pointed and somewhat insulting” in light of the extent of Keating’s past commentary directed towards the Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong: Paul Keating’s reckless and irresponsible comments since the Albanese government was elected demonstrates an underlying…
BoM forecasts category three storm – as it happened
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Australia news live: Albanese hails ‘significant progress’ in Pacific diplomacy; Australia not named as part of Red Sea task force
From 45m ago Australia not among nations named in Red Sea task force The US defense secretary has announced a new multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea as attacks by Iran-backed Yemeni militants forced major shipping companies to reroute, stoking fears of sustained disruptions to global trade. Lloyd Austin, who is on a trip to Bahrain, home to the US navy’s headquarters in the Middle East, said Britain, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain would be involved in the Red Sea security operation.…
Tropical cyclone Jasper live update: Qld weather warnings in place as category 2 storm on track to hit north of Cairns today – latest
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Australia news live: migrant visa bill passes parliament with Coalition clauses; Optus chief to front Senate hearing
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When Albanese met Xi – inside the diplomatic reset with China – podcast
Last week Anthony Albanese embarked on the first trip to China by an Australian prime minister since 2016, meeting with China’s president, Xi Jinping. This moment signals a diplomatic reset between Australia and China after years of turmoil. Laura Murphy-Oates speaks to Guardian Australia’s political editor Katharine Murphy about her first-hand view of the historic trip and how it serves both Australian and Chinese interests How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know The Guardian
Albanese has threaded a needle between the US and China. Now he needs to do the same on Israel-Hamas at home | Katharine Murphy
It’s been a high octane few weeks for the Albanese government when it comes to managing complexity on the global stage. We’ll get to keeping the US engaged in the region, rapprochement in China, and managing climate change and security in the Pacific, shortly. But we need to start our story in Sydney, just over a month ago, at an event that felt like a high-water mark in the relationship between Australia’s federal government and the Islamic community. On 6 October, Anthony Albanese visited the Lakemba Mosque. The prime minister,…
Australia news live: Optus network goes down across nation; trains grind to a halt in Melbourne
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