<gu-island name="KeyEventsCarousel" deferuntil="visible" props="{"keyEvents":[{"id":"64a2c5cc8f08d64edbf1ab42","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, says the Australian government is “deeply disappointed” by moves from Hong Kong authorities to issue arrest warrants for democracy advocates in exile, including two in Australia. ","elementId":"7005b465-0ea3-446e-850b-f300c416c65e"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" Hong Kong police yesterday said they had issued arrest warrants for eight overseas activists, accusing them of contravening the city’s national security law and offering a reward of HK$1m ($A191,726) per person, as my colleague Amy Hawkins reported here. ","elementId":"c2ba6a1e-cdd1-4fda-8c6c-e347af61fa33"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" This list includes Australian citizen Kevin Yam, a former Hong Kong lawyer and…
Tag: Australian politics
ABC’s international budget should grow as China spends billions on information war, inquiry told
China is spending billions to win the information war in the region, a committee inquiry has heard, and greater funding for the ABC would allow it to be a stronger presence in the Asia-Pacific. Claire Gorman, the ABC’s head of international services, told the inquiry into supporting democracy in the region that China is spending at least $3bn a year on international media, compared with $11m for the ABC. Extra funding due to roll out from July means the national broadcaster “stands ready” to do more to advance democracy, civil…
Australia news live: councils to get $100m energy efficiency fund; tributes flow for James Hardy
<gu-island name="KeyEventsCarousel" deferuntil="visible" props="{"keyEvents":[{"id":"648af1a08f08abfd8db3d1f0","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" The Australian Services Union has criticised the federal government over its handling of a Services Australia procurement process, which it says will leave more than 600 call centre employees out of work in a matter of weeks. ","elementId":"fc30f7f8-0d9f-4585-a708-b140d6cd4cac"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" Services Australia-contracted Serco employees were told today that the company’s contract would end on 30 June. Most are award workers, while some are casual, with little to no termination entitlements. ","elementId":"e159e04d-c05d-464b-9fb3-3138e870cca5"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" ASU Victorian private sector branch secretary Imogen Sturni said the decision would see workers unemployed in a…
Australia news live: Paul Keating’s blast at cabinet over Aukus revealed; Nazi symbols ban
<gu-island name="KeyEventsCarousel" deferuntil="visible" props="{"keyEvents":[{"id":"64808a8b8f080249d9e1cdd1","elements":[{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" The Coalition has accused the Albanese government of “delaying the delivery of further assistance to Ukraine despite urgent calls for support”. ","elementId":"60a1a143-562a-49b4-82f0-b41dbf9301e1"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" But the government hit back at the criticism, saying it “continues to engage with the government of Ukraine and our allies and partners to ensure meaningful support continues to be provided to Ukraine in its ongoing battle against Russian aggression”. ","elementId":"9adaa1c8-5a19-49ee-886d-4a4667634fdc"},{"_type":"model.dotcomrendering.pageElements.TextBlockElement","html":" The Coalition is today calling on the government to give urgent consideration to a package including Hawkei vehicles, M1 Abrams Tanks, F/A-18 Hornets…
Paul Keating sent explosive email to Labor cabinet two hours before attack on Aukus, FOI documents reveal
At 10.45am on Wednesday 15 March, an explosive email landed in the inboxes of all of Anthony Albanese’s cabinet ministers. “Dear cabinet colleagues,” wrote Paul Keating, Labor luminary turned chief Aukus critic. “My views will not please the prime minister, the foreign minister nor the defence minister but the country is entitled to a rationale for such a radical and dangerous policy.” The purpose of the email was to forewarn ministers that he would be tipping a bucket on them – and the nuclear-powered submarine plan they had endorsed –…
Richard Marles meets Gen Li Shangfu, as Chinese defence minister refuses formal meeting with US counterpart
Australian defence minister Richard Marles has met his Chinese counterpart and called for “safe and professional interactions” between military planes and ships in the Indo-Pacific region. Marles is also believed to have raised concerns about the ongoing detention of Australian citizens and human rights issues during talks with China’s defence minister, Gen Li Shangfu, at a regional security summit in Singapore. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue late on Saturday, was notable in large part because Li Shangfu had refused to have a formal meeting with…
Don Farrell on the future of Australia’s foreign trade – podcast
Trade minister Don Farrell speaks with Guardian Australia’s foreign affairs and defence correspondent Daniel Hurst about the minister’s first visit to Beijing where he met with China’s commerce minister. They discuss the results of the meeting, and the implications for the future of Australia’s trade with China and beyond How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know The Guardian
Australia ‘diminished’: Penny Wong’s frenetic mission to repair regional ties
A year ago, Penny Wong claimed the Coalition had “dropped the ball” in the Pacific. Now, as she marks one year as foreign affairs minister, Wong says Australia’s relationships across the region were in an even worse state than she initially believed. “The previous government did diminish Australia’s influence in the region – and the extent of that was greater than I had anticipated,” Wong says in an interview. That’s something she has been trying to rectify through extensive travel across the Pacific and south-east Asia, intended to make a…
Don Farrell invites Chinese commerce minister to visit SA family vineyard after Beijing meeting
The Australian trade minister, Don Farrell, has invited the Chinese commerce minister to visit his family’s vineyard in South Australia after the pair met in Beijing on Friday night. Speaking after the talks with Wang Wentao in Beijing, Farrell said he was “very pleased to confirm that we agreed to step up dialogue under our free trade agreement and other platforms to resolve our outstanding issues”. Farrell said he had also received assurances from Wang that the recent deal to review China’s tariffs on Australian barley remained “on track”. Earlier,…
‘Wolf warrior’ or entertainer? Outspoken Japanese envoy Shingo Yamagami has no regrets as he departs Australia
If an ambassador’s job is to win friends and influence people, Shingo Yamagami has done plenty of that. But Japan’s departing envoy to Australia has also lost friends and alienated others during his two years and four months in Australia. One former diplomat describes him as “an entertaining player but prone to kicking own-goals”. The Chinese ambassador, Xiao Qian, is firmly in the “not a fan” category – he has accused Yamagami of running a deliberate public campaign to sabotage China-Australia relations. Prime minister Anthony Albanese and Shingo Yamagami after…