Too often, political journalism is the art of asking the wrong question. We can preoccupy ourselves wondering whether or not a particular tactic will work. These are valid enough deductions, but the whole exercise can read like theatre criticism. At the moment, there is only one question to ask, and it’s this. Is it right for Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton to weaponise national security in the run-up to an election they evidently fear they could lose? If you ask the correct question, the answer is simple and clear. The…
Tag: Australian politics
Scott Morrison calls Labor MP a ‘Manchurian candidate’ in extraordinary scenes in parliament – video
Australian prime minister Scott Morrison branded deputy Labor leader Richard Marles a ‘Manchurian candidate’ amid extraordinary scenes in question time on Wednesday. Morrison then withdrew the slur, which infers that a politician is being used as a puppet by an enemy power. Morrison also cited a speech by Marles in Beijing in 2019 calling for Australia and China to strengthen ties. Australia’s domestic spy chief, Mike Burgess, told the ABC’s 7.30 program on Wednesday night that the weaponisation of national security is ‘not helpful to us’. It is the second forthright public…
Politicising national security ‘not helpful’, Asio spy chief says as Scott Morrison ramps up attack
Australia’s domestic spy chief, Mike Burgess, has declared the weaponisation of national security is “not helpful to us” after extraordinary scenes in federal parliament where Scott Morrison labelled a senior Labor frontbencher a “Manchurian candidate”. With Morrison ramping up the partisan rhetoric about risks to Australia’s sovereignty, the Asio director general told the ABC on Wednesday night the risk of foreign interference was “equal opportunity”. These risks affected all members of parliament, he told the 7.30 program, “so it doesn’t go after one particular party or the other”. Asked whether…
Future Fund forced to divest $5m from sanctioned Chinese weapons company
The Future Fund has been forced to divest about $5m in taxpayers’ money from a Chinese state-controlled weapons manufacturer sanctioned for selling arms to the genocidal Myanmar military. Last year, the Guardian revealed that Australia’s sovereign wealth fund had invested $4.9m in five subsidiaries of the Chinese arms conglomerate Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). AVIC had sold the Myanmar military K-8 light combat aircraft, 16 JF-17M combat aircraft, 40 short-range PL-5E missiles and 24 longer-range PL-12 missiles. The Future Fund divested from AVIC in November, a month after the…
Australian embassy in Ukraine evacuated amid fears of Russian invasion
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has ordered the evacuation of the Australian embassy in Kyiv, warning the situation in Ukraine has reached a dangerous stage. Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Marise Payne, says the government has directed the departure of embassy staff to a temporary office in Lviv, with the buildup of Russian troops on the border. “The situation is deteriorating and is reaching a very dangerous stage,” Morrison said on Sunday. “I want to send a very clear message on behalf of Australia … that the autocratic, unilateral actions of…
At the prospect of ending a decade of climate bollocks, the PM donned a dusty Abbott onesie and zipped up | Katharine Murphy
The Coalition has weaponised climate change at every election since Tony Abbott took the Liberal party leadership. Weaponising doesn’t have to involve lying, but when it comes to climate policy, there’s been truckloads of bullshit as well. Unsurprising, then, that Scott Morrison – in between the rebellion of Liberal moderates on Thursday morning and a damaging cabinet leak in the afternoon – returned to the climate policy fray during question time. Hello darkness, my old friend. Morrison was asked why he wouldn’t back Labor’s 43% medium-term emissions reduction target given…
Russian aggression towards Ukraine could jeopardise Indo-Pacific stability, says US after Quad meeting
The stability of the Indo-Pacific will also be in danger if Russia is allowed to threaten Ukraine with impunity, the US secretary of state has warned during a visit to Australia. Antony Blinken said on Friday there were “very troubling signs of Russian escalation”, adding: “We’re in a window when an invasion could begin at any time – and to be clear, that includes during the Olympics.” He said the US would continue to draw down its embassy in Kyiv and reiterated calls for any American citizens who remain in…
‘Reckless and desperate’: Malcolm Turnbull savages Peter Dutton for claiming China is backing Labor
Peter Dutton has doubled down on controversial claims China would like Labor to defeat the Morrison government at the upcoming federal election despite Malcolm Turnbull warning such “reckless” comments had “no basis in fact” and harmed Australia’s national security. The defence minister said on Friday there was “no doubt in [his] mind” about what he described as a “statement of the obvious” regarding China’s preference of Labor. He claimed he based Thursday’s inflammatory allegation on “open source and other intelligence”. The Morrison government, struggling in the polls, is increasingly seeking…
Fresh leak reveals Scott Morrison rolled in cabinet over plan to win back renegade MPs
The prime minister, Scott Morrison, has been hit with a damaging cabinet leak revealing he was rolled over a plan to convince renegade MPs opposed to the government’s religious discrimination bill. After a torrid start to the parliamentary year, which saw Morrison’s character come under question after the leaking of a damaging text message, the prime minister has spent the week attempting to corral MPs into supporting the religious discrimination bill. In a story published late on Thursday, The Australian reported Morrison had been rolled in a cabinet meeting on…
Morrison speaks out against China’s ‘economic coercion’ at Davos
Scott Morrison has taken aim at China for “economic coercion”, foreign interference and cyber attacks in a speech to the Davos World Economic Forum. Without naming the source of “sharper geopolitical competition”, the Australian prime minister warned of increasing territorial disputes in the Indo-Pacific region and urged an end to protectionist measures directed at Australia. Australia has been the target of Chinese tariffs on key agricultural exports, such as barley and wheat, due to a long series of grievances including “interference in China’s Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan affairs” and…