Australia has lost influence in the Pacific by failing to act on climate and cutting foreign aid, Anthony Albanese says, amid concerns about China’s proposed security deal with Solomon Islands. Australia and New Zealand are worried the draft agreement could jeopardise regional stability, with China having the opportunity to base navy warships in the Pacific less than 2,000km off the Australian coast. The prime minister of Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, is due to address parliament in Honiara on Tuesday about security cooperation with China. But the leaking of the draft…
Tag: Scott Morrison
Scott Morrison says it would have been ‘weakness’ for him to meet new Chinese ambassador
The Australian prime minister, Scott Morrison, says there will be no diplomatic thaw in relations with China until it lifts a block on ministerial meetings. “So long as China continues to refuse to have dialogue with Australian ministers and the prime minister, I think that’s an entirely proportional response,” Morrison told reporters on Saturday regarding reports he declined to meet China’s new ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian. “That would be a demonstration of weakness and I can assure you as prime minister that’s the last message I’d ever send to…
From a China frenzy to casual transphobia, PM is on the hunt for disaffected but highly motivated voters | Katharine Murphy
If you watch politics closely, you’ll recall this moment. In 2018, Scott Morrison draped his arm around Malcolm Turnbull and declared: “This is my leader and I’m ambitious for him!” Two days later, Turnbull was out and Morrison was prime minister. That moment popped into my head this week as I watched Morrison out on the hustings in Tasmania. The more recent circumstances were quite different, but the vibe was similar. Morrison was flanked by Bridget Archer, the moderate Liberal, who has made a name for herself in Canberra by…
Essential poll analysis: Coalition’s national security scare campaign may have backfired
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Scott Morrison’s China gambit is a Hail Mary from a flailing leader trying to galvanise fear | Peter Lewis
Scott Morrison’s efforts to politicise Australia’s complex relationship with China seems to be further soiling his own flagging reputation. Like a bull in the proverbial, he has spent the past fortnight bombarding the airwaves with hastily googled dossiers and cold war-era panics to suggest an Albanese government would become an antipodean branch office of the Beijing Politburo. Large sections of the national gallery have embraced his China pivot, breathlessly reporting the attacks on Labor, amplifying intelligence community blowback and catastrophising operational incidents that would normally demand sober assessment rather than…
Laser incident involving Chinese warship most serious in growing trend, ADF says
The Australian defence force has confirmed an “increase in the use of lasers by some vessels” but regards the latest incident involving a Chinese warship as “more serious”, officials have revealed. Experts said the shining of a laser at an Australian surveillance aircraft by a People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warship last week represented an escalation from a previous incident in the South China Sea in 2019 when Australian helicopter pilots were forced to land as a precaution. The prime minister, Scott Morrison, said on Monday that “all the countries…
‘Act of intimidation’: Morrison condemns Chinese navy for shining laser at Australian surveillance plane
Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, has declared a laser incident involving a Royal Australian Air Force aircraft last week is an “act of intimidation” by China. Australia’s defence department reported a laser emanating from a People’s Liberation Army Navy vessel illuminated a P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft last Thursday when the Chinese ship was sailing east through the Arafura sea. On Sunday, the prime minister characterised the episode as “a reckless and irresponsible act that should not have occurred”. Thursday’s incident in waters to the north of Australia followed days of…
‘Wild and ruthless’: Katharine Murphy on surprise rebellion and familiar tactics
Katharine Murphy discusses with Jane Lee the drama of the federal parliament’s first sitting fortnight – from the failed Religious Discrimination Bill to attacks on Labor on national security – as both major parties count down the days till the election is called. How to listen to podcasts: everything you need to know The Guardian
Morrison and Dutton are imperilling Australia’s national security to hang on to power | Katharine Murphy
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…
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…