G7: Australia considering EU request for formal defence partnership
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will meet with world leaders on the side of the G7 summit.
He is set to hold his first face-to-face meeting with US president Donald Trump.
Albanese's ministers will consider a request from the EU for a formal defence partnership. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will task senior ministers to move forward on consideration of the request from the European Union to create a formal security and defence partnership. The invitation was extended by EU President Ursula von der Leyen during talks with Albanese in Rome in May. Albanese has asked Foreign Minister Penny Wong and deputy prime minister Richard Marles to take the work further. Trade Minister Don Farrell told SBS News earlier this month that officials had been dispatched to Brussels to begin formal conversations about the defence and security proposal.
Albanese told reporters in Calgary at the Canadian G7 Summit that he would meet with von der Leyen in the coming days. "One of the things that I've said consistently is that we invest in our capability and we invest in our relationships. The two things are important," he said. "An investment in our relationships can produce very effective outcomes economically as well." Albanese met with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and said the two countries shared similar views on climate change and the impact it is having on both countries.
Albanese spoke about recent wildfires in Canada. "Just as Canada has always helped Australia, there were over 200 Canadian firefighters in Australia during that terrible period of 2019-2020. And we share resources," he said. "Increasingly, the impact of climate change means that our seasons are overlapping, so that's becoming more and more difficult. "But it is possible as well that we learn off each other and our firefighters respectively get skills to then be able to implement back in our respective home countries." Albanese is expected to hold his first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 meeting.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
16 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Closing Bell: ASX stays the course to finish flat as uranium stocks take flight
Energy sector powers higher again, up more than 5pc ASX uranium stocks surge ASX All Ords Gold index falls almost 5pc While global markets fell on Friday, the ASX has resisted economic riptides, staying afloat to finish up just 1 point or 0.01% in today's trade. The vast majority of that buoyancy came from the energy sector, which added 5% after surging 6% on Friday last week. Santos (ASX:STO) was a big part of that momentum, gaining 10% on a $30b takeover offer from Abu Dhabi's state-owned energy group ADNOC. The South Australian minister for energy and mining Tom Koutsantonis has already signalled that the State will be looking closely at the proposal, and in particular at its implications for employment and Santos' operations in the local area. There was also movement in the ASX All Tech index, up 0.84%, but the All Ords Gold sub-index pulled in the other direction, dragging more than 5%. ASX uranium stocks take flight It's not just oil and gas stocks pushing the ASX energy sector higher today. Uranium miners are also flying, netting double-digit gains as sentiment around uranium mining and nuclear energy turns bullish. The Iran-Israel conflict is also playing a part – Israel has pointedly targeted Iran's uranium enrichment facilities, destroying a uranium conversion facility at Isfahan. While Iran wasn't exporting any uranium to the global market, it was producing about 3000 kilogram of enriched uranium per year, demand that will now need to be met by other sources. Sprott analysts say the long-term outlook for uranium is strong, citing its constrained supply and inelastic demand levels. 'China shows no signs of slowing its buildout of new reactors,' Sprott analyst Jacob White wrote in the most recent Sprott Uranium Report. 'In the US, the Trump administration has reaffirmed its support for nuclear energy as a strategic priority. 'Large technology companies, such as Amazon, Google, and Meta, have joined the chorus, backing the expansion of tripling nuclear power by 2050 to meet growing baseload power needs. 'In a world of rising risk and correlation, uranium remains resilient, uncorrelated and increasingly essential.' Deep Yellow (ASX:DYL) has added 20% today, Boss Energy (ASX:BOE) 17%, Paladin (ASX:PDN) 15%, Bannerman (ASX:BMN) 14% and Lotus Resources (ASX:LOT) just under 13%. ASX SMALL CAP LEADERS Today's best performing small cap stocks: Security Name Last % Change Volume Market Cap ICE Icetana Limited 0.085 107% 8544476 $21,804,862 CYQ Cycliq Group Ltd 0.003 50% 709158 $921,033 PAB Patrys Limited 0.0015 50% 380326 $2,057,447 RC1 Redcastle Resources 0.007 40% 10745155 $3,717,835 AR9 Archtis Limited 0.084 35% 1078512 $17,853,963 PLG Pearlgullironlimited 0.008 33% 783413 $1,227,251 BSN Basinenergylimited 0.021 31% 600374 $1,965,269 ATV Activeportgroupltd 0.009 29% 2141388 $4,794,840 RML Resolution Minerals 0.045 29% 92650295 $18,840,040 WEC White Energy Company 0.044 26% 2050 $10,906,697 MKL Mighty Kingdom Ltd 0.015 25% 1097469 $5,833,700 AAU Antilles Gold Ltd 0.005 25% 596599 $9,245,472 BMO Bastion Minerals 0.0025 25% 2610000 $1,807,255 GTE Great Western Exp. 0.01 25% 2523554 $4,542,063 JAV Javelin Minerals Ltd 0.0025 25% 242699 $12,252,298 MSG Mcs Services Limited 0.005 25% 130000 $792,399 MTB Mount Burgess Mining 0.005 25% 302098 $1,406,811 OVT Ovanti Limited 0.0025 25% 3537862 $6,011,030 ROG Red Sky Energy. 0.005 25% 247542 $21,688,909 TFL Tasfoods Ltd 0.005 25% 521382 $1,748,382 TMX Terrain Minerals 0.0025 25% 809666 $4,497,113 VEN Vintage Energy 0.005 25% 590000 $8,347,655 KAI Kairos Minerals Ltd 0.032 23% 23024188 $68,403,717 ZAG Zuleika Gold Ltd 0.016 23% 2269484 $9,644,439 MQR Marquee Resource Ltd 0.011 22% 4715139 $5,024,723 Making news… ActivePort Group (ASX:ATV) has inked a deal to roll out its software-defined networking tech for Telekom Malaysia, one of Asia's biggest fixed-line telcos. The software will power TM's shift from old-school manual provisioning to a slick, browser-based self-service platform, slashing circuit activation times from weeks to minutes. It will go live across five countries, starting from June, and marks a big step in TM's push to become a global digital platform player Redcastle Resources (ASX:RC1) has signed a non-binding MoU with Terra Mining to kick off contract mining at its Queen Alexandra and Redcastle Reef gold projects in WA. Terra will fund and manage all open-pit mining down to 70 metres, under a profit-sharing setup aimed at generating early cash without big upfront spend. Redcastle keeps full ownership of the gold and control over processing. A final deal is expected after updated resource estimates and permits land later this year. A contract with the US Department of Defense has turned heads for archTIS (ASX:AR9), after the company locked in a deal to deploy its NC Protect secure software collaboration solution to an initial 1000 users. AR9 expects to expand to the full DoD network in the coming months, with potential to expand its user base 6-fold. The initial license sale carries a value of $38,500. Following the death of its founder Nigel Forrester and a reshuffle of the leadership team, Mount Burgess Mining (ASX:MTB) has laid out a strategy to strengthen its operational foundation and advance the Kihabe–Nxuu polymetallic project in Botswana. The company as adopted three pillars, namely business stability, project advancement, and project pipeline growth, as the core elements of its new strategy. Vintage Energy (ASX:VEN) has inked a contract with Adelaide Energy Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Beach Energy, to sell its 25% interest in the PEP 171 licence, in the onshore Otway Basin, Victoria. The sale will net $1.25m in consideration, with $1m being cash and the remainder consisting of a waive of a milestone payment otherwise due from Vintage. ASX SMALL CAP LAGGARDS Today's worst performing small cap stocks: Security Name Last % Change Volume Market Cap RAN Range International 0.001 -50% 450000 $1,878,581 CP8 Canphosphateltd 0.025 -34% 117951 $11,656,900 AUH Austchina Holdings 0.001 -33% 328 $4,538,075 BUY Bounty Oil & Gas NL 0.002 -33% 203374 $4,684,416 SKN Skin Elements Ltd 0.002 -33% 101023 $3,225,642 VML Vital Metals Limited 0.002 -33% 1458383 $17,685,201 DTI DTI Group Ltd 0.005 -29% 657964 $3,139,860 M2R Miramar 0.003 -25% 3626977 $3,987,293 RLC Reedy Lagoon Corp. 0.0015 -25% 127604 $1,553,413 HFY Hubify Ltd 0.009 -25% 12898 $6,133,636 GLE GLG Corp Ltd 0.1 -23% 59324 $9,633,000 ZNC Zenith Minerals Ltd 0.031 -21% 317 $15,890,215 1AD Adalta Limited 0.002 -20% 774750 $2,678,291 CTN Catalina Resources 0.004 -20% 12446766 $12,130,095 ENT Enterprise Metals 0.002 -20% 193661 $2,953,293 MEM Memphasys Ltd 0.004 -20% 1061600 $9,917,991 MRD Mount Ridley Mines 0.002 -20% 2401601 $1,946,223 SKK Stakk Limited 0.004 -20% 143009 $10,375,398 EQX Equatorial Res Ltd 0.13 -19% 38600 $21,031,256 UBI Universal Biosensors 0.035 -19% 23531 $12,816,900 HE8 Helios Energy Ltd 0.018 -18% 1989506 $68,754,700 IXR Ionic Rare Earths 0.009 -18% 11421574 $57,941,683 PBL Parabellumresources 0.045 -18% 65465 $3,426,500 AM7 Arcadia Minerals 0.015 -17% 10000 $2,112,902 FME Future Metals NL 0.015 -17% 4086017 $12,938,411 TRADING HALTS Blaze Minerals (ASX: BLZ) – cap raise & acquisition D3 Energy (ASX:D3E) – potential asset acquisition Emyria (ASX:EMD) – material commercial deal & cap raise European Lithium (ASX:EUR) – funding transaction for Greenland project Lithium Universe (ASX:LU7) – acquisition & cap raise Simble Solutions (ASX:SIS) – cap raise St Barbara (ASX:SBM) – production guidance update & mining lease renewal Turaco Gold (ASX:TCG) – cap raise X2M Connect (ASX:X2M) – cap raise IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Zenith Minerals (ASX:ZNC) has announced a $3.5 million underwritten, non-renounceable entitlement offer to advance gold exploration. A recently completed reverse circulation drilling program at Latitude 66's (ASX:LAT) K6 prospect has successfully tested gold-cobalt prospective targets. West Wits Mining (ASX:WWI) will soon begin gold production at Qala Shallows after securing $14m in a share placement. Asian Battery Metals' (ASX:AZ9) regional drilling at the Yambat project in Mongolia has intersected ultramafic mineralisation at the MS1 target. A bargain basement deal to acquire the Weebo gold project will position Magmatic Resources (ASX:MAG) between some of the giants of the WA gold sector. AnteoTech (ASX:ADO) has entered an agreement with Swiss Wyon AG to evaluate its Ultranode tech for medical applications. Neurizon Therapeutics (ASX:NUZ) has rolled out new preclinical data demonstrating significant neuroprotective effects of NUZ-001 and its active metabolite NUZ-001 Sulfone, in a zebrafish model of Huntington's disease.
ABC News
17 minutes ago
- ABC News
Mark Latham's comments about Sydney MP were unlawful homosexual vilification, sexual harassment, court told
Four public statements by former One Nation NSW leader Mark Latham about Independent Sydney MP Alex Greenwich allegedly constituted unlawful homosexual vilification and sexual harassment in the workplace, a tribunal has heard. A case initiated by Mr Greenwich in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) involves the same graphic tweet previously at the centre of successful defamation proceedings against Mr Latham in the Federal Court. It was made in March 2023 after Mr Greenwich was quoted in the media about violence against LGBT protesters outside a church in Sydney's west, where Mr Latham was scheduled to speak. Mr Greenwich referred to Mr Latham as a "disgusting human being" and in reply, Mr Latham took to Twitter, now X, to say: "Disgusting How does that compare with …" before describing sexual activity in graphic terms. The NCAT case alleges the post breached the state's Anti-Discrimination Act, as did comments Mr Latham made in The Daily Telegraph newspaper, on a radio show and in a different tweet as he later replied to another MP. Mr Greenwich's counsel, Prue Bindon, told the tribunal each of the statements constituted both unlawful homosexual vilification and sexual harassment. In an opening address, she said Mr Greenwich, an openly gay MP who has held his seat for over 12 years, is a vocal advocate for the LGBT community. Ms Bindon said the "crude, explicit language" of the statements to describe the presumed sexual acts of Mr Greenwich was "designed to promote severe disgust or strong aversion". The tribunal heard that Mr Greenwich is not required to show the statements did incite an ordinary member of the audience, but the evidence showed there were "numerous people" who felt the need to express themselves publicly and to Mr Greenwich's office. As part of his defence, Mr Latham has argued against the evidence of "incitement" by suggesting there was an independent factor — existing attitudes of members of the public towards Mr Greenwich and his politics. He's also flagged an application to dismiss the case based on a jurisdictional argument, which is yet to be fully explained before the tribunal. Ms Bindon said a "significant portion" of the audience for each statement would likely have shared Mr Latham's views, including views on the LGBT community. "The fact Mr Latham is a high-profile politician gave the four statements legitimacy and credence to encourage and galvanise those people who already share the emotions to feel free and justified in expressing them," Ms Bindon said. "It matters not that the ordinary member of the audience may already be inclined to have prejudices or negative views towards homosexual men. Earlier, Mr Latham's lawyer, Zali Burrows, attempted to have senior member Mandy Tibbey recuse herself from hearing the matter on the grounds of apprehended bias. Mr Latham stepped into the witness box on that application, telling the tribunal much of the case concerns "identity politics" which is a "keenly contested aspect of modern politics". He highlighted the 2024 Sharwood Lecuture by Ms Tibbey, which he alleged may create an apprehension of bias because of a perception the senior member was an advocate for identity politics "like Mr Greenwich". But Ms Bindon said the lecture didn't satisfy the test for apprehended bias, given its contents included "neutral discussion" of the way churches have dealt with discrimination law, among other topics of little relevance to the issues in the case. Ms Tibbey declined the recusal application. The defamation proceedings resulted in Mr Latham being ordered to pay $140,000 for non-economic loss and aggravated damages, and substantial costs. Mr Greenwich is expected to give evidence in the tribunal on Wednesday.
ABC News
30 minutes ago
- ABC News
Connections and collections: The pope, the prime minister and the ethics of diplomatic gift exchange - ABC Religion & Ethics
Whether you are Catholic or not — and despite the competing demands of the never-ending attention economy — chances are that you, like us, were glued to your news feeds last month as Pope Leo XIV was inaugurated and led his first mass. For a couple of weeks our screens were saturated by striking images of the ancient rituals as well as drone-eye views of the 200,000 people drawn to experience the event in St Peter's Square. Of the hundreds of images that we saw throughout these papal proceedings, there was one that struck us as particularly noteworthy. It was that of newly re-elected Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's private audience with the new pontiff on 19 May. The photograph shows the pope holding a painting by Ngarrindjeri artist Amanda Westley that had been given to him by Albanese on behalf of the Australian people. The photograph captures a personal experience as well as formal transaction — an agreement to act in good faith — between nations and their leaders. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese presents Pope Leo XIV with a painting by Amanda Westley called 'Raukkan' — the Ngarrindjeri word for 'meeting place' — at the Apostolic Palace on 19 May 2025 in Vatican City, Vatican. (Photo by Vatican Media via Vatican Pool / Getty Images) The human experience of exchange that is captured in this photograph is also reflected in Westley's artwork. Called Raukkan — the Ngarrindjeri word for 'meeting place' — the painting emphasises the importance of working towards culturally respectful processes of understanding and communication. The photograph indicates the full range of human experience — from feelings of hopefulness to histories of loss — that accompany all forms of cultural exchange, including those carried out in the name of colonial progress. The photograph, and the painting it shows, offers a tantalising insight into ritual aspects of Leo's inauguration. It also signals the importance of exchange in cultural diplomacy more broadly. The giving and receiving of gifts The pope's extensive programs of meetings with dozens of world leaders and 150 formal delegations beyond the formal mass would have resulted in hundreds of gifts being exchanged. Images of the events provide a small window into the gifts that the new pope received — they included a Chicago Bears T-shirt with Leo's name on it from the US Vice President that honoured the pope's early years in the American city. Beyond the carefully curated official images distributed by Vatican Media, not much public information is available about gifting between the pope and heads of state. This is a shame because objects play a significant role in shaping human identity, culture and social relationships. Gifts also convey important information about how the giver wishes to be seen as well as who they are representing. A spokesperson for the Australian Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet would only confirm that the prime minister received three gifts from the pope: a terracotta plaque/artwork called The Care of Creation ; a book called L'Appartamento delle Udienze Pontificie ( The Pontifical Apartments used for Audiences ); and a 'Vatican Museum Edition Pocket Emptier'. They would not answer questions about the collection that holds the items gifted from the pope to the prime minister, the history of this important collection, where it is held, or even how Australians might learn about or access items in this historical collection which is held in their name. They would not describe the gifts. There is, moreover, only sparse public information about the process that led to the selection of Westley's painting. We understand that the piece was purchased from the Gallery of Small Things in Canberra, but that neither the artist nor the gallerist were advised about the reason for the purchase. It was such a surprise to the artist to learn from social media that her painting had been gifted that she did not initially believe the work to be hers. 'The soul of the world' Research into the Vatican Museums, in contrast, tells us something about how popes have received and stored gifts over the centuries from heads of state, dignitaries and other delegations. Located inside Vatican City, parts of the Vatican Museums have been home to previous popes as their Apostolic Palaces. They were built around St Peter's Basilica, which was constructed on the burial site of Saint Peter, a place of pilgrimage for the Catholic world. The Basilica we saw in media coverage of the pope's inauguration was initially planned by Pope Nicholas V in the fifteenth century, then designed and decorated by famous Italian Renaissance masters, artists, sculptors and architects. The museum was founded in the early sixteenth century by Pope Julius II, who opened some of the private spaces including the Sistine Chapel to the public. For the first time, visitors were able to experience masterpieces like the Greek marble sculpture Laocoön and His Sons and a suite of rooms decorated by Renaissance master Raphael, including his fresco, School of Athens . The statue of 'Laocoön and His Sons' on display in the Museo Pio-Clementino, a part of the Vatican Museums, on 4 August 2012, in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Lucas Schifres / Getty Images) Rather than being just one museum, Vatican Museums is a complex of 26 museums and areas that hold tens of thousands of objects and artworks amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries. Of particular relevance to Australia is a lesser-known department called Anima Mundi — Peoples, Arts and Cultures , an ethnographic museum, established in 1926 but which dates back to gifts sent from the Americas to Pope Innocent XII in 1691. Today, Anima Mundi includes roughly 80,000 artefacts (a number that includes individual items such as small pre-Columbian pottery fragments, for example). It also houses gifts received by pontiffs throughout past centuries as well non-European art and a collection of Indigenous Australian artefacts. This collection was assessed in 1986 by the then Director of the Australian Institute of Aboriginal Studies, Professor Warwick Dix, who concluded that there were no human remains, or sacred objects of concern. Indigenous peoples, their rights and responsibilities are becoming increasingly important which is reflected in the growing engagement between communities with museums and collections. Reconnecting world collections with the communities they came from is now also seen as essential, to guide ongoing discussions of care, for exhibitions and future direction of curatorship or possible claims of repatriation for this collection and many others. Although not every object gifted to popes ends up in the official Vatican collections, official gifting has always been part of historical and contemporary diplomacy. An exchange of ideas and good will between state representatives, including with the Vatican, gifting has been associated with the projects of spreading religious as well as political ideas. A gift of state often aims to capture the essence of a nation. They may be chosen for showcasing local cultures and unique traditions or craftsmanship. Often, gifts accepted into the Vatican collections are valued for representing different or shared forms of spirituality, which may explain their designation in the ethnographic (non-European) museum of Anima Mundi . Gifts, attention and accountability Popes since Pope Pius XI have travelled extensively and shared and received gifts as part of their work. The most travelled pope was Pope John Paul II, who famously travelled to 129 countries during his 26-year papacy. During a visit to Australia in 1999, he received gifts including an oil painting on wood in the shape of a coolamon by Eastern Arrernte woman Kathleen Wallace from Ltyentye Apurte, Central Australia, called She Brings God's Word . Popes also commonly receive gifts from visiting delegations, as was the case during the recent inauguration of Pope Leo XIV. For the 2010 canonisation of Australia's first saint, Sister Mary McKillop, Pope Benedict XVI received gifts that included an acrylic painting on canvas entitled Pilgrimage created by Murri artist Yvonne O'Neill. The painting has concentric circles with connecting pathways that represent the journey lines or pilgrimage made by the Australians from St Joseph's Nudgee College in Brisbane and the Australian Catholic University who travelled to the Vatican for this event. About her painting, O'Neill said that 'the process of creating this painting helped to deepen my understanding of the Catholic faith by providing a tangible opportunity for reflection.' As O'Neill's statement suggests, the gifts have significance that extends far beyond the ritual of exchange that is staged for official photographers. Many of the gifted artworks that have been created in recent years by First Nations artists — including Yvonne O'Neill, Kathleen Wallace and Amanda Westley — convey power and authority over land. Their work demands something in return from the person who is in receipt of their art. Even where the artist has not been present for the exchange, the ties to Country that are represented becomes part of the contract of symbolic reciprocity that is a key feature of diplomacy. They ask for attention and accountability — by the recipient of the gift as well as the world looking at the visual record of the event. One of the stones of the winds that adorn the square of St Peter's Basilica, one of the most visited places in the world and in Rome for its immense artistic and architectural treasures. (Beto Creative / iStock Unreleased / Getty Images) What this all means, in a sense, is that the gifts and the official images become witness to an agreement between contemporary heads of state, especially in the absence of further public information. They also — and more importantly — stand in for the artist and the communities represented in paintings. Father Nicola Mapelli, who was director and curator of Anima Mundi for 15 years (2009–2023), refers to the items in this museum as 'cultural ambassadors', which would seem to recognise this role. Diplomatic gift exchange was not invented last month with the inauguration of the new pope. Contemporary gifts made by Indigenous artists carry the legacy of colonisation, which was also a process of cultural transfer. The ethics of gift exchange need to be discussed more openly. This might include more open public discussion about how and why certain gifts are selected to represent a nation. It might include more transparency about what Australia does with official gifts and information about how the public can access them. Most of all, discussion about diplomatic gift exchange needs to move beyond the superficial idea that it represents a symbolic form of reciprocity to articulate the loss of real agency, sovereignty and power over the land that has been painted in the three artworks by Yvonne O'Neill, Kathleen Wallace and Amanda Westley. Katherine Aigner is a Research Fellow in Repatriation and Natural History at the School of Culture, History and Language at the Australian National University. For over 10 years she worked at Anima Mundi — Peoples, Arts and Cultures on re-connecting their Indigenous collections with source communities. Her books include Australia: The Vatican Museums Indigenous Collection and Oceania and Island Southeast Asia. Kylie Message is Professor of Public Humanities and Director of the Humanities Research Centre at the Australian National University. She is the author of books including Museums and Social Activism: Engaged Protest, Collecting Activism, Archiving Occupy Wall Street and Museums and Racism.
