KPMG feels the burn of $200m in public service consulting cuts
Despite the Albanese government's move to cut spending with professional services firms, the total has not reduced over the last year. While major firms have lost work, spending with Accenture has almost doubled.
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Sky News AU
26 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's China trip faces criticism from opposition over ‘indulgent' optics and lack of serious negotiations
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been criticised for "indulging" in optics as he snapped pictures with pandas and strolled the Great Wall of China on the final days of his diplomatic visit to People's Republic. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has engaged in panda diplomacy on the final day of his trip to China, but faces criticism for indulging in optics rather than serious statesmanship. The final leg of Mr Albanese's trip has been dominated by symbolic gestures as he visited the Chengdu Research Centre for Giant Panda Breeding on Thursday. He posed for cameras in a Hawthorn Hawks jacket and praised the role of panda diplomacy in fostering bilateral ties. 'They're very sensible, smart,' Mr Albanese told his guide after he was informed of how pandas 'get up early' and 'move around outside'. Reflecting on his encounter with Fu Ni—a giant panda that spent 15 years at Adelaide Zoo—Mr Albanese heaped praise on the Australia-China connection. 'It's a really strong connection that is there... And the visit here has been very warmly received,' Mr Albanese told Sky News. — Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 17, 2025 However, the diplomatic visit has faced heavy criticism as Mr Albanese avoided broaching serious issues confronting the Australian and Chinese governments. This was despite his government's oft-repeated claim that 'we will disagree where we must and engage in the national interest'. Throughout the trip he avoided clashing with Chinese President Xi Jinping over the Darwin Port, China's support for Russia or recent military drills near Australian waters. Instead, Mr Albanese dined with President Xi, watched a Chinese rendition of Paul Kelly and Midnight Oil songs, and walked the Great Wall of China. The opposition condemned the approach, accusing Mr Albanese of indulging in nostalgia and failing to secure substantive outcomes. Shadow finance minister James Paterson told Sky News on Thursday the 'tangible outcomes' of the trip were 'very hard to identify'. 'I do wonder whether… a visit to Chengdu to pose with some pandas…. is strictly necessary as part of a six-day visit to China,' he said. 'There is so much else at stake in our other international relationships. Frankly, I have to say that some of this is starting to look a little bit indulgent.' He also criticised the prioritisation of symbolism over diplomacy after Mr Albanese traced Gough Whitlam's steps along the Great Wall of China from 1971. 'The appropriate time to do a nostalgic history tour of Labor Party mythology is after you retire, in your own time, at your own expense, not on the taxpayer dime.'
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
'No doubt' about China concern despite PM's rhetoric
Anthony Albanese's trip to China has been largely welcomed, but there has been as much emphasis on what was left out as on what was said and achieved. The prime minister is wrapping up a six-day trip to China where he met with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang as part of annual leader level talks, this time with a focus on trade and increasing business links. But Mr Albanese largely tempered his public rhetoric on differences with China and Australia's concerns about Beijing's military build-up and aggressive actions in the Pacific during his trip. Foreign affairs expert David Andrews said this was a normal part of diplomacy when leaders travelled abroad as it would be counterproductive to insult the hosts while trying to achieve greater trade ties. "Diplomacy is a fairly subtle and nuanced exercise and there's definitely a time and place for everything," he told AAP. Human rights abuses and Chinese aggression were still important issues that were raised and acknowledged by the prime minister but a balance needed to be struck with public rhetoric, Mr Andrews said. "I don't think the Chinese have any doubt Australia has concerns about their actions in the South China Sea or the Tasman or their military build up," he said. "It's unambiguous we view China to be a big threat to security and destabilisation in the region. "But we can't not have a relationship with China, they're our biggest trading partner ... there isn't an easy way to slice this." The coalition has been trying to balance its own rhetoric over the prime minister's trip. Opposition Leader Sussan Ley welcomed greater trading ties with China. "We wish him well, trade and tourism links should be strong and we want them to be strong," she told reporters in Brisbane on Thursday. But she also criticised Mr Albanese for not more forcefully raising security concerns. "I was disappointed that in his meeting with President Xi he didn't get the assurances that he should about the unacceptable nature of the circumnavigation of Australia by the Chinese Communist Party's navy warships," she said. Mr Albanese said he raised the issue and sought assurances Australia would be better informed of Chinese military drills in the region, noting the live fire exercise didn't break international law as it was in international waters. The opposition also sustained its criticism of Mr Albanese for not securing a meeting with US President Donald Trump face-to-face, saying he hadn't put enough focus on the relationship with Washington.
The Advertiser
an hour ago
- The Advertiser
Panda-mania: PM gushes over 'great friend of Australia'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been schooled in soft diplomacy at a panda breeding research centre on the final day of his China visit. In Chengdu, capital of the southwest province of Sichuan, the prime minister was reacquainted with an old "friend of Australia", Fu Ni. The 18-year-old female panda returned to China in 2024 after spending 15 years as one of the star attractions at Adelaide Zoo. "A great ambassador for China and a great friend of Australia," Mr Albanese said as he watched her chew a stick of bamboo. Fu Ni and her former partner Wang Wang were loaned to Australia by China in an example of "panda diplomacy". The practice dates back centuries but in recent decades has been used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to exert soft power across the globe. When Beijing is happy with you, you get pandas. But if relations sour, they always have the option to take them back, as Canada and the UK have learned to their detriment in recent years. In 2024, when Fu Ni and Wang Wang's time was up, Premier Li Qiang loaned two new pandas to Australia - Li Yan and Xing Qiu. Mr Albanese hailed Mr Li's "gracious" decision to extend the panda relationship. "They are absolutely wonderful animals. Our Adelaide Zoo pandas are a sign of friendship between Australia and China," he told reporters on Thursday. The prime minister's "very positive and warm" reception on his six-day trip shows how far the mood has recovered since the breakdown in Sino-Australian relations in 2020. Chinese state media has covered Mr Albanese's visit in glowing terms, with the Global Times describing the relationship as "a plane flying in the 'stratosphere' after passing through the storm zone". His visit to Chengdu, a provincial hub home to 21 million people is best known as the home of giant pandas, is the first by an Australian prime minister since Bob Hawke in 1986. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been schooled in soft diplomacy at a panda breeding research centre on the final day of his China visit. In Chengdu, capital of the southwest province of Sichuan, the prime minister was reacquainted with an old "friend of Australia", Fu Ni. The 18-year-old female panda returned to China in 2024 after spending 15 years as one of the star attractions at Adelaide Zoo. "A great ambassador for China and a great friend of Australia," Mr Albanese said as he watched her chew a stick of bamboo. Fu Ni and her former partner Wang Wang were loaned to Australia by China in an example of "panda diplomacy". The practice dates back centuries but in recent decades has been used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to exert soft power across the globe. When Beijing is happy with you, you get pandas. But if relations sour, they always have the option to take them back, as Canada and the UK have learned to their detriment in recent years. In 2024, when Fu Ni and Wang Wang's time was up, Premier Li Qiang loaned two new pandas to Australia - Li Yan and Xing Qiu. Mr Albanese hailed Mr Li's "gracious" decision to extend the panda relationship. "They are absolutely wonderful animals. Our Adelaide Zoo pandas are a sign of friendship between Australia and China," he told reporters on Thursday. The prime minister's "very positive and warm" reception on his six-day trip shows how far the mood has recovered since the breakdown in Sino-Australian relations in 2020. Chinese state media has covered Mr Albanese's visit in glowing terms, with the Global Times describing the relationship as "a plane flying in the 'stratosphere' after passing through the storm zone". His visit to Chengdu, a provincial hub home to 21 million people is best known as the home of giant pandas, is the first by an Australian prime minister since Bob Hawke in 1986. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been schooled in soft diplomacy at a panda breeding research centre on the final day of his China visit. In Chengdu, capital of the southwest province of Sichuan, the prime minister was reacquainted with an old "friend of Australia", Fu Ni. The 18-year-old female panda returned to China in 2024 after spending 15 years as one of the star attractions at Adelaide Zoo. "A great ambassador for China and a great friend of Australia," Mr Albanese said as he watched her chew a stick of bamboo. Fu Ni and her former partner Wang Wang were loaned to Australia by China in an example of "panda diplomacy". The practice dates back centuries but in recent decades has been used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to exert soft power across the globe. When Beijing is happy with you, you get pandas. But if relations sour, they always have the option to take them back, as Canada and the UK have learned to their detriment in recent years. In 2024, when Fu Ni and Wang Wang's time was up, Premier Li Qiang loaned two new pandas to Australia - Li Yan and Xing Qiu. Mr Albanese hailed Mr Li's "gracious" decision to extend the panda relationship. "They are absolutely wonderful animals. Our Adelaide Zoo pandas are a sign of friendship between Australia and China," he told reporters on Thursday. The prime minister's "very positive and warm" reception on his six-day trip shows how far the mood has recovered since the breakdown in Sino-Australian relations in 2020. Chinese state media has covered Mr Albanese's visit in glowing terms, with the Global Times describing the relationship as "a plane flying in the 'stratosphere' after passing through the storm zone". His visit to Chengdu, a provincial hub home to 21 million people is best known as the home of giant pandas, is the first by an Australian prime minister since Bob Hawke in 1986. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been schooled in soft diplomacy at a panda breeding research centre on the final day of his China visit. In Chengdu, capital of the southwest province of Sichuan, the prime minister was reacquainted with an old "friend of Australia", Fu Ni. The 18-year-old female panda returned to China in 2024 after spending 15 years as one of the star attractions at Adelaide Zoo. "A great ambassador for China and a great friend of Australia," Mr Albanese said as he watched her chew a stick of bamboo. Fu Ni and her former partner Wang Wang were loaned to Australia by China in an example of "panda diplomacy". The practice dates back centuries but in recent decades has been used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party to exert soft power across the globe. When Beijing is happy with you, you get pandas. But if relations sour, they always have the option to take them back, as Canada and the UK have learned to their detriment in recent years. In 2024, when Fu Ni and Wang Wang's time was up, Premier Li Qiang loaned two new pandas to Australia - Li Yan and Xing Qiu. Mr Albanese hailed Mr Li's "gracious" decision to extend the panda relationship. "They are absolutely wonderful animals. Our Adelaide Zoo pandas are a sign of friendship between Australia and China," he told reporters on Thursday. The prime minister's "very positive and warm" reception on his six-day trip shows how far the mood has recovered since the breakdown in Sino-Australian relations in 2020. Chinese state media has covered Mr Albanese's visit in glowing terms, with the Global Times describing the relationship as "a plane flying in the 'stratosphere' after passing through the storm zone". His visit to Chengdu, a provincial hub home to 21 million people is best known as the home of giant pandas, is the first by an Australian prime minister since Bob Hawke in 1986.
