Monique Ryan Kooyong, Australia election results LIVE: 'Future PM' suffers crushing election blow despite last minute signs of hope
Keith Wolahan has lost his seat of Menzies in Victoria.
The former army officer (pictured, below) was seen as a Liberal leader of the future, also one of the few remaining city MPs amongst the conservatives.
It looked like he was certain to lose on Saturday night but strong postal voting flows suggested just maybe he could fight back and survive.
Not anymore, he's too far behind given the postal trends and wouldn't be able to stay in front even if he clawed back in front because in his electorate absentee votes always favour Labor.
It's a big generational loss for the Liberals in what was already a devastating defeat nationally.
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BBC News
28 minutes ago
- BBC News
Aukus: US to review submarine pact as part of 'America First' agenda
The US has launched a review of its multi-billion dollar submarine deal with the UK and Australia, saying the security pact must fit its "America First" the trilateral pact, widely seen as a response to the growing power of China, Australia is to get its first nuclear-powered subs from the US, before the allies create a new fleet by sharing cutting-edge Australia and the UK - which did its own review last year - have sought to play down news of the US probe, saying it is natural for a new administration to move comes as Australia faces pressure from the White House to lift its military spending, from 2% to 3.5% of GDP, a push so far resisted by Canberra. The agreement - worth £176bn ($239bn; A$368bn) - was signed in 2021, when all three countries involved had different leaders."The department is reviewing Aukus as part of ensuring that this initiative of the previous administration is aligned with the President's America First agenda," a US defence official told the BBC."As [US Defense] Secretary [Pete] Hegseth has made clear, this means ensuring the highest readiness of our servicemembers, that allies step up fully to do their part for collective defense, and that the defense industrial base is meeting our needs."The review will be headed up Elbridge Colby, who has previously been critical of Aukus, in a speech last year questioning why the US would give away "this crown jewel asset when we most need it".Defence Minister Richard Marles, speaking to local Australian media on Thursday morning local time, said he was optimistic the deal would continue. "I'm very confident this is going to happen," he told ABC Radio Melbourne."You just need to look at the map to understand that Australia absolutely needs to have a long-range submarine capability."Some in Australia have been lobbying for the country to develop a more independent defence strategy, but Marles said it was important to "stick to a plan" - a reference to the previous government's controversial cancellation of a submarine deal with France in favour of Australian government spokesperson told the BBC it was "natural" that the new administration would "examine" the agreement, adding the UK had also recently finished a review of the security pact between the long-standing allies. There is "clear and consistent" support for the deal across the "full political spectrum" in the US, they said, adding Australia looked forward to "continuing our close cooperation with the Trump Administration on this historic project".A UK defence spokesperson told the BBC it was "understandable" for a new administration to look at the deal, "just as the UK did last year". Aukus is a "landmark security and defence partnership with two of our closest allies", the spokesperson said, and "one of the most strategically important partnerships in decades, supporting peace and security in the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic".
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
It was always going to be a tightrope walk... Now Albo has everything on the line when he meets Donald Trump this weekend: PETER VAN ONSELEN
Anthony Albanese is expected to meet US President Donald Trump during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Canada, starting in three days time. And boy are there some big issues likely to be on the agenda, starting with the AUKUS agreement. Australia's ambitious plan to enhance its naval capabilities through the AUKUS partnership faces renewed uncertainty as the United States launches a comprehensive review of the agreement. Assuming their meeting still happens it will be the first face-to-face encounter between the PM and Trump since the US President was elected. It's only been a matter of months since Trump has been back in charge, and he's already seeking to reassert a combative vision of American power globally. How Albo reacts to Trump when they meet will test the PM's ability to defend national interests without undermining the alliance. Under the AUKUS pact, Australia is set to acquire between three and five Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US. However, questions have arisen about the US industrial base's capacity to produce the subs without compromising its own needs. The review is being led by Under Secretary of Defense Elbridge Colby, a known skeptic of the pact. Its terms of reference include assessing whether the AUKUS agreement aligns with President Trump's America First policy. Colby has previously questioned the wisdom of transferring critical assets like the Virginia-class submarines to US allies, suggesting it could weaken America's naval strength. Deputy PM and Defence Minister Richard Marles has attempted to downplay the significance of the review, describing it as a natural step to ensure alignment with US defence priorities. But it will certainly be on the top of the agenda when Albo and Trump meet. The PM will want to be able to say that he has received assurances that the agreement is iron clad. The question of defence spending also isn't clear cut. Trump's supporters in the US have floated a 3.5 per cent of GDP benchmark they want Australia's defence spending to rise to. Given that it's currently only at 2.4 per cent (including across forward estimates stretching all the way out to 2034), to lift our defence spending in line with US expectations would be fiscally reckless without cuts being made elsewhere. The Australian budget is already forecast to be in deficit for the coming decade, with gross national debt at the trillion dollar mark. While some domestic foreign policy hawks are independently pushing for higher defence spending, the figure team Trump wants us to meet is unrealistic for a country that faces no direct military threat and is unlikely to anytime soon. Equally, social spending pressures are mounting. The recent election campaign included a raft of new spending promises, with recurrent spending on policies such as the NDIS already a strain on the budget. To increase defence spending in that climate is unlikely to be popular. Besides, Australia's commitment to spend $368 billion on the AUKUS submarine program should be more than enough to signal that we take our defence and alliance duties seriously. Another volatile topic expected to come up at Albo's meeting with Trump is trade. The US President's across-the-board 10 per cent tariff on imports is economic vandalism dressed up as nationalism, and Australia currently isn't exempt. It's a regressive policy that punishes allies and undermines the very order the US once built. Albanese has been unusually forthright on this issue, condemning the move and seeking exemptions. Whether he can actually secure them is another matter, and depends less on the logic of his arguments than it does on Trump's whims. If the meeting achieves anything it will be to gauge whether the President is open to pragmatism rather than simply doubling down on his new found protectionism. Finally, the beef issue is deceptively niche but symbolically important for Australia. For decades, we have maintained biosecurity restrictions on US beef imports, particularly those involving supply chains running through countries with a history of mad cow disease. Washington wants access to the Australian market but the government is firm in saying no way. Albanese has so far been unequivocal that protecting Australia's disease-free status is non-negotiable. The blunt rejection of US demands for access is all about Australia retaining its access to high-value export markets like Japan and Korea, which is dependent on our gold-standard reputation for safe meat. In all of these areas of discussion the real test for Albanese when he meets Trump Mark II for the very first time is to show resolve in the face of Trump's tendency to dominate and distract. Voters won't necessarily remember every talking point, or the finer details of what gets discussed. But they will notice if their Prime Minister looks like he blinked and Trump got the better of him.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Monash staff say Woodside-backed climate conference highlights concerns about energy giant partnership
Monash University is under fire for an event at its Italian campus jointly organised with Woodside Energy, as staff criticise the institution for hosting 'shadowy conferences paid for by fossil fuel corporations' and a lack of transparency around the relationship. Monash co-hosted a 'climate change and energy transition' conference with the gas giant at the university's Prato campus in June 2024. The conference website, no longer directly available but accessible via the Wayback Machine, shows speakers were invited to submit papers on 'the role of climate activism/nimbyism' in 'thwarting emissions reductions' and how 'activism', 'lawfare' and 'cancel culture' were harmful to the energy transition. Woodside and Monash's current partnership, in place since 2019, gives the company naming rights to a building at one of the university's Melbourne campuses. The university is one of a number of leading Australian institutions criticised by climate activists for accepting sponsorship from Australia's biggest oil and gas company. Lincoln Turner, a senior lecturer in the School of Physics and Astronomy and part of Stop Woodside Monash, a group of staff and students campaigning to end the partnership, said Woodside was 'not even pretending' to transition to clean energy and was instead 'doubling down on oil and gas'. 'The university should not be continuing this relationship,' he said. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Woodside acted as partner and co-host for the Italian conference, and provided travel grants to some staff and students to attend. Three Woodside employees, including its head of partnerships, were on the conference organising committee, and two attended. Tim Wilson – then a former Coalition MP, who went on to defeat independent Zoe Daniel and reclaim the seat of Goldstein at last month's federal election, was a keynote speaker. According to Monash students and staff, the principal site page for the conference was removed soon after the event. Turner said it was 'highly unusual for a conference to apparently be 'covered up', with the website deleted and no trace of papers presented to be found, a matter of weeks after the conference concluded'. He said Stop Woodside Monash had struggled to get answers from university management about the details of its arrangement with Woodside. Astrophysicist Simon Campbell, also involved with the group, agreed it appeared the conference had been 'deliberately hidden or covered up, since to take a website offline requires someone to actively do that'. The Stop Woodside Monash campaign is backed by the university's student association and the National Tertiary Education Union. Monash branch president, Ben Eltham, said the union had 'deep concerns about the erosion of academic freedom in shadowy conferences paid for by fossil fuel corporations', particularly at a university he credited with a strong track record on climate and environmental issues. 'Once industry dictates the topics and framing of academic discourse, it's no longer engagement – it's simply PR,' Eltham said. A Woodside spokesperson said its contribution to the conference was funded through its pre-existing partnership agreement with Monash and that the speaker program had been collectively decided by the organising committee. 'Central to the conference was discussion on how climate change policies interact with economics, energy security, social policy and governance,' the spokesperson said. 'The conference underscored the need for a holistic approach that embraces diverse perspectives and solutions. 'It also highlighted the need for collaboration among academia, industry and government to overcome political polarisation and ensure inclusive decision-making processes. 'By fostering dialogue and knowledge exchange, the conference aimed to pave the way for more effective and sustainable solutions to the climate crisis.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Monash did not respond to detailed questions from Guardian Australia about the conference or the university's ongoing relationship to Woodside, but a spokesperson said the partnership is up for review this year. The university said, however, that it supports 'Woodside's transition to net zero by 2050' and is 'working to support Woodside to lead in producing, transporting and utilising hydrogen, ammonia and other fossil fuel substitutes at the scales required to transition to a net zero carbon future'. Woodside is also pursuing new and extended fossil fuel developments. In late May the federal government said it planned to approve an extension to the working life of the North West Shelf gas processing facility on the Burrup peninsula in northern Western Australia until 2070. The company plans to develop the $16bn Scarborough gas field and the $30bn Browse basin development to feed the facility for decades. Guardian Australia spoke to several staff, including some not involved with Stop Woodside Monash, who did not wish to be named for fear of professional retaliation or because they know researchers involved in the partnership. They said they were concerned about a lack of transparency from university leadership, risks to academic independence, the politicisation of the academy, and harm to Monash's reputation for work in areas including climate, environment and ecology. 'They [the university] are treating us like idiots, basically,' one said. John Cook, a senior research fellow at the University of Melbourne who studies greenwashing, and a former academic at Monash, described such partnership arrangements as a 'much more insidious form of misinformation'. 'One way companies greenwash themselves is through association with universities like Monash,' Cook said. 'That's why [Woodside are] doing it, for the halo effect they're getting for being part of Monash.'
