'We will determine our defence budget': PM defies US calls to increase defence spending
'We will determine our defence budget': PM defies US calls to increase defence spending
Published 2 June 2025, 3:25 am
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has resisted calls made by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth in Singapore to boost Australia's defence spending, ahead of his highly anticipated first face-to-face meeting with US President Donald Trump later this month. It comes amid backlash against the US doubling tariffs on steel and aluminium imports.
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News.com.au
42 minutes ago
- News.com.au
China's restaurants replace American beef with Australian beef amid trade war: reports
Restaurants in China are reportedly switching out American beef for Australian beef due to Donald Trump's tariffs. The US President triggered a trade war with Beijing by slapping meaty tariffs on Chinese goods. An ensuing tit-for-tat escalation peaked with the US imposing 145 per cent levies on Chinese products and China imposing 125 per cent duties on American products. Both sides have since backed down, with Washington agreeing to 30 per cent imposts on goods from China and Beijing agreeing to 10 per cent on US imports. But the tariffs have still hiked American beef supply costs for restaurants in the Chinese capital, prompting them to look to tariff-free Australian beef. Chinese state media reported on Tuesday that an American-themed restaurant in Beijing had made the switch because of 'cost pressures and declining supply stability of US imports'. The Global Times reported it spoke with a staff member at a 'branch of a restaurant famous for its American-style barbecue in Beijing'. The staff member said the restaurant 'stopped serving imported beef from the US starting from about one month ago due to the impact of tariffs', the Chinese government mouthpiece reported. The Global Times did not name the chain, but US business news channel CNBC has also reported that restaurants in Beijing are changing to Australian beef, including one eatery's 'The Great American' burger. A beef supplier told the network that American 'beef is fattier and tastier' but the 'high price is just too much to bear'. Australian beef is exported to China without any duties under the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement.
West Australian
43 minutes ago
- West Australian
Pacific media face reckoning after US aid cuts
America's retreat from foreign aid is being felt deeply in Pacific media, where pivotal outlets are being shuttered and journalists work unpaid. The result is fewer investigations into dubiously motivated politicians, glimpses into conflicts otherwise unseen and a less diverse media in a region which desperately needs it. "It is a huge disappointment ... a senseless waste," Benar News' Australian head of Pacific news, Stefan Armbruster, told AAP after seeing his outlet go under. Benar News, In-depth Solomons and Inside PNG are three digital outlets which enjoyed US support but have been cruelled by President Donald Trump's about-face on aid. Benar closed its doors in April after an executive order disestablishing Voice of America, which the Unitd States created during World War II to combat Nazi propaganda. 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A US-centred think tank continues to pay the wage of one journalist, while others haven't drawn a salary since January. "It has had an impact on our operations. We used to travel out to do stories across the provinces. That has not been done since early this year," Mr Eremae said. A private donor came forward after learning of the cuts with a one-off grant that was used for rent to secure the office, he said. Its funding shortfall - like Port Moresby-based outlet Inside PNG - is linked to USAID, the world's biggest single funder of development assistance, until Mr Trump axed its multi-billion dollar budget. Much of USAID's funding was spent on humanitarian causes - such as vaccines, clean water supplies and food security - but some was also earmarked for media in developing nations, with the aim of bolstering fragile democracies. Inside PNG used its support to build an audience of tens of thousands with incisive reports on PNG politics: not just Port Moresby, but in the regions including wantaway province Bougainville that has a long history of conflict. "The current lack of funding has unfortunately had a dual impact, affecting both our dedicated staff, whom we're currently unable to pay, and our day-to-day operations," Inside PNG managing director Kila Wani, told AAP. "We've had to let off 80 per cent of staff from payroll which is a big hit because we're not a very big team. "Logistically, it's become challenging to carry out our work as we normally would." AAP has confirmed a number of other media entities in the region which have suffered hits, but declined to share their stories. The funding hits are all the more damaging given the challenges faced by the Pacific, as outlined in the Pacific Islands Media Freedom Index . The latest report listed a string of challenges, notably weak legal protections for free speech, political interference on editorial independence, and a lack of funding underpinning high-quality media, in the region. The burning question for these outlets - and their audiences - is do other sources of funding exist to fill the gap? Inside PNG is refocusing energy on attracting new donors, as is In-depth Solomons, which has also turned to crowdfunding. The Australian and New Zealand governments have also provided targeted support for the media sector across the region, including ABC International Development (ABCID), which has enjoyed a budget increase from Anthony Albanese's government. Inside PNG and In-depth Solomons both receive training and content-focused grants from ABCID, which helps, but doesn't fund the underpinning costs for a media business or keep on the lights. Both Mr Eremae, who edited two major newspapers before founding the investigative outlet, and Mr Armbruster, a long-time SBS Correspondent, expressed their dismay at the US pivot away from the Pacific. "It's a huge mistake on the part of the US ... the world's leading democracy. The media is one of the pillars of democracy," Mr Eremae said. "It is, I believe, in the interests of the US and other democratic countries to give funding to media in countries like the Solomon Islands where we cannot survive due to lack of advertising (budgets). As a veteran of Pacific reporting, Mr Armbruster said he had witnessed US disinterest in the region contribute to the wider geopolitical struggle for influence. "The US government was trying to re-establish its presence after vacating the space decades ago. It had promised to re-engage, dedicating funding largely driven by its efforts to counter China, only to now betray those expectations," he said. 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ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Queensland farmers urge home gardeners to be vigilant as tomato virus strategy shifts
Queensland farmers are urging home gardeners planting tomatoes, chillies and capsicums to be vigilant over fears a highly contagious virus will spread. The state is continuing to restrict the movement of seeds, plants and fruit, as well as machinery, equipment and packaging from areas affected by tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV). First detected in South Australia last year, it has since been found on a farm in Victoria, but experts and industry have abandoned eradication efforts and will instead move to a management strategy. Farmers, fearing hundreds of millions of dollars in losses, are pleading with industry and home gardeners alike to hold the line. The virus is not harmful to humans, but causes brown or yellow spots to appear on leaves, fruit and stems of tomatoes, capsicums and chillies. The infected fruit can ripen irregularly or be deformed. It can reduce crop yields by 70 per cent, and there is no treatment or commercially available varieties of tomato that are resistant to the disease. Acting Victorian chief plant health officer Stephen Dibley said efforts to rid Australia of the virus had failed. "The biology of the virus makes it very hard to eradicate," Dr Dibley said. Queensland remains free of the virus, but Dr Dibley said there could be undetected cases. "We're still trying to understand where these new detections have come from." As well as tomatoes, Queensland grows 66 per cent of the national capsicum crop and 90 per cent of the chilli crop. Biosecurity Queensland chief plant health manager Michael Reid said the movement control order was extended for three months on March 16. Once it expired, Mr Reid said a team of experts would revisit the order to assess the risk to Queenslanders and production systems. "We will be taking a risk-based approach to our regulation, making sure that we protect our industries," he said. In significant growing areas like Bundaberg, farmers are conducting voluntary in-field testing for peace of mind that their crops are virus-free. Over the past 10 months, farmer group Bundaberg Fruit and Vegetable Growers has held almost weekly biosecurity meetings to monitor where locals are sourcing their seedlings from. Chief executive Bree Watson said the National Management Group's decision would change how farmers managed and monitored the virus. "It shifts the responsibility for monitoring and containing it more onto industry and individual businesses than it does on government departments," Ms Watson said. She urged home gardeners to take part in the biosecurity effort and learn what to look for in their own vegetable patches. "They should be checking their plants regularly for anything that's showing signs of disease." Ms Watson said it was especially important for home gardeners to make sure their seeds and seedlings came from reputable suppliers. Despite being far from the southern border, north Queensland's tomato-growing region around Bowen, south of Townsville, was on high alert. "This tomato virus is a little humdinger," Bowen-Gumlu Growers Association president Carl Walker said. "We've got hundreds of millions of dollars a year just in tomatoes alone in this region … it could seriously destroy the tomato industry across Australia if it's allowed to spread. "It's a wake-up call for all growers to be very vigilant with their biosecurity because it can destroy our industry just, bang, like that. "If we do get it, God help us … it's hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of production and thousands of jobs, which is not what our economy needs." While the state has yet to contend with an outbreak, the virus is already causing losses. New Zealand suspended imports from all Australian states apart from Queensland when the virus was detected in South Australia. Tomato and capsicum seeds from Australia must also be tested before they arrive. In 2023, Australia sent more than 530,000 kilograms of tomatoes to New Zealand. While exports account for only a small portion of sales compared to the $500 million domestic market, Ms Watson said it was a vital avenue for growers who had access to it. In a statement, New Zealand's Ministry for Primary Industries said: "We are closely monitoring the situation in Australia and if there is any significant change in distribution, or which crops it (ToBRFV) is affecting, we will review the current import rules." "Although Australia has announced they will no longer be pursuing eradication, all of the controls that have been in place to limit spread of the virus remain."
