Australian PM Albanese pledges to work with China on excess steel capacity
"As both countries cooperate to advance decarbonisation, we also need to work together to address global excess steel capacity," Albanese said in remarks at the beginning of the meeting.
"It is in both countries' interest to ensure a sustainable and market-driven global steel sector."
China's robust steel exports, which have partly offset faltering home demand, have triggered complaints from a growing list of countries, which say the flood of cheap Chinese steel has hurt local manufacturers.
Albanese is currently on a three-city official visit to China, where regional security tensions and efforts to grow economic ties are likely to dominate talks.
He will next travel to Beijing for an annual leaders' dialogue with Premier Li Qiang, and a company roundtable, and then head to the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu.
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The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australia's reckoning with Indigenous people takes one cultural glide forward, two political steps back
For several decades First Nations artists have done much of the heavy lifting in Australian cultural diplomacy. And now Wesley Enoch as chair of Creative Australia has to fix a damaged sector. Archie Moore, Tracey Moffatt, Warwick Thornton, Deborah Mailman, William Barton, Tony Albert, Judy Watson, David Gulpilil, Christian Thompson, Ivan Sen, Emily Kam Kngwarray, to name just some of the many who have won accolades for their stunning, original work and taken their place at the peaks of cultural power and influence. Winning hearts and changing minds as they went. Not so long ago this suggested a long overdue reckoning with the First Peoples; a reckoning that the rest of the world was watching in the detached way that those who can be bothered note what is happening elsewhere. Australia is diffident about cultural diplomacy, reluctant to exercise its soft power (in anything other than sport), as the abandonment of ABC Asia Pacific TV demonstrated – although the ABC has since revamped its international service. The global celebration of First Nations artists was a powerful way of showing that modern Australia had thrown off its colonial legacy, had grown into a truly mature and reconciled nation and come to terms with the ancient human heritage that makes it truly unique. Creative Australia put First Nations stories first in its strategic priorities, Dfat's cultural grants emphasised the persuasive power of 65,000 years of unique civilisation, and Australia lobbied hard for Unesco recognition of cultural heritage at Gunditjmara and now Murujuga. Yet as we approach the second anniversary of the decision by most Australians to reject meaningful recognition of First Peoples, the tension at the heart of this international celebration of the talent, stories and unique ways of seeing, being and doing comes clearly into focus. Is it simple hypocrisy or the old Australian way – one glide forward, two quick steps back? There are markers. The silence about discussing the referendum or to even consider national truth-telling. The ratty politics rejecting welcomes to country and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. The patchy reporting of the coronial findings of institutional racism in the NT Police and the Yoorrook inquiry's findings of historic genocide. The federal court's hand-wringing decision that accepted government policies caused wilful destruction of culture and environment in the Torres Strait Islands but that it was unable to do anything about it. These recent events suggest that coming to terms with the enduring impact of the past is at best the latter, two quick steps back. At worst, to me, it suggests further signs of what Jeremy Bentham once called an 'incurable flaw'. All this came to mind as I stood outside Tate Modern waiting in line under an unusually hot summer sun for my bag to be checked. My English friend and I were on our way to the third floor of the vast former turbine to see the Emily Kam Kngwarray exhibition. 'Why is it on now?' he asked. He knows Australia, has spent time in central Australia and understood how the voice referendum hung heavily there. It's a reasonable question. And there are many answers. Some practical, others freighted with meaning. The director of the Tate told the press it was part of her plan to celebrate older female artists who should be considered great masters (mistresses?). The art press buzzed that this was one of three major exhibitions of Indigenous artists in London this summer – the others from Canada and Peru. Indigeneity is 'a thing'. The collaboration to celebrate the 'old lady's' work between the Tate, National Gallery of Australia and the women of Alhalker country began not long after the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, declared there would be a referendum to secure meaningful recognition of First Peoples in the Australian constitution. These big retrospective shows are years in the making, especially ones that require the active involvement of local communities as well as major galleries and high-profile owners around the world. When the extraordinary show first opened in Canberra just months after the vote, there was sadness about what might have been, about how the exhibition might have celebrated a new beginning. In London two years later, this is a barely acknowledged backdrop. Those seeing her work for the first time grapple with what it represents, how someone who only started painting in her 70s produced work as fresh and innovative as any major 20th-century artist – but how it grew out of her knowledge, skill and dreaming. Like all great artists the work is truly hers, grounded in her unique perspective. What comes as a surprise, to those who have only seen her images in books and posters, is their three-dimensional quality. Kngwarray layered paint to evoke stories of such extraordinary depth that they carry a fourth dimension of infinite time, 'everywhen'. It invites the viewer into a unique way of seeing and being. Another Australian artist is also celebrated on level 3 of the Tate. Leigh Bowery, who in his short life became a London gay style icon. Both Emily and Leigh speak to a distinctive Australian sensibility and energy. They prove that from an unlikely starting point anything is possible. Answering my friend's question, I said I wished the curators had projected The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, where flamboyant gay culture meets the outback, on the wall between the two iconoclastic Australians, to help viewers literally join the dots between the two exhibitions. Culture is complicated, cultural diplomacy can take time, but culture might still lead politics. Julianne Schultz an emeritus professor at Griffith University and the author of The Idea of Australia
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
‘It's a takeover': the South Australian power player reshaping the state Liberal party
Christianity, Rob Norman tells worshippers at a church in Adelaide's inner southern outskirts, is a 'sleeping giant' in politics. It is a Sunday morning in May 2021. The charismatic pastor with a buzz cut is one of a number of leaders at pentecostal and evangelical churches in the area who have begun encouraging followers to get active in politics prompted by the South Australian parliament's plans to decriminalise abortion. 'Some people say it's a dirty business, but we've got to be there,' Norman, who would later go on to join the Australian Christian Lobby as its Queensland director, says. At the end of his 30-minute sermon, Norman name-drops Alex Antic, a first-time Liberal senator with a minimal profile in Canberra, who watches on from the crowd. 'Drop Alex an email. It's easy to find him. He'll start sending his newsletter to you. You'll start to get enlightened,' he says. In the four years since, Antic, a former lawyer turned city councillor, has risen from an influential up-and-comer in the state to South Australia's top factional warlord. Through his efforts recruiting Christian activists and anti-government sceptics into the state's Liberal regional and metropolitan branches, the once fringe conservative senator now wields considerable influence over the state division's policy and preselection processes. And in Antic's world, the Liberal church is narrow – the antithesis of John Howard's creed – leaving little room for moderates and centrists. 'It's not even factional warfare … it's a takeover,' says one senior South Australian Liberal. And as the federal Liberal party faces an existential crisis, Antic's campaign has made South Australia a roadmap – or a cautionary tale – for the party's other divisions. When Antic watched Norman's impassioned 'call to the political realm' in 2021, his supporter base of pentecostal and evangelical churchgoers around the state had already tallied around 500. Antic's pitch to local churches was that the party needed more conservatives in its membership following changes in South Australia to decriminalise abortion. His opposition to 'woke' views on gender and sexuality also appealed to social conservatives. In a podcast with the former Hillsong preacher Pat Mesiti in January 2022, Antic despaired over the lack of 'God-fearing, conservative people' in politics. His plea to conservatives: join him in the grassroots battles to shape the party from the ground up. 'The best thing people can do, in my view, is to have their voice heard – is to have it heard inside the machinery of politics,' he said. 'Then you shape the framework of those who go to parliament, to elections, before people even get an opportunity to vote for them at a general election.' The Liberal party's ageing membership has been dwindling across the country for years, prompting major concern among the party faithful. It does, however, present an opportunity for whatever faction is able to sign up new, younger members en masse. Others in Antic's recruitment sights were the state's disenfranchised folk – those frustrated with Covid-19 vaccine mandates and lockdowns, who had ditched the Liberals for more conservative and far-right minor parties. With key allies, including the help of his lower house right-hand, backbencher Tony Pasin, Antic's strategy to shape the party from the ground up was in full force. Lifelong Liberal officeholders in state and federal branches were the first to see how things worked in Antic's world. With hundreds of new members, Antic's supporters quickly outnumbered the longstanding members in a number of annual general meetings. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email Belinda Crawford-Marshall, now the state's women's council president, was one of the first signs of Antic's influence. The former Field of Dreams pastor was elected president of the Elder state electorate convention (SEC) in June 2021. As Antic's allies grew, concerns were raised by members over the legitimacy of new recruits, prompting some membership applications to be rejected – a move the party officials ultimately backed down from. . The Liberal figure said Antic's charisma could win over those with sympathetic views. One conservative state Liberal figure said their office would often receive calls from members of the public wanting to join 'Alex's army'. Others hadn't realised they were joining the Liberal party, the source said. They would call the new members to ask why they joined, to which they occasionally would reply: ''We signed up to help Alex Antic.'' South Australia's moderate faction had been in the Liberal party's driver's seat for decades, but when Christopher Pyne exited politics in 2019, he left a leadership vacuum. Antic simply recognised that and filled a 'market niche', says one state Liberal speaking to Guardian Australia anonymously. '[Liberal state] council is extremely easy to manipulate. I'm a moderate. My side did it for years and years and years,' another says. 'But the party's left itself far too vulnerable … these [new members] were not your [regular] church-going folk. These were angry activist Christians who see politics as a pathway to changing the morality of Australia.' Antic's membership drive in certain state and federal electorate conventions (SECs and FECs) provided him with allies on the women's, rural and regional and Young Liberals' councils. Those, in turn, delivered him a respectable voting bloc, making him influential in determining important state executive roles – like the party's president, secretary and vice-president – as well as which Liberal candidates get endorsed for elections. The strategy has already paid off. Ahead of the 2025 election, Antic was successful in winning the top spot on the party's federal Senate ticket, bumping off the Liberal frontbencher Anne Ruston and stirring up controversy over the party's 'women problem'. When Simon Birmingham, the party's then most senior moderate, announced his retirement in 2024, Antic's pick, Leah Blyth, easily beat the moderate faction's candidate to assume his place. The policy consequences of the shift are being borne out too, although the impact at a national level has not materialised. Last year Antic allies in the state parliament introduced a bill requiring South Australians seeking an abortion from 28 weeks to give birth. (It was narrowly defeated in a conscience vote). And at a state council meeting in late May, the council voted to urge the federal Liberal party to repeal its net zero by 2050 policy – a position its own state parliamentary party declined to adopt. Antic's management of his allies isn't particularly complex. It centres on a simple newsletter, called Truth to Power. Those wishing to join Alex's 'army' need to pay their Liberal membership fees like usual. However, 'IT IS CRITICAL', Antic signs off in his newsletters, for supporters to also send their contact details to his separate 'believe in blue' email, registered to a marketing company run by Ben Hood – Antic's factional ally in South Australian parliament. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The newsletters, which are separate to official communications from the state party, give followers insights into his priorities as well as directions on upcoming factional fights. In a May newsletter following the federal election, Antic urged his supporters not to be 'despondent' about the results and, more importantly, not to ditch the Liberals for rightwing minor parties. In a July newsletter, the senator flagged critical upcoming battles in June and July's AGM season, telling supporters about the importance of securing control of the state's branches and conventions. 'If you don't hear from me, then it is likely that the AGM is under control and doesn't need your vote,' he wrote. Securing the numbers is critical for Antic's success in the upcoming Liberal preselection battles for the South Australian Legislative Council ahead of the 2026 state election. 'It will set the tone in South Australia for a generation,' he said. In federal parliament, some of Antic's colleagues see his work ethic in a less favourable light. 'His politics aren't about outcomes. His politics are very Trumpian. It's very much around what issue he sees as important, and how he can rile people up to defend that,' one Liberal senator says. 'He does not belong in our parliament.' Antic did not respond to a series of questions from Guardian Australia about his views and plans within the party. 'Your anonymous sources appear to be preoccupied with me in circumstances where I rarely, if ever, think about them (whoever they are). Sad,' Antic said in response. Supporters are more willing to go on the record. The Liberal National party senator Matt Canavan, a friend of Antic, says his South Australian colleague is a 'refreshing' figure in Canberra. 'It's very important that we have people in our party room that are willing to tell it how it is without fear or favour,' he says. Antic's rise in South Australian politics has coincided with a number of state MPs exiting the party and moderate and traditional conservatives deciding against renewing their membership. One former state MP describes the state party now as a 'hard right, religious political vehicle' that is Liberal only in name. Another former MP questions whether the state division has become a 'shadow party within a party'. The impact of this shift hasn't gone unnoticed among the highest levels of the Liberal party; the former opposition leader Peter Dutton and John Howard had both received appeals to intervene in the state party, according to a source with knowledge of the interactions. While many of the senior state Liberals and branch members Guardian Australia spoke to agree Antic's faction has successfully taken over, others remain optimistic it is only a blip. One moderate Liberal figure says the cracks in Antic's kingdom are already forming over Legislative Council preselections. Antic and Pasin have 'mouths to feed', they say, referencing their alleged support for bids by Crawford-Marshall and state vice-president Thea Hennessey over longtime ally and serving MLC Heidi Girolamo. 'They're just going to end up eating their own, which is why it's going to come crashing and burning to the ground,' they say. Antic's influence might be wide-reaching across the state but it has struggled to convert into federal success. All of the Antic-backed lower house candidates in the May federal election failed while a moderate candidate, Tom Venning in Grey, was the Liberal party's only success story in South Australia. One Liberal member in Venning's campaign says there is a concerted push by moderates and traditional conservatives to sign up younger members and take the party back. 'We're working on it,' they say. 'We really have to get back to being a Liberal party, not a pseudo Family First party or an anti-vaccines party. You know, that's not us.' Another state Liberal member says the efforts are on display in a recent AGM in Sturt – a moderate stronghold for the party. More than 300 local members showed, and the moderate faction was successful in gaining officeholder positions. 'They want their party back.' A former state MP says the consequences of the Liberals failing to claw back from the electoral wilderness are devastating. 'There comes a point where it becomes harder and harder to come back. And I think that's what's happening in South Australia.'
Reuters
5 hours ago
- Reuters
US threatens Mexican airline flights over cargo, competition issues
WASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters) - The Trump administration said on Saturday it is taking a series of actions against Mexico over the Mexican government's decisions to rescind some flight slots for U.S. carriers and force U.S. cargo carriers to relocate operations in Mexico City. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement the department could disapprove flight requests from Mexico if the government fails to address U.S. concerns over decisions made in 2022 and 2023. The department is also proposing to withdraw antitrust immunity from the Delta Air Lines (DAL.N), opens new tab joint venture with Aeromexico to address competitive issues in the market. Mexico is the most popular international destination among U.S. airline travelers. Delta said if the U.S. Department of Transportation withdraws approval it "would cause significant harm to consumers traveling between the U.S. and Mexico, as well as U.S. jobs, communities, and transborder competition." The Transportation Department said Mexico has not been in compliance with a bilateral air agreement since 2022 when it abruptly rescinded slots and then forced U.S. all-cargo carriers to relocate operations in 2023. Mexico's Transport Ministry and major Mexican airlines, including Aeromexico, could not be immediately reached for comment. Duffy said Mexico was expected to complete construction to alleviate congestion at Mexico City's Benito Juarez International Airport (MEX), but that has yet to materialize three years later. "By restricting slots and mandating that all-cargo operations move out of MEX, Mexico has broken its promise, disrupted the market, and left American businesses holding the bag for millions in increased costs," the department said. The USDOT also said it could take action against European countries over limitations at airports. "We are monitoring European States to ensure that they apply the Balanced Approach process for noise abatement at their airports and do not implement unjustified operational restrictions," the department said. The Transportation Department issued a pair of orders requiring Mexican airlines to file schedules with the department for all their U.S. operations by July 29 and requiring prior U.S. approval before operating any large passenger or cargo aircraft charter flights to or from the United States. "Mexico has altered the playing field significantly for airlines in ways that reduce competition and allow predominant competitors to gain an unfair advantage in the U.S.-Mexico market," the department said. "Mexico's actions harm airlines seeking to enter the market, existing competitor airlines, consumers of air travel and products relying on time-sensitive air cargo shipments traded between the two countries, and other stakeholders in the American economy.' If the U.S. rescinds antitrust approval for Delta and Aeromexico, they would be required to discontinue cooperation on common pricing, capacity management, and revenue sharing, but Delta would also be able to retain its equity stake in Aeromexico, maintain all of its existing flying in the U.S.-Mexico market unimpeded and continue a partnership.
