‘Disaster for Australia': Labor called out over its ‘failure' on defence
Shadow Defence Minister Angus Taylor claims Labor is 'failing' Australia on defence as it resists America's push to lift the country's defence spending.
'We are not in the position we need to be with our Australian Defence Force, that Labor is failing us, and it is clear from Albanese's comments, he has absolutely no intention of changing this,' he told Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell.
'This is a disaster for Australians and for Australia. We need to get serious about it.'
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News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Penny Wong to meet Quad counterparts in Washington
Australia's chief diplomat will meet her Quad counterparts in Washington this week as the Trump administration looks to ramp up pressure on China. The Quad, made up of Australia, India, Japan and the US, is a partnership broadly seen as a check on China's economic and military might. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the upcoming dialogue reflected the challenges facing the Indo Pacific. 'This will be the second Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting within six months, reflecting the importance of our partnership and the strategic circumstances confronting our region and the world,' she said in a statement. 'I look forward to engaging with my Quad counterparts as we strengthen cooperation to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.' Senator Wong also said she would 'meet separately with each of my counterparts … to progress bilateral cooperation'. The meeting comes as pressure mounts on the Albanese government to bolster Australia's alliance with the US. Nearly six months have passed since Donald Trump's inauguration and Anthony Albanese is yet to secure an in-person meeting with the US President. Australian producers have been slugged with tariffs on most exports to the US, including duties of up to 50 per cent on steel and aluminium, and doubts loom large about the Trump administration's commitment to AUKUS after it launched a snap review of the defence pact. The Albanese government has also refused to budge after Washington's call to hike defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP amid alarm over China's military build-up. In her statement, Senator Wong stressed the US 'is our closest ally and principal strategic partner'. 'Our alliance contributes to the peace, prosperity and stability of our countries and the region we share,' she said. 'We will continue to work together to further our important economic and security partnership and advance our mutual interests.' Former US president Joe Biden was last year caught on a hot mic telling his fellow Quad leaders that China was 'testing' them, giving a rare glimpse into the candid nature of talks between some of the region's key players. 'We believe (Chinese President) Xi Jinping is looking to focus on domestic economic challenges and minimise the turbulence in China's diplomatic relationships, and he's also looking to buy himself some diplomatic space, in my view, to aggressively pursue China's interest,' Mr Biden said. 'China continues to behave aggressively, testing us all across the region, and it's true in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, South China, South Asia and the Taiwan Straits. 'It's true across the scope of our relationship, including on economic and technology issues.' Mr Biden's bluntness was a stark contrast of how leaders of all Quad countries have tried to frame the strategic four-way dialogue, often deflecting suggestions that it exists to counter China. The hawkish approach to Beijing has been adopted by the Trump administration, with US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier this month warning of an 'imminent' threat to the Indo Pacific. Mr Hegseth said China could invade Taiwan as early as 2027. Such a move would deal a major blow to global supply of semiconductors – crucial components in modern tech – and massively disrupt vital trade routes. 'Let me be clear, any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world,' Mr Hegseth said. 'There's no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent. 'We hope not but certainly could be.' Meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles on the sidelines of the conference, he directly asked Australia to boost the defence budget to 3.5 per cent of GDP.
West Australian
an hour ago
- West Australian
Penny Wong heads to Washington for meetings with Quad and Marco Rubio
Foreign Minister Penny Wong will meet her US counterpart Marco Rubio in Washington this week amid ongoing global instability and domestic pressure for Australia to increase its defence spending. Senator Wong travels to the US for the Quad foreign ministers' meeting on Tuesday, the second gathering of the group in six months. 'I look forward to engaging with my Quad counterparts as we strengthen cooperation to ensure a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,' she said. Mr Rubio wants to build on the momentum of the meeting earlier this year, a State Department official said in announcing the meeting. 'This is what American leadership looks like: strength, peace, and prosperity,' the official said. While in Washington, Senator Wong will also meet with India's external affairs minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Japanese foreign minister Takeshi Iwaya. But all eyes will be on the meeting with the US Secretary of State. Senator Wong said ahead of leaving the country that the United States was Australia's 'closest ally and principal strategic partner'. 'Our alliance contributes to the peace, prosperity and stability of our countries and the region we share,' she said. 'We will continue to work together to further our important economic and security partnership and advance our mutual interests.' Mr Rubio was with President Donald Trump in the Netherlands for last week's NATO meeting, where European countries agreed to American demands to significantly boost military defence spending. Australia has already come under similar pressure, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth telling Defence Minister Richard Marles his budget should jump from its current level just above 2 per cent of GDP to 3.5 per cent. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said last week that if allies in Europe and NATO could find the extra money, 'I think our allies and our friends in the Indo-Pacific region can do it as well'. The Government has repeatedly pointed out its budget contains $10 billion in extra Defence spending over the next four years. It's on a trajectory to reach more than 2.3 per cent by 20233, but this may be sped up once the next national defence strategy is published in about April. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Australia had 'mature, decent, respectful conversations' with the United States, but the Government would ultimately make its own decisions on behalf of Australia's national interests. 'Our guiding principle in all of this is, what do you have to do to be able to keep Australians safe? And so we start with the capability. We don't start with the dollars,' he said on Sunday. 'It is true, around the world now, that the world is a less stable place than it was. 'That means the conversations you're having now about capability are different to what you would have had (a couple) of years ago.' But shadow defence minister Angus Taylor accused the Government of ignoring the advice from its defence strategic review, published two years ago. He wants to see more money put into hardening northern bases, speeding up the upgrade at the Henderson shipyard, counter-drone technology and recruitment. 'Forget the pressure being put on by the United States,' he said. 'If we are to play the role we need to play in ensuring we have peace through deterrence in our region, the spending is too low, and the government's plan demonstrates that.' Mr Iwaya and Japan's Defence Minister cancelled bilateral talks with the US that were set to coincide with the Quad ministerial meeting after the Trump administration demanded it too spend 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence, Reuters reported last week. Anthony Albanese is expected to travel to China in July for the annual bilateral leadership talks. Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited Canberra and Perth at this time last year. The Prime Minister is also seeking a meeting with Mr Trump as soon as possible. The Quad leaders' summit should be hosted in India this year, but a date is yet to be locked in.
Sky News AU
2 hours ago
- Sky News AU
‘Turn your back on it': Pauline Hanson calls out Welcome to Country ‘rubbish'
One Nation Leader Pauline Hanson tells Australians to 'turn your back' on the Welcome to Country ceremonies. 'Turn your back on it as I do every time I am in parliament and they do a Welcome to Country,' Ms Hanson said. 'I am not going to put up with this rubbish.'
