Latest news with #AngusTaylor
SBS Australia
12 hours ago
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Australia to recognise Palestinian state – how will it affect the Middle East conflict?
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced that Australia will officially recognise Palestine as a state. The opposition is concerned that this announcement could widen the gap between Australia and the United States. Senior opposition member Angus Taylor stated that established conditions should be met before formally recognising Palestine. Professor Samina Yasmeen (AM), Director of the Centre for Muslim States and Societies and Professor of Political Science and International Relations at the University of Western Australia, Perth, believes that recognising the Palestinian state could create opportunities for "restoring peace in the future. Ben Saul, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Counter-Terrorism, said that recognition could enhance the legal and diplomatic rights of the Palestinian authorities, such as granting state immunity under Australian law. Foreign Minister Penny Wong stated that the plan is for both an Israeli state and a Palestinian state, each providing security for their peoples. The Israeli ambassador to Australia said that this decision will "strengthen Hamas" and weaken efforts for peace. ___ SBS Urdu is on Instagram , Facebook and YouTube. Our SBS Audio app is available for Apple and Android devices. Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Listen Wednesday and Friday programs at this link.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Hollowed out of thinkers, Sussan Ley's party dreams of nothing other than opposition
As Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor attacked Labor's renewables policy as 'socialist planning' and ignored expert advice to invest in cost-effective fast batteries, instead committing $600 million of public money to a gas power plant in the Hunter Valley already rejected by the market. Costs are now reported to exceed $1 billion. Menzies led the Liberals to power for the first time in 1949 with an anti-socialist platform that attacked the Curtin Labor government's bank nationalisation plans. Now, 75 years on, the party's policy brain appears to have atrophied sometime between the Russian Revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall. When Labor introduced legislation to bring its 'Future Made in Australia' industrial policy to fruition in April 2024, Ley referred to the government as 'radical' while Taylor dismissed the policy as a slush fund for the PM to 'pick winners'. But industrial policy is one area where government intervention makes sense. Australia sits below Botswana at 105 out of 133 on the Economic Complexity Index, reflecting overreliance on commodities and underinvestment in innovation and manufacturing compared to other advanced economies. A policy to build sovereign manufacturing capacity and high‑skill jobs in strategically important sectors reflects a 21st-century economic consensus that markets are a means to a societal goal, not an end in themselves. Socialist smears may resonate with rusted-on conservatives, but risk alienating voters the party desperately needs. A 2024 YouGov poll found 53 per cent of Australians aged 18-24 favour a more socialist direction, compared to 22 per cent preferring more capitalism. According to a June Redbridge Group poll, voters aged 65+ were the only cohort in which the Coalition won more votes than Labor at the May election. A paltry 19 per cent of 18-34 year-olds voted Coalition, less than half of those who voted for Labor – a result dubbed a 'youthquake' by Redbridge director and former Liberal Party official Tony Barry. Loading Where to now for a party that defines itself in opposition to a Labor Party that's colonised the political centre? How does the party of 'lower taxes' resonate in a social democracy where overall taxation is already well below the OECD average? Unfortunately for Ley, she has inherited a party lacking the policy hardheads to write the necessary software update. In the wake of the election result, Institute of Public Affairs Senior Fellow John Roskam bemoaned the loss of the 'serious thinkers' at the heart of the party in the 1970s and 1980s. Roskam says the party is verging on 'anti-intellectual' and is lacking the personnel to think critically about how Liberal principles can be adapted to 21st-century realities. Meanwhile, the pews of a once broad church have been gradually purged of moderates since Ian McPhee lost preselection for opposing John Howard's hard-line rhetoric on Asian immigration in the late 1980s. Others followed, among them Julia Banks, John Hewson, Fred Chaney, and former PMs Fraser and Turnbull. Loading What remains is a party with an uninspiring message about small government that airbrushes over Menzies' nation‑building legacy of universities, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and delivering the publicly funded Snowy Mountains Scheme – the largest engineering project in our nation's history. Ley deserves some patience as she tries to rehabilitate the Liberals. She's saying all the right things about 'listening' and addressing issues that concern young people, but uncertain times call for a leader, not populist vessel. We must judge her on whether she can reignite a contest of ideas anchored in sound values and serious policy work. The outcome from her working group on energy and emissions reduction will be a test she cannot afford to fail.
The Age
3 days ago
- Business
- The Age
Hollowed out of thinkers, Sussan Ley's party dreams of nothing other than opposition
As Minister for Energy and Emissions Reduction, Angus Taylor attacked Labor's renewables policy as 'socialist planning' and ignored expert advice to invest in cost-effective fast batteries, instead committing $600 million of public money to a gas power plant in the Hunter Valley already rejected by the market. Costs are now reported to exceed $1 billion. Menzies led the Liberals to power for the first time in 1949 with an anti-socialist platform that attacked the Curtin Labor government's bank nationalisation plans. Now, 75 years on, the party's policy brain appears to have atrophied sometime between the Russian Revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall. When Labor introduced legislation to bring its 'Future Made in Australia' industrial policy to fruition in April 2024, Ley referred to the government as 'radical' while Taylor dismissed the policy as a slush fund for the PM to 'pick winners'. But industrial policy is one area where government intervention makes sense. Australia sits below Botswana at 105 out of 133 on the Economic Complexity Index, reflecting overreliance on commodities and underinvestment in innovation and manufacturing compared to other advanced economies. A policy to build sovereign manufacturing capacity and high‑skill jobs in strategically important sectors reflects a 21st-century economic consensus that markets are a means to a societal goal, not an end in themselves. Socialist smears may resonate with rusted-on conservatives, but risk alienating voters the party desperately needs. A 2024 YouGov poll found 53 per cent of Australians aged 18-24 favour a more socialist direction, compared to 22 per cent preferring more capitalism. According to a June Redbridge Group poll, voters aged 65+ were the only cohort in which the Coalition won more votes than Labor at the May election. A paltry 19 per cent of 18-34 year-olds voted Coalition, less than half of those who voted for Labor – a result dubbed a 'youthquake' by Redbridge director and former Liberal Party official Tony Barry. Loading Where to now for a party that defines itself in opposition to a Labor Party that's colonised the political centre? How does the party of 'lower taxes' resonate in a social democracy where overall taxation is already well below the OECD average? Unfortunately for Ley, she has inherited a party lacking the policy hardheads to write the necessary software update. In the wake of the election result, Institute of Public Affairs Senior Fellow John Roskam bemoaned the loss of the 'serious thinkers' at the heart of the party in the 1970s and 1980s. Roskam says the party is verging on 'anti-intellectual' and is lacking the personnel to think critically about how Liberal principles can be adapted to 21st-century realities. Meanwhile, the pews of a once broad church have been gradually purged of moderates since Ian McPhee lost preselection for opposing John Howard's hard-line rhetoric on Asian immigration in the late 1980s. Others followed, among them Julia Banks, John Hewson, Fred Chaney, and former PMs Fraser and Turnbull. Loading What remains is a party with an uninspiring message about small government that airbrushes over Menzies' nation‑building legacy of universities, the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, and delivering the publicly funded Snowy Mountains Scheme – the largest engineering project in our nation's history. Ley deserves some patience as she tries to rehabilitate the Liberals. She's saying all the right things about 'listening' and addressing issues that concern young people, but uncertain times call for a leader, not populist vessel. We must judge her on whether she can reignite a contest of ideas anchored in sound values and serious policy work. The outcome from her working group on energy and emissions reduction will be a test she cannot afford to fail.
Sky News AU
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Angus Taylor affirms the Coalition's ‘utter commitment' to AUKUS initiative
Shadow Defence Minister Angus Taylor discusses the Opposition's 'complete commitment' to the importance of the AUKUS pact.
Perth Now
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
‘Fickle': Opposition echoes US AUKUS call
Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor says it is wrong to call the Coalition 'fickle' on AUKUS, but that he cannot say the same about Labor. Mr Taylor was asked on Wednesday to respond to comments made by Jerry Hendrix – the man heading a US ship building blitz in line with Donald Trump's mission to 'restore America's maritime dominance'. Mr Hendrix, a retired US Navy captain, has been vocal in his concerns about Australia's commitment to AUKUS, saying last year 'the Australians have been noticeably fickle', as reported overnight by the Sydney Morning Herald. In a separate criticism, he said the 'challenge for AUKUS' is two-fold. 'First there will be a question of whether the Australian government will sustain their commitment across the coming years and change of (governments),' Mr Hendrix posted on social media. 'Second will be whether the US will actually be willing to give up Virginia class boats.' Speaking to Sky News, Mr Taylor said the 'opposition's position on AUKUS is not fickle at all'. 'It is complete and utter commitment to what is an incredibly important initiative, both tranche one and tranche two – the nuclear submarines as well as the associated technology,' he said. Pressed on the criticism, he repeated his defence but suggested it was a fair shot at the Albanese government. 'The opposition's not fickle, that's for sure,' he said. 'I worry that the government – I think it's not just me worried, I think every expert looking at this is making these comments – they're deeply worried that we're not on our way to having the defence force we need in such an uncertain time. 'We've got authoritarian regimes around the world flexing their muscles.' Opposition defence spokesman Angus Taylor has suggested Labor is 'fickle' on AUKUS. Martin Ollman / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia Mr Taylor was also asked about the Netherlands' defence chief warning Australia should lift its military spending in response to the build up in China. General Onno Eichelsheim was in Australia for Talisman Sabre – annual war games hosted by the Australian Defence Force. He said the country should 'get ready for something that you hope will never happen', drawing parallels between Russia's invasion of Ukraine and China's aggression in the Indo-Pacific. 'You should look at the facts that are around you … if Russia tells us that they want to have more, more influence, then take that seriously,' General Eichelsheim told the ABC. 'And if you see in this case in this region, China building up, take it seriously and get ready for something that you hope will never happen. 'If you prepare for war, you can avoid war. And that's how we look at it.' However, he said percentage of GDP was not the most important measure. Responding to the remarks, Mr Taylor said Australia 'definitely' needed to boost defence spending. 'We need to spend that money better,' he said. 'And (the Coalition has) made a commitment already to get to 3 per cent at least and that is exactly what the government should be doing.' Labor has committed billions in extra defence funding over the next decade, which will push it to about 2.3 per cent of GDP by 2034. But Anthony Albanese and his government have firmly rejected the US' call to boost it to 3.5 per cent, adding to friction with Washington.
