Latest news with #Aukus
The Guardian
17 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Poll underlines Aukus doubts, YouTube ban for children, UK to recognise Palestine
Morning everyone. Our Essential poll published today shows grows growing scepticism with the Aukus nuclear submarine deal and whether it will make Australia more secure. Plus, the government has declared a change of heart on whether YouTube should fall under the proposed social media ban for under-16s, Naplan results reveal the state of our education system, the UK says it will recognise a Palestinian state, and there's a tough draw for the Matildas in next year's home Asian Cup. YouTube ban | Children will be banned from having YouTube accounts from December, with the federal government backflipping on an earlier decision to exempt the video platform from the national under-16s social media restrictions. Essential poll | The majority of Australians believe the defence force will never receive the Aukus submarines as doubts grow over America's commitment to the military pact and the reliability of the US president, Donald Trump. The analyst Peter Lewis says this is the latest evidence of a shift in opinion in Australia and that 'convening our own review and asking own pointed questions seems to be the least we should do'. 'It's 2025' | The Liberal National party MP Terry Young has rubbished the opposition's push for gender quotas, drawing a rebuke from Labor that his Tony Abbott-style comments showed that the parties were out of touch. Naplan failings | One in three students have failed to meet Naplan benchmarks, according to the results of this year's tests released this morning, as thousands of disadvantaged students continue to fall through the cracks. But this heartwarming story proves there's more to good education than test results. DV failures | Family violence services are regularly failing to contact offenders who have been referred to them for support, a Victorian coroner investigating the death of a woman who was murdered by her estranged husband has found. 'Intolerable' | The UK will formally recognise the state of Palestine this September as a result of the 'increasingly intolerable' situation in Gaza unless Israel abides by a ceasefire and commits to a two-state solution. In Israel, 31 leading public figures called in a letter to the Guardian for 'crippling sanctions' on their own country as UN experts warn of a 'worst-case' famine in Gaza. And could the US right could be turning on Tel Aviv? Tariff truce | US and Chinese negotiators have agreed in principle to push back the deadline for escalating tariffs, although America's representatives said any extension would need Donald Trump's approval. Mob attack | A Jewish father and his six-year-old son have been targeted by a mob at a service station near Milan in the latest of a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents across Europe. NFL shooting link | The gunman identified in the mass shooting in New York on Monday that killed four victims left a note complaining that playing American football had given him the brain injury known as CTE, and police are investigating whether he was targeting the NFL offices. Ad backlash | An ad campaign from American Eagle starring the US actor Sydney Sweeney is facing a backlash, with some critics alleging that the brand's punny use of the phrase 'great jeans' is a coded promotion of eugenics. Why the Australian Greens expelled their cofounder Queensland state reporter Joe Hinchcliffe tells Nour Haydar why the Greens have terminated Drew Hutton's life membership over a debate the party considers harmful to trans people, but which Hutton has framed as an issue of free speech. Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen $ This year's Booker prize longlist – published overnight – is the most global for many years, with authors from nine different countries chosen by the judges such as Kiran Desai, Tash Aw and David Szalay – although there are none from Australia. One of those judges, Sarah Jessica Parker (pictured), could be conflicted because a production company run by the actor is reportedly in the process of developing a book on the list by Claire Adam. Have you always wanted to make focaccia but are too worried that it'll be a disaster? Well, Sarah Pound is here to help with a base recipe that 'could not be easier' and has no tricky techniques or secrets. And there are four simple suggested toppings. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion Swimming | Australia's backstroke star Kaylee McKeown has overcome an injury scare to capture another world title, edging out her edge her great rival and world record holder, American Regan Smith. Football | The Matildas have been pitted against the team that ended their last Women's Asian Cup campaign, facing South Korea in the group stage of the 2026 tournament along with the Philippines and Iran. Rugby union | The Wallabies can't save the series after the controversial loss of the second Test but they can save face when they face the Lions in Sydney on Saturday, writes Angus Fontaine. A 'fatal loophole' in regulations has paved the way for lethal e-scooters and e-bikes on the streets of New South Wales and Victoria, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Westpac's boss has told Jim Chalmers that Labor could win more conservative votes if it ended tax bracket creep and boosted housing supply, the Australian reports. Faith in Victoria police is at an all-time low, the Herald Sun says, and looks at what the new chief of the force has to do. Queensland's teachers have voted to strike next week over an insulting pay offer, the Courier Mail reports. Economy | The latest inflation figures are released by the ABS at 11.30am. Sydney | CCA appeal judgment as crown appeals sentence for former police officer Kristian White who Tasered a 95-year-old dementia patient. Business | Atlassian's Scott Farquhar speaks at the National Press Club at 11.30am. Enjoying the Morning Mail? Then you'll love our Afternoon Update newsletter. Sign up here to finish your day with a three-minute snapshot of the day's main news, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword
The Guardian
19 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
All the way with Donald J? Albanese's second term will be defined by how he handles the elephant in the room
The 47th parliament of Australia is upon us and, amid the shiny new Labor faces, ashen opposition, bemused independents and solitary Green, there's a giant elephant in the middle of the chamber. The second Albanese government that will lead Australia over the next three years will do so in parallel to the Trump White House. How the PM manages this mammoth task will go a long way to determining his legacy. We know Australians have little love for Trump; the recent election was a clear vote for stability against the chaos of the reactive, populist politics he embodies. But while the people have spoken, turbulence is inevitable when coexisting with such a large and unpredictable beast. This week's Guardian Essential Report suggests that Albanese is hitting the right notes so far; neither kowtowing nor cock-strutting, seeking sober engagement with the US while modelling a more constructive relationship with our largest trading partner, China. Trump's tariff torpedoes have been a first test of Australian resolve and, while the beef over biosecurity was resolved while our poll was in the field, there is still strong appetite for drawing lines around pharmaceuticals, media and tech, all potential battlefields to maintain our democratic sovereignty. But even if Albanese can manage the trade maze and maybe even pare back some of the impost on steel and aluminium, this is just the pointy end of our relationship with the elephant. The trunk is the Aukus defence agreement forged, we should remember, by Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and 'that fella down under', before the 2022 federal election. That deal was to allow Australia to access US-UK nuclear technology delivering long-range submarines as a part of a broader defence integration with the dominant colonial powers of the previous two centuries. In return we pay eye-watering sums of money to retool British ship-making and provide regular (shake) downpayments to the US (we delivered another $800m last week). In opposition, the Labor leadership made the snap decision to back in Aukus, making the totally rational short-term calculation that they did not want to allow an unpopular incumbent to run a drums of war election. But Australians are now shackled to this agreement as it begins to unravel, with growing doubts emerging as to whether it will ever deliver a single submarine and suspicions it is more about expanding the US nuclear footprint in the region. And it's not just the weapons. Aukus will also see the integration of the American model of surveillance technology, designed and delivered by the same overlords and hucksters who have integrated their interests into the US military-industrial complex. The elephant in the room is about more than Trump. US power has been exercised so fully for the last 80 years that Australia's interests have become synonymous (apart from Gough Whitlam's ultimately futile crack at independence in the 1970s). In the name of the alliance, we gratefully accepted US protection in the second world war, cheered them on through the cold war, absorbed American culture and values while turning a blind eye to the overthrow of scores of democratically elected governments from Chile to Iran. But as defence analyst Hugh White argues in his recent Quarterly Essay, the times are a-changing; Biden had already moved to a more isolationist posture and 'in a strange, sad way Trump is doing us a favour' by saying this out loud. 'That makes it even more urgent now for Australia to work out how to make our way, for the first time in our history in an Asia no longer made safe for us by a great and powerful friend,' White writes. Even as Trump dominates our attention, diplomatic separation is occurring in real time with Australia inching, far too slowly, towards more decisive action with other middle powers in recognising the ongoing slaughter and starvation in Gaza. A final question in this week's report suggests voters sense this recalibration is under way, with a significant turnaround in the numbers who see our fortunes more closely tied to China. So how do you eat an elephant? As the great South African freedom leader Bishop Desmond Tutu used to say: 'One bite at a time.' With the US and UK already reviewing the Aukus agreement to see how much more they can squeeze out of us, convening our own review and asking own pointed questions seems to be the least we should do. What are the benefits and costs? Are we seeking (to quote Paul Keating) security in Asia or from Asia? And is it really in our interests to become more fully integrated into the US industrial-military-tech complex? Once we've set those parameters we can confront the more fundamental question about our US relationship: are we a member of the family, a trusted partner, a valued client or just somebody they used to know? Maybe the answer will indeed be 'All the Way with Donald J'; but if so, let's do it with open eyes (and open wallets) and a clear understanding of the opportunities and risks inherent in taking this path. The PM begins his second term with an overwhelming majority and capacity to do great things on energy transition, health services, economic equality and so much more. But until he addresses the elephant in the room the government will never truly be his own. Peter Lewis is the executive director of Essential, a progressive strategic communications and research company that undertook research for Labor in the 2025 election and conducts qualitative research for Guardian Australia. He is the host of Per Capita's Burning Platforms podcast
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Guardian Essential poll: most Australians doubt we will ever receive Aukus submarines amid Trump uncertainty
The majority of Australians believe the defence force will never receive the Aukus submarines, as doubts grow over America's commitment to the military pact and the reliability of the US president, Donald Trump. The latest Guardian Essential poll gives a lukewarm assessment of Sussan Ley's first months as opposition leader, with voters evenly split between approval, disapproval and those who 'don't know'. While Anthony Albanese remains in his post-election honeymoon period, some voters say Australia should be prepared to negotiate with the US on medicines, biosecurity and crackdowns on tech giants to get a better deal on tariffs. The Guardian Essential poll of 1,012 voters found 38% of voters thought the Aukus submarine deal would make Australia more secure, 21% thought it would make Australia less secure, and 41% thought it would not affect Australia's security. The sentiments were broadly similar to results when that question was last asked a year ago. Sign up: AU Breaking News email But when asked how likely that the US would deliver nuclear submarines to Australia, only 6% said it was very likely, and another 34% said quite likely, while 60% said they thought it was not likely. The US is conducting a review of Aukus amid doubts about America's shipbuilding capacity. Australia will buy three to five secondhand Virginia class nuclear submarines from America in the 2030s, before the new Aukus submarines start rolling off production lines in Australian shipyards. But US submarine fleet numbers are a quarter below their target, with the country producing boats at just over half the rate it needs to service its own defence requirements. The US Navy estimates it needs to build Virginia-class submarines at a rate of 2.00 a year to meet its own defence requirements, and about 2.33 to have enough boats to sell any to Australia. It is building Virginia-class submarines at a rate of about 1.13 a year, senior admirals say. Just 40% of poll respondents thought Australia had a positive relationship with the US, down from 65% the last time this question was asked in November 2023 when Joe Biden was president. That figure compared to 69% of voters believing Australia had a positive relationship with the United Kingdom, 59% with the European Union and Pacific nations, and 31% with China. Trump on Tuesday indicated he may pursue higher base tariff rates. While Australia is still seeking exemptions or favourable deals on key exports, most voters want the government to stick by key policy positions – but a large number think some should be up for negotiation. About 60% of voters want Australia to stand by the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, but 31% say we should be prepared to negotiate and 9% think we should scrap it to avoid higher tariffs; 57% favour standing by the social media ban, with 42% saying it should be negotiated or scrapped; on biosecurity, 54% say current settings should stay, but 45% say negotiate or scrap those rules. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The numbers were higher for proposed new rules on American companies, with 47% saying Australia should negotiate or scrap plans to make American companies pay more tax here, and only 46% saying the government should stand by its plan to make tech platforms pay for local news under the mooted news media bargaining incentive. Separately, 31% of voters say Australia should consider levelling our own tariffs on the US, while 45% say we should prioritise staying on good terms with Trump and keep negotiating for exemptions. Staying with international affairs, only 15% of Australians believe Israel is justified in continuing its military action in Gaza. Some 41% of voters want Israel to permanently withdraw its military action, while 25% want a temporary ceasefire. In Ley's first Essential poll on her performance, 33% of Australians approved of the job she was doing, with 35% disapproving. The remainder, around a third of voters, answered 'don't know'. Albanese retains his net positive approval rating in the first poll of his second term. Half of voters approved of the job he is doing, with 41% disapproving, for a net approval of +8.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Australia won't receive Aukus nuclear submarines unless US doubles shipbuilding, admiral warns
The US cannot sell any Virginia-class nuclear submarines to Australia without doubling its production rate, because it is making too few for its own defence, the navy's nominee for chief of operations has told Congress. There are 'no magic beans' to boosting the US's sclerotic shipbuilding capacity, Admiral Daryl Caudle said in frank evidence before a Senate committee. The US's submarine fleet numbers are a quarter below their target, US government figures show, and the country is producing boats at just over half the rate it needs to service its own defence requirements. Testifying before the Senate Committee on Armed Services as part of his confirmation process to serve as the next chief of naval operations, Caudle lauded Royal Australian Navy sailors as 'incredible submariners', but said the US would not be able to sell them any boats – as committed under the Aukus pact – without a '100% improvement' on shipbuilding rates. The US Navy estimates it needs to be building Virginia-class submarines at a rate of 2.00 a year to meet its own defence requirements, and about 2.33 to have enough boats to sell any to Australia. It is currently building Virginia-class submarines at a rate of about 1.13 a year, senior admirals say. 'Australia's ability to conduct undersea warfare is not in question,' Caudle said, 'but as you know the delivery pace is not what it needs to be to make good on the pillar one of the Aukus agreement which is currently under review by our defence department'. Caudle said efficiency gains or marginal improvements would not be sufficient to 'make good on the actual pact that we made with the UK and Australia, which is … around 2.2 to 2.3 Virginia-class submarines per year'. 'That is going to require a transformational improvement; not a 10% improvement, not a 20% improvement but a 100% improvement,' he said. Sign up: AU Breaking News email Under pillar one of the Aukus agreement, Australia is scheduled to buy between three and five Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US, starting in 2032. The UK will build the first Aukus-class submarine for its navy by 'the late 2030s'. The first Australian-built Aukus boat will be in the water 'in the early 2040s'. Aukus is forecast to cost Australia up to $368bn over 30 years. US goodwill towards Australia, or the import of the US-alliance, would be irrelevant to any decision to sell submarines: Aukus legislation prohibits the US selling Australia any submarine if that would weaken US naval strength. Australia has already paid $1.6bn out of an expected total of $4.7bn (US$3bn) to help the US boost its flagging shipbuilding industry. But the US itself has been pouring money into its shipbuilding yards, without noticeable effect. A joint statement on 'the state of nuclear shipbuilding' issued by three rear admirals in April noted that while Congress had committed an additional US$5.7bn to lift wages and shipyard productivity, 'we have not observed the needed and expected ramp-up in Columbia-class and Virginia-class submarine production rates necessary'. Caudle, himself a career submariner, said the US would need 'creativity, ingenuity, and some outsourcing improvements' if it were to meet its shipbuilding demands and produce 2.3 Virginia-class vessels a year. 'There are no magic beans to that,' he told the Senate hearing. 'There's nothing that's just going to make that happen. So the solution space has got to open up.' The former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, who first reported on Caudle's testimony to the Senate, told the Guardian that there was 'no shortage of goodwill towards Australia' from the US in relation to Aukus, but the realities of a shortfall of submarines meant there was a 'very, very high' probability that Virginia-class submarines would never arrive under Australian control. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Turnbull said the language coming from US naval experts was 'framing expectations realistically', essentially saying that, without dramatic reform, the US could not sell any of its Virginia-class boats. With the Collins class nearing the end of their service lives, and the Aukus submarine design and build facing delays in the UK, Australia could be left without any submarine capability for a decade, potentially two, Turnbull argued. 'The risk of us not getting any Virginia-class submarines is – objectively – very, very high. The real question is why is the government not acknowledging that … and why is there no plan B? What are they doing to acquire alternative capabilities in the event of the Virginias not arriving?' Turnbull – who, as prime minister, had signed the diesel-electric submarine deal with French giant Naval that was unilaterally abandoned in favour of the Aukus agreement in 2021 – argued the Australian government, parliament and media had failed to properly interrogate the Aukus deal. 'When you compare the candour and the detail of the disclosure that the US Congress gets from the Department of the Navy, and the fluff we get here, it's a disgrace. Our parliament has the most at stake, but is the least curious, and the least informed. On Friday, the defence minister, Richard Marles, told reporters in Sydney 'work on Aukus continues apace'. 'We continue to work very closely … with the United States in progressing the optimal pathway to Australia acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine capability,' he said. 'In respect of the production and maintenance schedule in the United States, we continue to make our financial contributions to that industrial base.' Marles cited the $1.6bn paid to the US to boost its shipbuilding industry already this year, with further payments to come, and said that 120 Australian tradespeople were currently working on sustaining Virginia-class submarines in Pearl Harbor. 'All of that work continues and we are really confident that the production rates will be raised in America, which is very much part of the ambition of Aukus.' The Guardian put a series of questions to Marles's office about Caudle's Senate testimony.
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
Australia Signs Defense Pact With UK
Happy Monday, it's Carmeli in Sydney here to bring you all the latest news to start your week. Today's must-reads: • Australia and the UK sign submarine pact • Australia strengthens India trade • EU wins lowered 15% tariff rate from US Australia and the UK signed a landmark 50-year defense treaty on Saturday to underpin the construction of nuclear-powered submarines, senior ministers from both nations said. Both sides stressed that the treaty doesn't impact the Aukus security partnership between Australia, the UK and the US — currently under review by the Trump administration.
