Latest news with #Australian-made
Perth Now
18 hours ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Albo's grilling after UK's shock move
Anthony Albanese has been forced to defend AUKUS' snail pace after his British counterpart said the UK would build up to 12 new nuclear-powered boats under a plan to rapidly bolster its 'war-fighting readiness'. Keir Starmer on Monday announced the UK would build the new attack submarines as part of AUKUS and pledged to hike defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2029, including a £15bn ($31.3bn) boost to its nuclear warhead program. The British Prime Minister cited 'war in Europe' and a 'new era of threat'. The submarines would enter service by the late 2030s. Meanwhile, Australia is expected to acquire its first American-made Virginia Class nuclear-powered submarine 'as soon as the early 2030s', while the first Australian-made boat would not be finished until the 2040s. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been grilled on AUKUS after his British counterpart Keir Starmer announced a massive expansion of the UK's nuclear-powered submarine fleet. NewsWire / Handout Credit: NewsWire Mr Albanese on Tuesday shrugged off questions about whether Australia should act 'in line with their allies'. 'What, with the UK? The UK's in a different place from Australia,' Mr Albanese told reporters in Perth. Pressed on when Australia would get its submarines, he said Australia would 'determine our policy here'. 'We're a sovereign nation that needs to have pride in our sovereignty and in our capacity to make decisions in our national interest,' Mr Albanese said. Pressed further, he insisted his government had a 'plan in place'. 'We have a plan, that is for the visiting of submarines from the US and the UK,' Mr Albanese said. 'We also have a plan for Virginias to come here in the 2030s, and we have a plan for manufacturing here as well.' Australia will not get its first American-made Virginia Class submarine until the 'early 2030s'. NewsWire / Pool / Richard Wainwright Credit: Supplied He also defended Labor's defence budget target of 2.3 per cent of GDP by 2033 despite calls from Washington to hike it to 3.5 per cent and defence analysts calling for more cash to strengthen Australia's immediate combat readiness. 'Our goal is to give Australia the capability that it needs,' Mr Albanese said. 'We saw during the election campaign the alternative approach, which was a Coalition that announced $21bn of spending – they couldn't say where the money was coming from or what it was for. 'If people think that's a good idea, that's one road to go down. 'The other road … is identify what's the capability that we need and to provide that investment.' He added that investing in 'relationships in the region' was also 'pretty important'. Mr Albanese says Australia's defence policy is a sovereign matter. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'That's why, when I was in Indonesia, my first visit, not by accident, our near neighbours, where we are in this region, sitting down with President Prabowo, talking about our defence relationship there as well,' Mr Albanese said. 'So we'll continue to invest in our capability and in our relationships.' Australia's military budget came up in a bilateral talks between Defence Minister Richard Marles and his US defence counterpart Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore at the weekend. In a read out, the US Embassy said the two senior officials 'discussed aligning investment to the security environment in the Indo-Pacific, accelerating US force posture initiatives in Australia, advancing defence industrial base co-operation, and creating supply chain resilience'. 'On defence spending, Secretary Hegseth conveyed that Australia should increase its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of its GDP as soon as possible,' the embassy said. Mr Hegseth used his address at the Shangri La Dialogue to warn of an 'imminent' threat from China, saying Beijing could invade Taiwan as early as 2027. Such a move would deal a major blow to global supply of semiconductors and likely 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 told the conference. 'There's no reason to sugar-coat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent. 'We hope not but certainly could be.'
West Australian
18 hours ago
- Business
- West Australian
PM defends AUKUS timeline after UK pledges massive fleet expansion
Anthony Albanese has been forced to defend AUKUS' snail pace after his British counterpart said the UK would build up to 12 new nuclear-powered boats under a plan to rapidly bolster its 'war-fighting readiness'. Keir Starmer on Monday announced the UK would build the new attack submarines as part of AUKUS and pledged to hike defence spending to 3 per cent of GDP by 2029, including a £15bn ($31.3bn) boost to its nuclear warhead program. The British Prime Minister cited 'war in Europe' and a 'new era of threat'. The submarines would enter service by the late 2030s. Meanwhile, Australia is expected to acquire its first American-made Virginia Class nuclear-powered submarine 'as soon as the early 2030s', while the first Australian-made boat would not be finished until the 2040s. Mr Albanese on Tuesday shrugged off questions about whether Australia should act 'in line with their allies'. 'What, with the UK? The UK's in a different place from Australia,' Mr Albanese told reporters in Perth. Pressed on when Australia would get its submarines, he said Australia would 'determine our policy here'. 'We're a sovereign nation that needs to have pride in our sovereignty and in our capacity to make decisions in our national interest,' Mr Albanese said. Pressed further, he insisted his government had a 'plan in place'. 'We have a plan, that is for the visiting of submarines from the US and the UK,' Mr Albanese said. 'We also have a plan for Virginias to come here in the 2030s, and we have a plan for manufacturing here as well.' He also defended Labor's defence budget target of 2.3 per cent of GDP by 2033 despite calls from Washington to hike it to 3.5 per cent and defence analysts calling for more cash to strengthen Australia's immediate combat readiness. 'Our goal is to give Australia the capability that it needs,' Mr Albanese said. 'We saw during the election campaign the alternative approach, which was a Coalition that announced $21bn of spending – they couldn't say where the money was coming from or what it was for. 'If people think that's a good idea, that's one road to go down. 'The other road … is identify what's the capability that we need and to provide that investment.' He added that investing in 'relationships in the region' was also 'pretty important'. 'That's why, when I was in Indonesia, my first visit, not by accident, our near neighbours, where we are in this region, sitting down with President Prabowo, talking about our defence relationship there as well,' Mr Albanese said. 'So we'll continue to invest in our capability and in our relationships.' Australia's military budget came up in a bilateral talks between Defence Minister Richard Marles and his US defence counterpart Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore at the weekend. In a read out, the US Embassy said the two senior officials 'discussed aligning investment to the security environment in the Indo-Pacific, accelerating US force posture initiatives in Australia, advancing defence industrial base co-operation, and creating supply chain resilience'. 'On defence spending, Secretary Hegseth conveyed that Australia should increase its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of its GDP as soon as possible,' the embassy said. Mr Hegseth used his address at the Shangri La Dialogue to warn of an 'imminent' threat from China, saying Beijing could invade Taiwan as early as 2027. Such a move would deal a major blow to global supply of semiconductors and likely 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 told the conference. 'There's no reason to sugar-coat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent. 'We hope not but certainly could be.'
Sky News AU
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
Sooshi Mango's Carlo Salanitri under fire as comedian's role in business behind recalled ‘Ecogenica' green pump revealed
Comedian Carlo Salanitri, best known as a member of comedy troupe Sooshi Mango, has come under fire for his involvement with a business selling a recalled "green" heat pump. Mr Salantiri is the co-owner of four businesses that have benefited from government incentives for green heat pumps, including the Ecogenica brand that sold the EG-215F model, The Daily Telegraph has reported. The EG-215F was recalled in October 2024 over significant safety concerns for consumers, according to the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission's Product Safety website. 'There is a risk of serious injury or death from an electric shock if you open the heat pump unit and come into contact with live electrical components,' the website stated. The product was sold between May 2022 and September 2023 to customers in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Ecogenica's website currently list four heat pump products for sale under its brand and the Econova brand that use 'environmentally friendly' R290 refrigerant propane and are advertised as servicing customers' hot water requirements while also 'looking after the environment'. The Daily Telegraph reported that Australian Securities and Investments Commission documents show Mr Salantiri as the co-owner of three other heat pump brands including 'Econova' established in 2023. The comedian has now distanced himself from business operations, with his name on company records being cited as an 'administrative oversight' by a spokesperson, according to the masthead. The companies previously came under fire after receiving complaints for falsely advertising products as "Australian-made" when they actually manufactured in China, and the Ecogenica later rectified the matter by instead listing the heat pumps as 'Australian-designed'. Mr Salantiri has close to 250,000 followers on Instagram, while his group Sooshi Mango has over 2.3 million fans on the social media platform.
West Australian
7 days ago
- Science
- West Australian
Unlikely suspect caught red-handed over failed rocket launch in Bowen, Qld
An unlikely suspect has been caught red-handed during an investigation to find out what caused an electrical issue that delayed the first Australian-made rocket launch in Queensland. Gilmour Space Technologies was due to launch its 23m Eris rocket on May 15 from a cattle paddock in Bowen, but it was aborted after an issue in the ground support system was identified. It was set to launch again the following day, but an electrical issue triggered the system to open the rocket's nose cone. Gilmour Space posted a photo of a suspect cockatoo chewing electrical wires at its launch pad in Bowen. 'Not saying this is the root cause of our electrical issues … but we're not ruling him out,' a spokesman said in the post. The post has been flooded with comments from people saying, 'Lucky he didn't launch, could have turned into a flamin' galah.' 'Only an Sulphur crested could stop a rocket from launching,' another person said. 'So computers have bugs and rockets have cockatoos,' a person commented. 'New thunder bird in Action!' another said. 'The single most destructive parrot/cockatoo of all time.' The test flight would have been the first time an Australian-made rocket had been launched into orbit, carrying a jar of Vegemite of course. A new launch window will be announced by the company once confirmed. Gilmour Space chief executive officer Adam Gilmour said the good news was their team and rocket were both fine. 'While we're disappointed by the delay, we're already working through a resolution and expect to be back on the pad soon,' he said. 'This is all part of the journey.'
Perth Now
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Bizarre reason for rocket launch delay
An unlikely suspect has been caught red-handed during an investigation to find out what caused an electrical issue that delayed the first Australian-made rocket launch in Queensland. Gilmour Space Technologies was due to launch its 23m Eris rocket on May 15 from a cattle paddock in Bowen, but it was aborted after an issue in the ground support system was identified. It was set to launch again the following day, but an electrical issue triggered the system to open the rocket's nose cone. An electrical issue forced a planned rocket launch to be delayed. Supplied Credit: News Corp Australia Gilmour Space posted a photo of a suspect cockatoo chewing electrical wires at its launch pad in Bowen. 'Not saying this is the root cause of our electrical issues … but we're not ruling him out,' a spokesman said in the post. The post has been flooded with comments from people saying, 'Lucky he didn't launch, could have turned into a flamin' galah.' 'Only an Sulphur crested could stop a rocket from launching,' another person said. 'So computers have bugs and rockets have cockatoos,' a person commented. 'New thunder bird in Action!' another said. 'The single most destructive parrot/cockatoo of all time.' A cockatoo has copped the blame for a failed rocket launch. Gilmour Space Technologies Credit: Supplied The test flight would have been the first time an Australian-made rocket had been launched into orbit, carrying a jar of Vegemite of course. A new launch window will be announced by the company once confirmed. Gilmour Space chief executive officer Adam Gilmour said the good news was their team and rocket were both fine. 'While we're disappointed by the delay, we're already working through a resolution and expect to be back on the pad soon,' he said. 'This is all part of the journey.'
