Latest news with #JacquiLambie
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- Politics
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‘False hope': Lambie's Palestine warning
Recognising Palestine while Hamas controls much of Gaza is a recipe for 'false hope', independent senator Jacqui Lambie has warned as Anthony Albanese mulls over taking the step. The Prime Minister is 'actively considering' recognising Palestine as a state, with a decision to come this week, a diplomatic source familiar with discussions has told NewsWire. France, the UK and Canada have all announced plans to conditionally recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly next month. The news of Australia's consideration comes just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that recognition would only 'bring war' – a concern that Senator Lambie shared. 'Not sure what they're hoping to accomplish out of this whole mission because the bottom line is, while you still have terrorists in your backward, nothing will change,' she told Sky News. 'There's no goodwill coming from a terrorist group, so while you're taking your eye off that situation, all you're doing is that terrorist group is rebuilding.' The Prime Minister's Office did not refute that Mr Albanese was considering recognition and pointed to his comments in New Zealand at the weekend. 'I've said it's a matter of when, not if,' he told reporters on Saturday, alongside Kiwi counterpart Christopher Luxon. 'I think overwhelmingly Australians want to see two things. 'One is they want to see a ceasefire. They want to see the killing stop, they want to see hostages released, they want to see peace in the region. 'The second thing they want is they don't want conflict brought to Australia either.' He said that 'for a long period of time there's been a bipartisan position in Australia of support for two states'. 'And that of course was the vision that was envisaged when in 1947 the United Nations made the decision that they did,' Mr Albanese said, referring to the creation of Israel. 'It wasn't the creation of one state, and so we'll continue to play a role.' 'Shameful' Overnight, Mr Netnayahu blasted Australian government protests against the war in Gaza, calling them 'shameful' and saying they 'buy into' Hamas propaganda. The Israeli leader held a press conference in English to set the record straight, as he sees it, after Western allies, including Australia, condemned his plan to occupy all of Gaza. An Australian journalist asked Mr Netanyahu if his Western counterparts, who consistently support the Israel's right to defend itself, 'are now struggling to stomach what they're seeing you and your military doing in Gaza'. 'First of all, those who say that Israel has a right to defend itself are also saying, 'but don't exercise that right,' when we do what any country would do, faced with this genocidal terrorist organisation that has performed the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust,' Mr Netanyahu responded. The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israel in 2023. Militants killed more than 1200 in the shock assault, slaughtering entire families. Much of the violence was celebrated by perpetrators and sympathisers online. Israel's furious response has decimated Hamas, but also killed tens of thousands of civilians in the process. Most of the innocents killed are women, children and the elderly. Mr Netanyahu insisted his country is 'actually applying force judiciously', adding that critics in Canberra 'know it'. 'They know what they would do if right next to Melbourne, or right next to Sydney, you had this horrific attack,' he said. 'I think you would do at least what we're doing, probbably … not as efficiently and as precisely as we're doing it. 'We've lost quite a few soldiers in that effort.' Mr Netanyahu went on to address the global momentum for recognition of a Palestinian state. He said the 'Jewish public is … against the Palestinian state for the simple reason that they know it won't bring peace', pointing to a recent vote in the country's parliament that overwhelmingly rejected the idea. 'It'll bring war,' Mr Netanyahu said, directly countering rhetoric put forward by the Albanese government. 'To have European countries and Australia march into that … rabbit hole just like that, fall right into it and buy, this canard is disappointing, and I think it's actually shameful. 'But it's not going to … change our position. 'Again, we will not commit national suicide to get to get a good op-ed for two minutes. We won't do that.' Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Matt Thistlethwaite disputed Mr Netanyahu's read of Australia's concerns. Speaking to Sky News, he noted that 'tens of thousands of Israelis marched in the streets and protested on the weekend against their government'. 'They're saying enough is enough, that the starvation, the continued holding of hostages by Hamas, has to stop,' Mr Thistlewaite said. 'And the only way to work towards that is to work towards a ceasefire that involves the release of those hostages and takes this opportunity to permanently try to resolve this issue.'
Daily Mail
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Jacqui Lambie lashes out a Donald Trump in extraordinary rant: 'We don't owe you anything'
Independent Senator Jacqui Lambie has warned that Australia's military should not get involved in any war in the Middle East after the Albanese government backed US military attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. Senator Lambie spoke out after US President Donald Trump 's decision to 'obliterate' Iran 's nuclear facilities on Sunday. Senator Lambie said the military attacks destroyed any trust between the US and Iran, and issued a warning to Trump. 'You just put your shoe in the water there, your toes in the water there, and you're back in that war,' Sen Lambie told Channel Nine's Today show on Monday. 'But what I will say is this - we certainly can't back you up this time, and we don't owe you anything.' Sen Lambie also believes that Australia's military is not 'fit for purpose'. 'It'll be 10 years before this country can commit troops that are fully fit, ready to go,' she said. 'We've got no idea where this is going, we've got no idea where this is going to end up, and on the other side we have Ukraine and Russia still going on.' The Albanese government dramatically shifted its tone on the US strikes on Monday morning. On Sunday, a government spokesperson offered no endorsement of the US decision to target Iranian nuclear facilities, instead calling for 'de-escalation, dialogue, and diplomacy'. But after the Coalition offered its full support for the 'proactive action', Foreign Minister Penny Wong came out in support of Trump's military intervention. 'The world has agreed Iran cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. So yes, we support action to prevent that. And that is what this is,' Senator Wong told ABC's News Breakfast. 'The big question is, now what? And Australia says, like so many other countries, we do not want escalation and a full-scale war, and we continue to call for dialogue and diplomacy.' When asked about the legality of the strikes, Senator Wong said: 'I think we are all clear that Iran… cannot be allowed to get a nuclear weapon. So yes, the government does support action to prevent that.' Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison slammed Albanese for failing to speak publicly in the 24 hours after the US strike on Iranian nuclear facilities.
ABC News
02-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
Jacqui Lambie surprised by Labor's campaign turnaround, as final Senate term ambitions revealed
Jacqui Lambie is settling in for a final six years, having successfully seen off a challenge for her federal Senate seat. Senator Lambie faced a nervous three-week wait for the distribution of preferences after the federal election on May 3. "I was more worried about Labor because the numbers, I'm thinking, 'Oh my goodness, they might win that third seat back,'" she told ABC Radio Hobart Mornings. Senator Lambie was eventually elected fifth, after a four-way contest for the final two seats between herself, re-elected Liberal senator Richard Colbeck, Labor, and One Nation's Lee Hanson, daughter of party founder Pauline Hanson. Senator Lambie said her campaign was hampered by a shortage of resources, lamenting a lack of money and volunteers. The Jacqui Lambie Network's 7.92 per cent vote share was down from the party's 2019 result of 8.92 per cent. It was also lower than in the 2022 election, when lead candidate Tammy Tyrell was elected. Senator Lambie put that down to Labor's campaign. "I don't think anything I could have done more or less of would have made any difference for me," she said. "I could see Labor coming home really strong, especially in that last two to two and a half weeks. In recent years, Senator Lambie has weighed in on some divisive Tasmanian issues, voicing strong views in her distinctive colourful way. At a 2023 rally opposing plans for a stadium on Hobart's waterfront, she told Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff to "stick it up your bum". She's also become a vocal opponent of salmon farming in Tasmanian waters. Senator Lambie denied these views have taken a toll on her popularity. She pointed to a majority of Tasmanians "against that stadium with the roof". Senator Lambie also defended her decision to run Jacqui Lambie Network candidates in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia, saying it wasn't a distraction. Her candidates included former senator Rex Patrick, who joined the JLN as part of his attempt to win back the seat he lost in 2022. "They had to raise their own money … that did not come from me, they had to stand on their own two feet." The Jacqui Lambie Network won three seats at last year's Tasmanian state election, however the party imploded within months, with only one MP remaining. Senator Lambie, a former member of the Australian Army, said she was certain this would be her final Senate term. "We've just had a bit of a change to the doctor with my back and yeah, I am struggling a little bit physically from my time in service and under DVA (Department of Veterans Affairs). "I think it'll be 16 years [I've] done up by then. In her final term, Senator Lambie flagged pushing for Tasmanian issues, including the proposed Macquarie Point stadium and Tasmania's mounting debt, to feature on the national stage. "You can only print so much money, that really bothers me, especially for our children and our grandchildren," she said. She also said royalties earned from Western Australia's mining sector should be shared more evenly around the nation.
News.com.au
02-06-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Australian Defence Force needs ‘waste' cuts, not more cash: Jacqui Lambie
Australia should be looking to cut 'waste' in the Australian Defence Force before looking to pump more cash into it, independent senator Jacqui Lambie says. Senator Lambie on Monday reacted to the Trump administration calling on Canberra to boost the defence budget amid increased Chinese aggression the Indo-Pacific. A veteran and fierce advocate for the ADF, Senator Lambie quipped that the Albanese government should 'just ask Donald Trump to give us their money back for our submarines mate'. 'It'd be nice to lift our defence spending – there is no doubt about that,' she told Sky News. 'Things are pretty tough out there at the moment, but I think it's more the waste. 'We waste so much money in defence procurement, and that's where we should be looking.' Senator Lambie pointed to the drawn-out build timelines for the AUKUS submarines. Under the trilateral defence pact, Australia is set to build five of the nuclear-powered boats in South Australia. The first is expected to be finished by the early 2040s. 'You've only got to see those submarines,' Senator Lambie said. 'Four billion dollars so far – we haven't got one scrap of bloody steel sitting in a harbour yet ready to go. 'I mean, that is just disgusting waste at its best.' Washington's call for Australia to step up military spending came from a bilateral meeting between Defence Minister Richard Marles and his US defence counterpart Pete Hegseth. The two senior officials met over the weekend on the sidelines of the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore over the weekend. My first bilateral meeting at the 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue was with @SecDef, our second catch up since he stepped into the role earlier this year. We discussed avenues for further economic and security cooperation, and our unwavering commitment to the Indo-Pacific. — Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) May 30, 2025 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.' Asked what Australia could do in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, Senator Lambie replied: 'I don't know, have you seen the size of the Chinese army? 'That's the first thing, and the second thing is this – have you seen the condition that ours is in?' 'We have a personnel crisis in our military, and something needs to be done. 'The only way young people are going to go and join is when people in that uniform go out there and brag how great that job (is).' She said the recruitment crisis was 'the biggest problem you have with our national security right now'. 'People do not want to join defence, and people do not want to stay in,' Senator Lambie said. She also said Australian troops were 'not in the condition to being in a war zone'. Labor has pushed back against Mr Hegseth's call to lift the defence budget, with Anthony Albanese saying his government was already spending record amounts on the military. Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Matt Thistlethwaite on Monday echoed the Prime Minister. 'We are increasing our defence spending over the course of the next three years,' Mr Thistlethwaite told Sky News. 'Defence spending increases by about 10½ billion dollars and about $50bn over the course of the next decade.' Mr Thistlethwaite added that the Albanese government was increasing defence spending to '2½ per cent of GDP', including through AUKUS. The Trump administration's demand came just days after a leading defence think tank said Australia must bolster its immediate readiness to go to war or risk having a 'paper ADF'. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute warned that while Labor was spending on longer-term projects it was not pumping nearly enough cash into keeping Australia combat-ready in the near term.
Sky News AU
02-06-2025
- Business
- Sky News AU
Jacqui Lambie lashes US defence spend request and points to ADF ‘personnel crisis' as primary national security concern
Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie has hit out at the US President and his Defence Secretary's request to Australia for additional military spending and pointed to the Australian Defence Force's 'personnel crisis' as the country's main national security issue. Defence Minister Richard Marles met with US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore last week to discuss the key priorities of the US-Australia alliance in the face of a potential Chinese offensive in Taiwan within the next two years. The figure of 3.5 per cent of GDP was revealed by a US Department of Defence readout released on Sunday as the amount requested for Australia to increase its spending to, a major increase from the Albanese government's prospect of 2.33 per cent. Speaking to Sky News on Monday morning, Ms Lambie said the additional funding would be a 'disgusting waste' of money. Senator Jacqui Lambie has hit out at US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth's request for additional military spending and pointed to the ADF 'personnel crisis' as Australia's primary national security concern. Picture: NewsWire/ David Clark 'Just ask Donald Trump to give us our money back for our submarines, mate,' Ms Lambie said. 'But look, now it'd be nice to lift our defence spending, there is no doubt about that, things are pretty tough out there at the moment but … we waste so much money in defence procurement and that's where we should be looking. 'You've only got to see those submarines, mate. Four billion dollars so far and we haven't got one scrap of bloody steel sitting in a harbour yet ready to go. I mean, that is just disgusting waste at its best.' Ms Lambie said there was a 'personnel crisis' with hiring and retention in the ADF which the Tasmanian MP considered the 'biggest problem' concerning Australia's national security. Asked what Australia should do about China's potential invasion of Taiwan by 2027, and whether Hegseth's request from Australia was justified, Ms Lambie compared the Australian army with China's PLA. 'I don't know, have you seen the size of the Chinese army? That's the first thing. And the second thing is this, have you seen the condition that ours is in?' she said. 'This is a problem that we've had … We have a personnel crisis in our military and something needs to be done. 'The only way young people are gonna go and join is when people in that uniform go out there and brag how great that job is. And right now, until you get the right mentoring, and you get right leadership in our defence, that is not going to turn around tomorrow.' Ms Lambie said there was a 'personnel crisis' with hiring and retention in the ADF which the Tasmanian MP considered the 'biggest problem' concerning Australia's national security. Picture: Annette Dew Assistant Foreign Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said the Australian government was increasing its defence spend by $50 billion over the decade, which included the AUKUS agreement. Pictured is US nuclear-powered submarine USS Minnesota in Darwin Harbour. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin Hegseth nudged Australia over the weekend to boost funding to 3.5 per cent of GDP and warned China could make a move on Taiwan by 2027 – a timeline Sky News considered in its documentary Are We Ready For War? In his address at the summit, Mr Hegseth echoed the Trump administration's motto of maintaining 'peace through strength' and stressed the importance of restoring the 'warrior ethos'. "There's no reason to sugar coat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent," Mr Hegseth said, in some of his strongest comments on the Communist nation since he took office in January. Asked what help Australia could give to the US, Ms Lambie said she did not believe there was 'much'. 'We are absolutely exhausted. 20 years we followed them into the Middle East. We are still picking up the pieces from that and we will be picking that up, I reckon, for the next five years, without doubt,' she said. 'Right now, our troops are not in the condition to be in a war zone. Okay, maybe peacekeeping, but sure as hell not in a War Zone, mate. No way in hell.' Assistant Foreign Minister Matt Thistlethwaite joined Sky News and said the Australian government was increasing its defence spend over the next three years by $10.5 billion and $50 billion over the decade, which included the AUKUS agreement. 'We'll make decisions based on what we believe is in Australia's best interest. But we're doing that in partnership with our most important strategic allies. And that includes the United States and the UK,' he said. In response, Liberal Senator Hollie Hughes said 3.5 per cent was a 'considerable jump' in defence spending but argued that she did not think Australians could currently put their hand on their hearts and 'feel confident'. 'This is a government who had absolutely no idea that China was performing live fire exercises off our coast or having spy ships circumnavigate around our nation. The federal government has two roles, keeping the national economy strong and keeping Australians safe,' she said. 'The reality, is our part of the world, Indo-Pacific, is where there is a lot of action, a lot of concerns and a lot of muscling up by China.' Ms Hughes said the Prime Minister 'might like being Beijing's handsome boy' but he needed to 'stand up for Australians' and ensure defence was prepared for the worst. 'The Prime Minister is more interested in removing HECS debt to buy votes as opposed to investing in our nation's future,' she said. 'I think this government needs to have a serious look at what its priorities are to keep Australians safe, both economically and strategically in defence.' Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI) defence strategy senior analyst Malcolm Davis said Mr Hegseth's intervention in Australia's military budget benchmark was 'perfectly correct' and referenced his organisation's report which suggested making 3 per cent the minimum. Mr Davis said the Defence Secretary's call to increase defence spending 'as soon as possible' was due to the 'dire' strategic circumstances Australia faced. 'We can't afford to say, 'oh, well, we'll get to 3 or 3. 5 per cent in 10 years'. No, it's got to be in the year or so, because the strategic circumstances that we're facing are so dire, so dangerous, that we cannot afford a leisurely rise up to 2.33 per cent, which is what the government's talking about, let alone anything more,' he said. Dr Davis said China was 'deadly serious' about moving on Taiwan as its military has undergone rapid modernisation, rehearsals for blockading Taiwan, as well as President Xi Jinping telling the People's Liberation Army it needed to 'be ready to invade' by 2027. In light of Ms Lambie's comments, that the ADF was depleted in personnel and resources, the ASPI defence strategy expert said Australia could still do an 'awful lot' if China jumped on Taiwan and the US asked for help. 'We can offer Australian military bases for the US and its allies to operate from. We're going to have US submarines operating out of Fremantle as part of Submarine Rotation Force-West under AUKUS. We can boost our investment in the guided weapons and explosive ordnance enterprise to start producing munitions at a much more rapid rate than what is currently planned for. 'And we can actually operate alongside in a combat role with certain types of military forces that we already have in terms of air power, strike operations and special forces. 'There's an awful lot that we can do that I think would be valuable to the US.'
