Economic investment, not just security deals, will be pivotal in Papua New Guinea’s future development, its Prime Minister James Marape has warned just days after a new defence agreement was inked between Australia and its northerly neighbour. In a speech to the foreign policy think tank the Lowy Institute onContinue Reading
Immigration Minister Andrew Giles has refused to comment on reports a fifth former immigration detainee, released into the community after last month’s landmark High Court decision, had been arrested. A former Sudanese child soldier was arrested in Queensland on Thursday after it was realised there was a warrant to returnContinue Reading
A top Canberra defence expert has lashed Australia’s multi-billion dollar AUKUS submarine project as amounting to a promise to follow the US into a war against China. The Australian National University’s Hugh White, an emeritus professor of strategic studies, unleashed a quite extraordinary criticism of Australia’s nuclear submarine plan inContinue Reading
Anthony Albanese has refused to say how much it will cost to shore up Australia’s military capability, saying he doesn’t want to “pluck a figure out in order to get a headline in a newspaper”. With the government poised to make a series of major defence announcements, the Prime MinisterContinue Reading
Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull has questioned whether Australia will have full control over the nuclear submarines it is set to acquire under the AUKUS pact. Australia is expected to announce its submarine plans as early as next month after signing up to the security agreement with the US andContinue Reading
Beijing’s top envoy to Canberra has savaged the AUKUS security agreement and claimed it “isn’t a good idea” for Australia. Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian told reporters in Canberra the alliance between Australia, the UK and the US involved the unnecessary “targeting” of China as a potential threat. Mr Xiao gaveContinue Reading