Podcasts about defence minister peter dutton

In this episode of New Politics, we explore the dynamic and ever-evolving landscape of Australia's political, economic, and international affairs.First, we discuss Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's successful visit to China, which has played a crucial role in stabilising the Australia–China relationship. We take a closer look at how this relationship was previously strained by the accusations made by former Prime Minister Scott Morrison and former Defence Minister Peter Dutton, who alleged that China was responsible for the outbreak of COVID-19 and we needed to prepare for war over Taiwan. While it was always expected that the Australia–China relationship would eventually be repaired, it required extensive diplomatic work to remove the tariffs and sanctions imposed by China on Australian exporters. We analyse the significance of these developments and whether the Albanese government is receiving due credit for their efforts.Shifting our focus to the economic front, we assess the political consequences of the thirteenth consecutive interest rate hike since May 2022. With this ongoing trend, there are growing concerns about its implications for Australians, especially those with mortgages and loans. We explore the intricate connection between politics and interest rates in Australia and the challenges that lie ahead for the Labor government in managing this economic issue.In the international arena, we discuss the persistent Gaza bombings by the Israeli military, which have sparked outrage worldwide and the rising death toll, particularly among Palestinian children, has drawn sharp criticism. We analyse the mounting international pressure on the Israeli government and the urgent need for a resolution to this humanitarian crisis.Finally, we inspect the latest Newspoll results, indicating that the Labor government is still leading with a 52 per cent two-party preferred vote, while the Liberal–National Coalition trails at 48 per cent. However, Prime Minister Albanese's high disapproval rating raises some issues about how the next federal elections will be played and consider the implications for the political landscape in Australia. Join us as we navigate the complexities of Australia's current affairs, offering in-depth analysis and insights into the diplomatic triumphs, economic challenges, and leadership dynamics that shape the nation's future. Song listing: ‘Fivefold', Agnes Obel.‘Everything In Its Right Place', Radiohead.‘La Femme d'Argent', Air. ‘Praise You', Fat Boy Slim.

It’s been over a week since election night in Australia, and there is now finally a clear winner! Labor hit the magical number of 76 seats last night to hold a majority government. And it was a wild day in Australian for the other team too - with former Defence Minister Peter Dutton taking over from Scott Morrison as liberal leader. The National leader Barnaby Joyce was dumped as leader too following the coalition’s dismal election result. Joining us to break it all down Emeritus Professor of Politics at Australia’s National University - John Warhurst.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

 Australian News:  28 May 2022 – Saturday Read by RaySel  - ஆஸ்திரேலியசெய்திகள்: 28 மே 2022  சனிக்கிழமை      வாசித்தவர்: றைசெல்

In this bulletin, former Defence Minister Peter Dutton criticises the decision to allow the Murugappan family to return to Queensland; the G7 agrees to phase out coal; and in the AFL, Buddy Franklin awarded the Goodes-O'Loughlin medal after the Sydney Swans win against Richmond.

The Liberal party will gather in Canberra on Monday, with former Defence Minister Peter Dutton expected to be chosen as the new leader Liberal MP Stuart Robert says you shouldn't judge people on their personal views and Peter Dutton is a warm-hearted, competent individual who will steer a sound policy set as Liberal Leader.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton is calling out the Opposition leader for making plans as prime minister before the public has had their say. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton is calling out the Opposition leader for making plans as prime minister before the public has had their say. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this week's episode of the Unnatural Selection Podcast we discuss a bunch of stuff: United Australia party directs preferences to Coalition in key marginal seats. Factcheck: is Albanese's backing of a 5.1% minimum wage rise an ‘unprecedented' intervention? Coalition has promised voters $833m a day as it outspends Labor in campaign mode. Liberal MP Fiona Martin accuses Labor opponent Sally Sitou of 'desperate political games' over radio stoush. Defence Minister Peter Dutton says a Chinese spy ship has been seen near secretive naval facility off Western Australia. The Unnatural Selection podcast is produced by Jorge Tsipos, Adam Direen and Tom Heath. Visit the Unnatural Selection website at www.UnnaturalShow.com for stuff and things. The views expressed are those of the hosts and their guests and do not reflect those of any other entities. Unnatural Selection is a show made for comedic purposes and should not be taken seriously by anyone. Twitter: @JorgeTsipos @TomDHeath @UnnaturalShow Instagram: @JorgeTsipos @AdamCDireen @Tom.Heath @UnnaturalShow

In this bulletin: Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese to announce a $750 million boost to Medicare... China responds to Defence Minister Peter Dutton's comments about the Chinese intelligence ship near Western Australia... And in the A-F-L: The Western Bulldogs beat Collingwood by 48 points at Friday night's [[13 MAY]] game... - У цьому бюлетені:Лідер опозиції Ентоні Олбанезе повідомить про підвищення на 750 мільйонів доларів для Medicare...Китай відповідає на коментарі міністра оборони Пітера Даттона щодо китайського розвідувального корабля поблизу Західної Австралії...А в A-F-L,** У п'ятницю ввечері [[13 ТРАВНЯ]] грі "Вестерн Бульдогз" перемогли Коллінгвуд на 48 очок...

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Defence Minister Peter Dutton accuses Anthony Albanese of misleading the public over his comments on the AUKUS alliance, Another man killed in an overnight Sydney shooting, The festivities continue for the Sydney Kings, who continue to celebrate their Grand Final win.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has hit out at Anthony Albanese's "policy on the run" that wages should match inflation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has ruled out a “third-class of submarine” following concerns that Australia could be short-handed and face a military capability gap before the arrival of nuclear-powered submarines under the AUKUS agreement by 2040. 

In this SBS Hindi bulletin: Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Labor's spokesman Brendan O'Connor focus on the Solomon Islands as a key issue during an elections debate; Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese stumbles over key details about his party's NDIS policy. In sports, Richmond superstar Dustin Martin to make his A-F-L return against Collingwood and more.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has slammed the Labor party for its border protection policy which plans to abolish temporary protection visas. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former independent federal MP Cathy McGowan has hit back at John Howard's description of independent candidates as “anti-Liberal groupies”. In this Below the Line exclusive, McGowan says the former Prime Minister's use of the term was clearly meant to be derogatory. “I suspect someone has given it to him,” she said. “It doesn't bring to mind the calibre of the people who are standing. If he is trying to talk to people in the leafy suburbs of Melbourne and Sydney, and calling those candidates groupies, then he has missed the mark totally.” McGowan argues that independents cannot be put into just one category. While some are high-profile, have branded themselves with the colour teal and receive funding from the Climate200 group to promote action on climate change, “there are orange and pink and yellow and other colours as well… There are at least 25 community independents running and you could not group them together.” McGowan, who defied the odds and won the traditional Liberal seat of Indi (previously held by Liberal Sophie Mirabella), predicted as many as ten independents could get over the line on polling day. “There is an incredible sense across the country of disillusionment with the government, and people are desperate to send a message to both parties that they are not doing well enough, and the independents are putting their hand up as a very viable alternative,” she said. If McGowan's prediction came true, independents would likely hold the balance of power in the lower house, forcing a minority government. Below the Line's Anika Gauja says working with such a large crossbench would be “unprecedented in Australian federal politics”. And if the independents do poll well, Simon Jackman explains it may make counting the vote complicated on election night, possibly slowing down the final result. Our expert panel also discuss Defence Minister Peter Dutton's recent comment that “the only way you can preserve peace is to prepare for war”, the record number of female candidates this election (39%, up from 32% last time around), and large numbers of young people enrolling to vote at the last minute. Below the Line is a twice-weekly election podcast hosted by award-winning broadcaster Jon Faine and brought to you by The Conversation and La Trobe University. Image credit: Diego Fedele/AAP Disclosure: Simon Jackman is an unpaid consultant on polling data for the Climate 200 network of independent candidates.

With people out and about normally again after two years of rolling lockdowns, they are no longer watching crap legacy media content. On this week's Tim's News Explosion I gleefully go through the media falls of the past week. ANZAC Day dawn service crowds at Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance were back at full capacity after last year's shameful lockout of veterans. It is worth remembering how Australians were willing to sacrifice all the freedoms the ANZACs fought for during the past two years of lockdowns and restrictions. Scott Morrison invoked the war in Ukraine as an example of citizens fighting for freedom. Defence Minister Peter Dutton invoked the possibility of war with China that peace is not forever. The Greens believe that alarm over the Solomon Islands security pact with China is racist. Though Scott Morrison has used to race card claiming that Labor's attack ads against marginal Liberal MP Gladys Lui are racist. Gruen Transfer panelist Todd Sampson has triggered Antifa on Twitter for a photo with Blair Cottrell plus the revelation he is producing a new documentary for Network 10/Paramount Plus on hate and social media featuring Thomas Sewell. The White Rose Society and Tom Tanuki claim that platforming them because they are skilled 'media manipulators' will lead to more people agreeing with their views. Less than a month after its launch CNN Plus will be shutting down given only 10,000 people were willing to pay for more CNN. New owners Warner Bros. Discovery and new CEO Chris Licht wish to return CNN to hard news. News Corp's Talk TV launches in the UK with Piers Morgan its key signing for £50 million over 3 years. His new global show claims it will cancel cancel culture even though he has been fond of cancelling throughout his career. Netflix share price has plummeted after losing 200,000 subscribers this year, it has constantly raised its subscription fees though its programming quality has declined. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has signed a bill that strips Disney of its special self governing status in Central Florida under the Reedy Creek Improvement Act. This was in response to Disney opposing Florida's new Parental Rights in Education Act. The Washington Post's Taylor Lorenz doxxed the creator of the Libs of Tik Tok Twitter account Chaya Raichik claiming this was newsworthy because its reposting of groomer educator videos inspired the Florida bill. In other news the Biden Administration intends to appeal a Federal Court ruling striking down its air travel mask mandate in an attempt to become even more unpopular. ABC Presenter Fauziah Ibrahim has 'taken a break' from on camera duties while the ABC investigates her Twitter lists with triggered drips as they were titled “Labor Trolls/Thugs and “Lobotomised Shitheads”. Email: me@timwilms.com Message: https://t.me/timwilms Wilms Front Links: Entropy: https://entropystream.live/app/wilmsfront Website: http://timwilms.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/wilmsfront Minds: https://www.minds.com/timwilms Gab: https://gab.com/timwilms Telegram: https://t.me/wilmsfront Parler: https://parler.com/profile/timwilms/ Support the Show: Membership: http://www.theunshackled.net/membership Donate: https://www.theunshackled.net/donate/ Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/TheUnshackled Other Unshackled Productions: Trad Tasman Talk: https://www.theunshackled.net/ttt/ Report From Tiger Mountain: http://reportfromtigermountain.com/ Other Unshackled Links: Website: https://www.theunshackled.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TUnshackled Twitter: https://twitter.com/Un_shackled Gab: https://gab.ai/theunshackled Telegram: https://t.me/theunshackled Minds: https://www.minds.com/The_Unshackled MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/theunshackled Music and Graphics by James Fox Higgins Voice Over by Morgan Munro See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael speaks with Greg Sheridan, Economics Editor with The Australian & author of ‘Christians, the urgent case for Jesus in our world', for his view on the situation with the Solomon Islands, China & Australia from a defence point of view. Mr Sheridan writes, ‘This Anzac Day Scott Morrison drew a bright red line for China, while Defence Minister Peter Dutton compared Russia and China with Nazi Germany and said “the only way you can preserve peace is to prepare for war”.' ‘If the 2020s are really the 1930s all over again, how is it the government is not going to produce any significant new defence capabilities for the rest of this decade?' ‘This decade does resemble the 1930s, not because we face a new Hitler or even a new imperial Japan but because of the utter fecklessness of defence policy and the miserable failure in defence of both sides of politics.' See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia correspondent Chris Niesche joins Kathryn with updates from the election campaign, which got off to a rough start for Labor when its leader Anthony Albanese came down with Covid. He'll also look at the comments from Defence Minister Peter Dutton about the need for Australia to "prepare for war", as the country reevaluates its security threats following a pact between Solomon Islands and China.

The Coalition's rhetoric on China has dramatically escalated on Anzac Day, with Defence Minister Peter Dutton saying Australia should "prepare for war" to preserve the peace. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the weekend said China building a military base in the Solomon Islands would be a "red line" for Australia, but did not say what Australia would do in the event a military base was built. Labor's defence spokesman Brendan O'Connor said the opposition would be seeking a briefing from the government given the shift in the government's message and tone. But he labelled the government's "post-facto rhetoric" on the deal between the Solomons and China as too little too late, saying the Coalition should have done more to engage with the Solomons before its deal with China was signed. Today on Please Explain, political and international editor Peter Hartcher joins Bianca Hall to discuss the increasing role China is playing in Australia's domestic election campaign. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The rhetoric around the Solomons and China deal has ramped up with Australians being told they need to be prepared for war.The comment comes from Defence Minister Peter Dutton just hours after Scott Morrison said a Chinese military base in the Solomons would be a red line for his government.Questions are being raised as to whether this is  just posturing from Dutton or a symptom of global insecurity because of the situation in Ukraine and the ever present threat of China.Former Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea Ian Kemish joined Mike Hosking.LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A gangland boss has been charged with masterminding his organised crime syndicate from inside a Victorian jail. Treasurer Tim Pallas has dismissed concerns about the state's credit rating ahead of next week's state budget. Australian security experts agree with Defence Minister Peter Dutton's assessment the nation must “prepare for war” to protect peace, but have warned the nation's current “one punch” and “boutique” military force is not yet equipped for the task. And doctors fear “vaccine fatigue” may prevent many Australians rolling up their sleeve for a flu jab despite forecasts for increased danger from the virus this winter. For updates and breaking news throughout the day, take out a subscription atheraldsun.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Coalition's rhetoric on China has dramatically escalated on Anzac Day, with Defence Minister Peter Dutton saying Australia should "prepare for war" to preserve the peace. Prime Minister Scott Morrison on the weekend said China building a military base in the Solomon Islands would be a "red line" for Australia, but did not say what Australia would do in the event a military base was built. Labor's defence spokesman Brendan O'Connor said the opposition would be seeking a briefing from the government given the shift in the government's message and tone. But he labelled the government's "post-facto rhetoric" on the deal between the Solomons and China as too little too late, saying the Coalition should have done more to engage with the Solomons before its deal with China was signed. Today on Please Explain, political and international editor Peter Hartcher joins Bianca Hall to discuss the increasing role China is playing in Australia's domestic election campaign. Subscribe to The Age & SMH: https://subscribe.smh.com.au/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

School staff shortages are set to continue well into the new term despite growing calls from experts to dump vaccine mandates. Labor is upping the stakes in Parramatta, pledging millions of dollars in hyper-local election commitments. Australian security experts agree with Defence Minister Peter Dutton's assessment that the nation must “prepare for war” to protect peace. Multi-million dollar bounties have been put on the heads of key figures in Sydney's underworld. For updates and breaking news throughout the day take out a subscription atdailytelegraph.com.au See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On a day usually reserved for solemn remembrance Defence Minister Peter Dutton has declared the country needs to prepare for war. Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Deputy Labor Leader Richard Marles spent the start of week-three of the campaign in Darwin, pausing to reflect on the service of members of the Australian Defence Force. The Defence Minister took a different approach. Guest: Retired Army Major General Mick Ryan AM

Ghosts of Campaigns past have returned to scare Australian voters before the May 21 federal poll. Jacinda finally leaves fortress NZ after two years for Japan. Join Tim Wilms and Stephen Berry live tonight at 6pm Melbourne time and 8pm Auckland time for Trad Tasman Talk. Stephen has relaunched his Mr Berry Mr Berry show after being fired from Officewokes after some co-workers were triggered and offended by his final episode. Victoria, NSW, and the ACT have eased close contact isolation rules with other states set to follow. In Victoria retail and hospitality workers, and primary schools students no longer have to wear masks. Vaccine passports and QR codes also end but worker vaccine mandates remain. NZ has also ended its vaccine passport system though there are still some businesses that are voluntarily enforcing them. Labor leader Anthony Albanese has tested positive for covid so will be in isolation for 7 days. Despite Albo's stumbles Labor is ahead in the Mr Berry poll of polls though he did perform well in the Sky News people's forums. Liberal candidate for Warringah Katherine Deves continues to have her controversial transgender comments on her old social media reported almost daily by the mainstream media. She has apologized for suggesting that 50% of trans-identifying biological males were sex offenders and there was a link between transvestism and serial killers. Labor's Kristina Kenneally's parachuted move to the lower house isn't a guarantee with Deputy Mayor of Fairfield Dai Li running for the seat of Folwer as an independent. Kenneally attempted this week to sell Labor's new Mediscare style campaign claiming that the Coalition plans to put pensioners on the cashless debit welfare card, the ABC fact check debunked this claim with an 'election scare alert'. Pacific Islands Minister Zed Seselja traveled to the Solomon Islands in a last-ditch attempt to stop the nation's Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare from signing a security pact with China. Foreign Minister Marise Payne corrected Seselja that the government did know about the pact before it was leaked on social media. Defence Minister Peter Dutton has hit out at Deputy Labor Leader Richard Marles for a book chapter he wrote stating that Pacific Islands could enter into any agreement with China they wanted to. Jacinda Ardern is on her first international trip since she closed the borders in March 2020 to Japan. She was greeted by the dancing Zespri kiwifruit brothers. We round out the show by looking at the polling for the French Presidential election runoff where Emmanuel Macron is against up against nationalist Marine Le Pen. The Unshackled Links: Website: https://www.theunshackled.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TUnshackled Twitter: https://twitter.com/Un_shackled Gab: https://gab.com/theunshackled Minds: https://www.minds.com/The_Unshackled/ Telegram: https://t.me/theunshackled MeWe: https://mewe.com/p/theunshackled Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the_unshackled Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/theunshackled/ Free eBook: http://theunshackledbattlefield.net/ Unshackled Productions: WilmsFront: http://www.timwilms.com Trad Tasman Talk: https://www.theunshackled.net/ttt/ The Report from Tiger Mountain: http://reportfromtigermountain.com/ Support Our Work:  Membership: http://www.theunshackled.net/membership Donate: https://www.theunshackled.net/donate/ Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/TheUnshackled Store: https://www.theunshackled.net/store/ See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The bodies of a father and son who died in a Blue Mountains landslip recovered in New South Wales; Defence Minister Peter Dutton says Australia could have nuclear-powered submarines sooner than expected; and in sport, Australia's men's rugby union side to play at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the first time since 1986.

Defence Minister Peter ­Dutton has slammed Anthony Albanese for “making things up”  A Sydney solicitor is facing potentially years in jail if convicted after allegedly bashing a driver during a road rage incident  The mother of a young woman whose body lay hidden in a bush grave for three years after she was shot on a dirt track has spoken for the first time of her anguish, And Referee whistles, cheers from the crowd and player of the match pride have returned to NSW See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A decluttered Australian Curriculum featuring a renewed focus on history and a clearer maths curriculum will be rolled out to students from next year, as a final version gets the tick of approval.  A Brisbane model bullied at school for her size is continuing to break down barriers in the global fashion industry, landing a coveted campaign for Sports Illustrated.  Mark Bailey has been referred to the Crime and Corruption Commission following the release of his private emails, which the LNP says raised concerns about breaches of Cabinet confidentiality.  Defence Minister Peter Dutton has slammed Anthony Albanese for making things up after the Opposition Leader blamed Australia's lack of action on climate change for the Solomon Islands decision to sign a security pact with China.  For updates and breaking news throughout the day take out a subscription at couriermail.com.au. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With just eight days to go until the March 19 poll, the Liberal and Labor leaders went head-to-head in their first state election campaign debate. High-profile Adelaide barrister and transgender rights advocate Heather Stokes has praised a Prince ­Alfred College student for ­continuing to study at the ­exclusive boys' school as a girl. Shane Warne suffered two bouts of Covid, raising speculation that the virus may have damaged his heart. Australia's military struggles to retain recruits and changes must be made if the government is to achieve the largest peacetime expansion Defence Minister Peter Dutton has conceded. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this latest SBS Hindi bulletin: Defence Minister Peter Dutton confirms that Defence Force personnel are now deployed in Queensland to help residents affected by the floods; New South Wales appoints Deputy Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon as regional recovery coordinator to drive flood relief response in the Northern Rivers region and more. 

Cardiologists report a surge in middle-aged men getting checked out in the wake of Shane Warne's death. Scott Morrison announces the submarine base shortlist – but his Defence Minister Peter Dutton is suddenly taking a more careful line when it comes to China. Australian correspondent Murray Olds joined Andrew Dickens. LISTEN ABOVE 

The Prime Minister says the government won't announce which model of nuclear-powered submarine Australia will acquire before the election, contradicting suggestions made by Defence Minister Peter Dutton yesterday. Scott Morrison also declared Russia's invasion of Ukraine is proof the world is facing a new "arc of autocracy" which seeks to disrupt the rules-based order. Guest: Richard Marles, Deputy Labor Leader

COVID-19 restrictions eased in New South Wales and Victoria as both states move past the peak of the Omicron wave; Defence Minister Peter Dutton says Russia and Ukraine are on the cusp of an all out conflict and capacity crowds will be welcomed back to AFL games for the start of the new season.

As well as her interviews with politicians and experts, Politics with Michelle Grattan now includes “Word from The Hill”, where she discusses the news with members of The Conversation politics team. This week she and politics editor Amanda Dunn discuss the government's torpedoed religious discrimination legislation. Scott Morrison thought he could press the issue and hopefully get the package through parliament. But he found he couldn't control his backbench, with rebels backing an amendment to protect transgender children. As a result, Morrison then abandoned the package. Amanda and Michelle also canvass the Morrison family's appearance on Nine's 60 Minutes, which brought more debate (and blowback) than ratings. Meanwhile, as parliament winds down, the government is waging a shock-and-awe attack on Anthony Albanese, with Defence Minister Peter Dutton and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg working in tandem to try to undermine his credentials on national security and economic issues.

On this episode of The Grapevine Kulja and Dylan get on the line with Walkley award winning journalist and author Jeff Sparrow to break down Defence Minister Peter Dutton's anti-China rhetoric in the context of Russia's threats to invade Ukraine and how this aggressively hawkish national security stance may impact the Coalition at the election.  Then, Hannah McLeay from Greenpeace Australia dials in to talk about the launch of the Green Electricity Guide, which is designed to help Australian's make a difference when it comes to climate change through the choice of their energy provider. McLeary talks through how power suppliers are ranked, gives an overview of ‘green power', and provides an update on where green power is at the moment in the wake of Powershop's sale to Shell.And with sport back on the courts, Kulja and Dylan speak with Dr Ryan Storr about the project he co-founded, ‘Rainbow Roadmap'. Launched by Proud2Play, this project is a sector-wide initiative in partnership with VicSport to promote LGBTQIA+ inclusion across sport and recreation in the state.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has revealed the Federal Government considered deploying the army in the early stages of the pandemic to “turn people away from hospitals”, TV host Andrew O'Keefe with possession of cannabis, the US claims Russia is planning to set up a fake attack and use it as justification to invade Ukraine, Pat Cummins, Justin Langer, Jessika Power, Gogglebox Australia and Hamish Blake See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton says he would like to see more American combat capability based in Australia. Speaking on the “Politics with Michelle Grattan” podcast, Dutton says: “I'd be very open to it. I would be very, very happy to have that discussion with the US if they saw a strategic advantage in doing so.” He says there is significant visiting by US airforce, navy and army forces (together with the current marine rotation). “And if that is accompanied by, or there's a subsequent decision to base further numbers, we'd be very happy to have that discussion with the US – or with the UK, for that matter.” Last September's AUSMIN talks committed “to significantly advance Australia-United States force posture cooperation”. Dutton also reiterates he's working on the acceleration of the timetable for the nuclear-powered submarines, a centrepiece of last year's AUKUS agreement between Australia, the US and Britain. “I can assure you, the 20 year timeline is nonsense. I believe that we will be able to acquire well before that”. Discussions with the US and UK have been “very productive” and “I'll have more to say on that in due course once the discussions continue”. “Everything [is] on the table with the US and the UK at the moment, and we will achieve capability well ahead of what the critics are pointing out at the moment.” “I've been driving the process, receiving weekly updates, engaging with our counterparts. And this has momentum. It has buy-in from the US and the UK. It has an urgency because of the way in which the Chinese government is positioning in the Indo-Pacific”. Asked about criticism that his language on China is too belligerent, Dutton says, “I do believe that China is on a pathway of aggression, particularly toward Taiwan, and I want to be part of what I think is a majority view around the world to stop that from taking place. "I want China to continue to grow economically. I want to see people lifted out of poverty, but I don't want to see a clash, particularly between great powers. And I think again, we're better off to be frank in our assessments and to argue from a position of strength, not weakness, because otherwise, we will find ourselves in conflict in the Indo-Pacific, and that's not what anybody wants.” Dutton doesn't step back from his description of Russian President Vladimir Putin as an ageing dictator who is becoming more and more irrational. “People only need to look at his track record and concerning human rights abuses in Russia. There's no sense when we're dealing with a bully of any nature, believing that if we just close our ears and our mouth, that somehow the bully will become a good person.”

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has warned Australians to watch out for the warning signs of extremism in their loved ones. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has compared the current tensions with China to the 1930s, saying the price of inaction over Taiwan could be worse than coming to its aid. Does the historical analogy stack up? And is the government's ramping of the rhetoric over possible war helpful or dangerous? Uni of Sydney Professor James Curran joins us. 

This week Allan and Darren open their discussion with the Biden-Xi virtual meeting. It went for a long time, the atmosphere seemed cordial – is this enough for (some) optimism about the trajectory of US-China relations? Allan thinks so, while Darren cannot resist the temptation to offer an IR theory perspective and explain that the game theoretic concept of “deadlock” might best capture the bulk of US-China relations at present. Next, Allan and Darren analyse two recent speeches from Australian political leaders. To begin, in an interview Defence Minister Peter Dutton described as “inconceivable” that Australia would not support the US in an action to defend Taiwan, doubling down on this position in a speech to the National Press Club. In between, Shadow Foreign Minister Penny Wong critiqued the Dutton position in a speech at the ANU. What is the logic of Dutton's explicit language? Does it affect strategic dynamics? While the government is often outspoken about China, ministers also regularly pass up the chance to say more – how is the choice to speak out calculated? Meanwhile, Darren sees a national security politics "minefield" in efforts to critique governments as being too hawkish, but both he and Allan judge that Wong's speech was able to do it effectively, while introducing several other interesting ideas as well. The next topic is the COP26 meeting in Glasgow. Allan's assessment of the outcome is mixed, while Darren focuses on how difficult multilateral negotiations must be, especially because negotiators enter with high ambitions that may never be achieved because of the need for compromise. He thus understands why the conference president Alok Sharma shed tears of disappointment, but understands that a willingness to be disappointed, but nevertheless keep going, is essential. Finally, Australia is deploying police and troops to Solomon Islands given unfolding unrest. Allan provides the historical context to this decision (the RAMSI mission) while Darren wonders whether the China angle is meaningful. Relevant links The White House, Readout of President Biden's Virtual Meeting with President Xi Jinping of the People's Republic of China, 16 November 2021: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/11/16/readout-of-president-bidens-virtual-meeting-with-president-xi-jinping-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china/ Vincent Ni, “Biden-Xi summit highlights tensions – and desire for cooperation” The Guardian, 16 Nov 2021: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/16/biden-xi-summit-highlights-tensions-and-desire-for-cooperation Lily Kuo, “China lauds Biden-Xi summit as start of more equal relationship, despite lack of real progress”, Washington Post, 16 November 2021: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/xi-biden-summit-china-reaction/2021/11/16/f28cd98e-4657-11ec-beca-3cc7103bd814_story.html Troy Bramston, “Taiwan defence a must: Dutton”, The Australian, 13 November 2021: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/defence/defending-taiwan-against-beijing-is-a-must-says-peter-dutton/news-story/ef9dd7fd56515afbdc90021760d1d344 Penny Wong, “Expanding Australia's Power and Influence: Speech to the National Security College”, Australian National University, Canberra, 23 November 2021: https://www.pennywong.com.au/media-hub/speeches/expanding-australia-s-power-and-influence-speech-to-the-national-security-college-australian-national-university-canberra-23-11-2021/ Peter Dutton, National Press Club Address, Canberra, ACT, 26 November 2021: https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/minister/peter-dutton/speeches/national-press-club-address-canberra-act Mark Thirlwell, “An initial assessment of COP26', Australian Institute of Company Directors, 17 November 2021: https://aicd.companydirectors.com.au/advocacy/chief-economist/an-initial-assessment-of-cop26 “COP26: Alok Sharma fights back tears as Glasgow Climate Pact agreed”, BBC Video, 13 November 2021: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-59276651 Alexander Downer, “Solomon Islands intervention is always about the China factor”, Australian Financial Review, 28 November 2021: https://www.afr.com/policy/foreign-affairs/solomon-islands-intervention-is-always-about-the-china-factor-20211125-p59c9l Ed Cavanough, “Behind the scenes in the Solomons, local leader has leveraged China issue to his advantage”, Sydney Morning Herald, 26 November 2021: https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/behind-the-scenes-in-the-solomons-local-leader-has-leveraged-china-issue-to-his-advantage-20211126-p59cks.html Tess Newton Cain, “As Australia deploys troops and police, what now for Solomon Islands?”, The Conversation, 26 November 2021: https://theconversation.com/as-australia-deploys-troops-and-police-what-now-for-solomon-islands-172678 The Velvet Underground (Trailer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWq7a8Tin8g “Introducing ‘Plain English with Derek Thompson'” (podcast): https://www.theringer.com/2021/11/11/22776415/introducing-plain-english-with-derek-thompson

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has responded to the now infamous 'boofhead' sledge which went viral on social media. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Laura Tingle has all the latest from Canberra, including the controversy around parliament's small number of sitting next in 2022 and Defence Minister Peter Dutton's latest attack on China.

In this latest SBS Hindi news bulletin of Australia and India: Defence Minister Peter Dutton denies allegations of warmongering and ramping up rhetoric against China; Prime Minister Scott Morrison defends his outburst against the New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption; Pat Cummins steps in as Australian Test cricket captain as Tim Payne takes a leave of absence from the game and more.

Does China consider Australia a "tributary state" as Defence Minister Peter Dutton suggests?

Defence Minister Peter Dutton says it would be inconceivable for Australia not to join in a conflict over Taiwan. Shadow Foreign Minister Penny Wong says the way that he's talking up war against superpower China is the most dangerous election tactic in Australian history.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison attacked the credibility of French President Emmanuel Macron as a newspaper quoted a text message that suggested France anticipated “bad news” about a now-scuttled submarine deal. An Australian newspaper cast doubt on President Joe Biden's explanation to Macron last week that the U.S. leader thought the French had been informed long before the September announcement that their 90 billion Australian dollar ($66 billion) submarine deal with Australia would be scrapped. Macron this week accused Morrison of lying to him at a Paris dinner in June about the fate of a 5-year-old contract with majority French state-owned Naval Group to build 12 conventional diesel-electric submarines. Australia cancelled that deal when it formed an alliance with U.S. and Britain to acquire a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines built with U.S. technology. Morrison told Australian reporters who had accompanied him to Glasgow, Scotland, for a U.N. climate conference that he made clear to Macron at their dinner in June that conventional submarines would not meet Australia's evolving strategic needs. Two days before Morrison, Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the nuclear submarine deal, Morrison attempted to phone Macron with the news, but the French leader texted back saying he was not available to take a call, The Australian newspaper reported. Macron asked: “Should I expect good or bad news for our joint submarines ambitions?” the newspaper reported Tuesday. A journalist asked why Morrison decided to leak the text message after Macron accused him of lying, but the prime minister did not directly answer. “I'm not going to indulge your editorial on it, but what I'll simply say is this: We were contacted when we were trying to set up the ... call and he made it pretty clear that he was concerned that this would be a phone call that could result in the decision of Australia not to proceed with the contract,” Morrison said. Macron's office on Tuesday rejected this description and gave a different timeline of events. An official in the French presidency said that leaking such text messages between world leaders “further breaches trust” between governments. The official welcomed Biden's efforts to smooth relations with Paris, while saying that Morrison “has yet to apologize.” The official, who was not authorized to be publicly named, also noted that France makes nuclear submarines and could have renegotiated the contract if asked. French officials said their government had been blindsided by the contract cancellation, calling it a “stab in the back.” Macron said this week the nuclear submarine deal was “very bad news for the credibility of Australia and very bad news for the trust that great partners can have with Australia.” Morrison said Macron's accusation of lying, which the prime minister denies, was a slur against Australia. Most Australian observers see it as a personal insult against Morrison. “I must say that I think the statements that were made questioning Australia's integrity and the slurs that have been placed on Australia, not me — I've got broad shoulders, I can deal with that — but those slurs, I'm not going to cop sledging of Australia. I'm not going to cop that on behalf of Australians,” Morrison said. Sledging is a cricketing term for abusive needling of opponents. Biden told Macron that the handling of the Australian submarine alliance was “clumsy” and “not done with a lot of grace.” “I was under the impression that France had been informed long before that the (French) deal would not go through. I honest to God did not know you had not,” Biden told Macron. But a 15-page document negotiated by the White House National Security Council with Australian and British officials detailed to the hour how the world would be told about the trilateral submarine deal, The Australian reported. Defence Minister Peter Dutton confirmed that the United States and...

The Australian Defence Force is investigating what caused a Royal Australian Navy Seahawk helicopter to ditch in the Philippine Sea last night. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has taken aim at the Queensland Premier's "pretty cruel" state border policy after she doubled down on the closure. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton is calling out the Queensland Premier for delaying a lockdown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Australia has announced that more US troops will rotate through the island nation and that the allies will cooperate on missile development, the latest joint steps amid shared concerns about China's increasing assertiveness in the region.Australia earlier announced a three-way alliance with the United States and Britain in which Canberra will acquire nuclear-powered submarines, enraging France whose own key contract for conventional submarines was scrapped.Defence Minister Peter Dutton says that Australia will be significantly enhancing cooperation including working together on the development of missiles and explosive ordnance.He says Australia was willing to see more US Marines in a 10-year rotation through the northern city of Darwin.

Australia has announced that more US troops will rotate through the island nation and that the allies will cooperate on missile development, the latest joint steps amid shared concerns about China's increasing assertiveness in the region.Australia earlier announced a three-way alliance with the United States and Britain in which Canberra will acquire nuclear-powered submarines, enraging France whose own key contract for conventional submarines was scrapped.Defence Minister Peter Dutton says that Australia will be significantly enhancing cooperation including working together on the development of missiles and explosive ordnance.He says Australia was willing to see more US Marines in a 10-year rotation through the northern city of Darwin.

Australia has announced that more US troops will rotate through the island nation and that the allies will cooperate on missile development, the latest joint steps amid shared concerns about China's increasing assertiveness in the region.Australia earlier announced a three-way alliance with the United States and Britain in which Canberra will acquire nuclear-powered submarines, enraging France whose own key contract for conventional submarines was scrapped.Defence Minister Peter Dutton says that Australia will be significantly enhancing cooperation including working together on the development of missiles and explosive ordnance.He says Australia was willing to see more US Marines in a 10-year rotation through the northern city of Darwin.

Allan and Darren begin this episode reviewing the frenzied two-week evacuation from Afghanistan. A logistical success or further evidence of a terrible failure? Do the events of the evacuation, which included an ISIS-K suicide bombing and a drone strike that killed civilians, in addition to the over 100,000 evacuated, change their assessment of the merits of withdrawal? What are Australia's obligations into the future? What will China's role be? The Australia-US alliance celebrates its 70th anniversary this week. Having recently updated his book on the history Australian foreign policy, Fear of Abandonment, how is Allan thinking about the role the alliance should be playing in Australian foreign policy today? Darren tries to inject some needed (in his view) international relations theory into public debates on the merits of the alliance. Moreover, Darren (along with co-authors Zack Cooper and Ashley Feng) has published a new report for the United States Studies Centre on the topic of geoeconomics and the alliance, and he explains its motivation and previews the argument. Allan wonders whether we need to hear more from the economics discipline in geoeconomic policy discussions, given that the stakes extend well beyond Australia's current focus—China's economic coercion. Darren notes that recent speeches from Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Defence Minister Peter Dutton highlight how economics and security are more deeply intertwined than ever. Given a spate of recent bilateral meetings and a big international trip now underway for the Foreign and Defence Ministers, Allan and Darren discuss Australia's diplomatic objectives for the rest of the year. Finally, on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, they each reflect on their personal memories of the event and what its enduring significance is for Australia in the world. We thank Mitchell McIntosh for audio editing and Rory Stenning for composing our theme music. Relevant links Ezra Klein, “Let's Not Pretend That the Way We Withdrew From Afghanistan Was the Problem”, New York Times, 26 August 2021: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/26/opinion/afghanistan-us-withdrawal.html “Joint Statement on Afghanistan Evacuation Travel Assurances”, 30 August 2021: https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/joint-statement-afghanistan-evacuation-travel-assurances Marise Payne, “Transcript Statement to the Senate: Afghanistan”, 23 August 2021: https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/transcript/transcript-statement-senate-afghanistan Simon Jackman, “At 70, most see US alliance as foundation of our security”, United States Studies Centre, 30 August 2021: https://www.ussc.edu.au/analysis/at-70-most-see-us-alliance-as-foundation-of-our-security UPCOMING EVENT, “Fear of Abandonment: Australia in the World - an update”, Australian Institute of International Affairs, 23 September 2021: https://aiia.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events/37184-fear-of-abandonment-australia-in-the-world-an-update Darren Lim, Zack Cooper and Ashley Feng, “Trust and diversify: A geoeconomic strategy for the Australia-US alliance”, United States Studies Centre, 2 September 2021: https://www.ussc.edu.au/analysis/trust-and-diversify-a-geoeconomic-strategy-for-the-australia-us-alliance Josh Frydenberg, “Building Resilience and the Return of Strategic Competition”, Keynote Address to the ANU Crawford Leadership Forum, 6 September 2021: https://joshfrydenberg.com.au/latest-news/building-resilience-and-the-return-of-strategic-competition/ Peter Dutton, “Address to the American Chamber of Commerce in Australia”, 8 September 2021: https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/minister/peter-dutton/speeches/address-american-chamber-commerce-australia Marise Payne and Peter Dutton, “Joint visit to Indonesia, India, the Republic of Korea, and the United States”, Joint Media Release, 8 September 2021: https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/minister/peter-dutton/media-releases/joint-visit-indonesia-india-republic-korea-and-united-states Benjamin Herscovitch, “Australia's growing anti-coercion coalition”, Beijing to Canberra and Bank (Newsletter), 30 August 2021: https://beijing2canberra.substack.com/p/australias-growing-anti-coercion Rebecca Ananian-Welsh and Keiran Hardy, “Before 9/11, Australia had no counter-terrorism laws, now we have 92 — but are we safer?”, The Conversation, 8 September 2021: https://theconversation.com/before-9-11-australia-had-no-counter-terrorism-laws-now-we-have-92-but-are-we-safer-166273 “The Overstory” by Richard Powers, Penguin Australia: https://www.penguin.com.au/books/the-overstory-9781784708245

Less than 30 Australian citizens and Afghan nationals have been evacuated from the capital on the first of at least four flights coordinated by the Australian Government.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton says the army will arrive in Greater Sydney over the coming days to help with the COVID-19 lockdown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton says the army will arrive in Greater Sydney over the coming days to help with the COVID-19 lockdown. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has shut down the idea of Australia pausing all arrivals of travellers from overseas, saying it would be harmful to the nation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton has urged former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to "get on with his life" instead of spending his time criticising the federal government. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton is being called on to help Afghan interpreters as Taliban sweeps across the country. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week's episode tracks PM Scott Morrison's recent travels. We begin in Perth prior to his leaving the country with what Allan considers to be a major foreign policy speech. Why? Where Allan sees a definite break from decades of Australian foreign policy, Darren sees a speech responding to shifting political winds, especially with a new occupant in the White House. From Perth the PM flew to Singapore to meet with his counterpart PM Lee Hsien Loong. Lee offered some advice to Australia in its management of relations with China, which Allan wonders might signal a growing gap between Australia and Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, Darren tries to reconcile Lee's advice with comments made that same week by Defence Minister Peter Dutton. The PM then arrived in the UK for the G7 summit. Was it important that he was invited? And what did Allan and Darren make of the communique? What is most interesting perhaps is the apparent return to prominence of the G7, which had for more than a decade taken a backseat to the G20. As Allan says, this is likely because of who is not at the meeting, rather than who is. Scott Morrison then wrapped up his trip with the announcement of a free trade agreement with the UK (did it deliver much?) and getting solid support from President Macron in his bilateral with the French leader. As always, we invite our listeners to email us at this address: australia.world.pod [at] gmail.com We welcome feedback, requests and suggestions. You can also contact Darren on twitter @limdarrenj We thank AIIA intern Dominique Yap for her help audio editing and Rory Stenning for composing our theme music.    Relevant links Scott Morrison, “Address to the Perth USAsia Centre”, Perth, 9 June 2021: https://www.pm.gov.au/media/address-perth-usasia-centre-perth-wa Daniel Hurst, “Peter Dutton flags more US troops on Australian soil citing potential China conflict”, The Guardian, 10 June 2021: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2021/jun/10/peter-dutton-flags-more-us-troops-on-australian-soil-citing-potential-china-conflict Scott Morrison and Lee Hsien Loong, Press Conference Transcript, The Istana, Singapore, 11 June 2021: https://www.pm.gov.au/media/press-conference-istana-singapore 2021 G7 Leaders' communiqué: Our shared agenda for global action to build back better, 13 June 2021: https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2021/06/13/2021-g7-leaders-communique/ Fact Sheet: President Biden and G7 Leaders Launch Build Back Better World (B3W) Partnership, The White House, 12 June 2021: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/06/12/fact-sheet-president-biden-and-g7-leaders-launch-build-back-better-world-b3w-partnership/ “G7 summit: China says small groups do not rule the world”, BBC News, 13 June 2021: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-57458822 Jeff Wilson (@JDWilson08), twitter thread on the Australia-UK free trade agreement, 16 June 2021: https://twitter.com/JDWilson08/status/1404958048561496070 Andrew Tillett, “UK trade deal ‘rights a historic wrong'”, Australian Financial Review, 16 June 2021: https://www.afr.com/politics/federal/uk-trade-deal-rights-a-historic-wrong-20210616-p581ey Martin Wolf, “The US should spurn the false promise of protectionism”, Financial Times, 15 June 2021: https://www.ft.com/content/4edc2c5a-298f-4edd-81b7-5b94b7b23b93 “French President Emmanuel Macron backs Australia amid trade conflict with China”, ABC News, 16 June 2021: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-06-16/french-president-emmanuel-macron-support-china-australia-trade/100220484 “Ninth Japan-Australia 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations”, 9 June 2021: https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/marise-payne/media-release/ninth-japan-australia-22-foreign-and-defence-ministerial-consultations Peter Dutton, “Address to Australian Strategic Policy Institute Conference, Canberra”, 10 June 2021: https://www.minister.defence.gov.au/minister/peter-dutton/speeches/address-australian-strategic-policy-institute-conference-canberra Making Sense podcast, “Are we alone in the universe? A conversation with Neil deGrasse Tyson”, Episode #252, 10 June 2021: https://samharris.org/podcasts/252-alone-universe/ “Jon Stewart On Vaccine Science And The Wuhan Lab Theory”, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, 15 June 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSfejgwbDQ8 “‘They Are Going To Kill Us All' - Jon Stewart Declares His Love For Scientists” (video) The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, 15 June 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtTvXZ5lby8 Thomas Wright, “Joe Biden worries that China might win”, The Atlantic, 9 June 2021: https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2021/06/joe-biden-foreign-policy/619130/ Benjamin Herscovitch, “Beijing to Canberra and Back” (newsletter): https://beijing2canberra.substack.com/

Defence Minister Peter Dutton is upholding the government's decision in relation to the Tamil family. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A complete rebuild of the six Adelaide-built Collins class submarines to extend their life for another decade, at a cost of up to $10bn, has been confirmed by Defence Minister Peter Dutton. South Australia has yet to set a date for its first flight to bring international students back to Adelaide as NSW declares it will fly students within weeks.  A major gender war has erupted over health funds' extremely high-cost pregnancy policies. And in sport, the weird aftermath of possibly Geelong's strangest away-match triumph ever included discussions of a possible midnight dash to the border to escape South Australia, Cats champion Patrick Dangerfield revealed. For updates and breaking news throughout the day, take out a subscription atadvertiser.com.au  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ray Hadley has revealed the Defence Minister will imminently put an end to the “PC BS”. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Peter Dutton has allowed only a handful on defence personnel onto his staff, in stark contrast to his predecessor Linda Reynolds. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Militaristic rhetoric about 'drums of war', regarding China, raises questions about what can be achieved with that sort of language, and what's brought it on. Does it strengthen our position with China, or create a whole new set of problems. We asked four commentators to give their different takes on the recent 'war talk' from Michael Pezzullo, secretary of DFAT, and Defence Minister Peter Dutton.

The Foreign Minister says it puts New Zealand in an uncomfortable situation to see Australia treated in a "punitive" way by China. After a year in which China's targeted Australia with heavy trade sanctions, Australia's new Defence Minister Peter Dutton said recently the possibility of conflict with China over Taiwan should not be "discounted". China in turn urged Australia to recognise it's a highly sensitive matter and to avoid sending any wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. RNZs political editor, Jane Patterson, asked Nanaia Mahuta how New Zealand can balance these two critical relationships.

A leading defence analyst says there may be some hard decisions coming up for New Zealand, as relations between Australia and China deteriorate. Australia's new Defence Minister Peter Dutton recently said the possibility of conflict with China over Taiwan should not be "discounted", as Australia confirmed a $747 million upgrade to defence facilities in the Northern Territory. China in turn urged Australia to recognise it's a highly sensitive matter and to avoid sending any wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. Paul Buchanan told Political Editor, Jane Patterson, it's a high stakes situation.

A leading defence analyst says there may be some hard decisions coming up for New Zealand, as relations between Australia and China deteriorate. Australia's new Defence Minister Peter Dutton recently said the possibility of conflict with China over Taiwan should not be "discounted", as Australia confirmed a $747 million upgrade to defence facilities in the Northern Territory. China in turn urged Australia to recognise it's a highly sensitive matter and to avoid sending any wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. Paul Buchanan told Political Editor, Jane Patterson, it's a high stakes situation.

The Foreign Minister says it puts New Zealand in an uncomfortable situation to see Australia treated in a "punitive" way by China. After a year in which China's targeted Australia with heavy trade sanctions, Australia's new Defence Minister Peter Dutton said recently the possibility of conflict with China over Taiwan should not be "discounted". China in turn urged Australia to recognise it's a highly sensitive matter and to avoid sending any wrong signals to the "Taiwan independence" separatist forces. RNZs political editor, Jane Patterson, asked Nanaia Mahuta how New Zealand can balance these two critical relationships.

Home Affairs secretary Michael Pezzullo warns the 'drums of war' are beating louder, after Defence Minister Peter Dutton says Australia should not rule out the prospect of a conflict with China over Taiwan. Peter Hartcher from The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald joins Fran and PK on The Party Room.

The West Australian Premier's demand the federal government use its own facilities for Covid-19 quarantine has been harshly dismissed, but it has agreed to slash the number of Australians returning to Perth.Mark McGowan has previously taken aim at the Commonwealth over the issue, saying it had abrogated its responsibility to take care of quarantine, leaving the states to bear the burden, including the cost.He reiterated his views on Saturday and again on Sunday in the midst of a three-day snap lockdown, sparked by a person who went to India for a wedding then passed it onto a Victorian man while they were quarantining at the Mercure Hotel in the Perth CBD.Confirmation of the Victorian man's case came after he had flown home to Melbourne.He had spent five days out in the Perth community, during which time he infected a friend with whom he went to a restaurant, where another man contracted the virus.There were no new locally-acquired cases confirmed on Sunday, but a man in his 50s tested positive in hotel quarantine after returning from India.Mr McGowan said he was at the “end of his tether” at the lack of federal government help with quarantine, reiterating his previously expressed view there were various Commonwealth facilities that would be more suitable.But in a statement on Sunday, a federal government spokesman shot down Mr McGowan's demands, saying venues such as the Christmas Island detention centre and defence bases were simply unsuitable for quarantine.“Defence bases are operational facilities and the risk to critical defence personnel is not acceptable,” he said.“Defence bases also generally feature austere accommodation facilities with shared dorms and bathrooms making them unsuitable for quarantine purposes.“In many cases, these facilities are not close to health and intensive care services.”He also said Australia's immigration network was at capacity, with individuals in detention including many the nation was seeking to deport back to their home countries after they committed serious crimes including sexual assault.“Not only are the facilities at capacity, but it would inappropriate and logistically difficult for Australians to have to live alongside such individuals,” the spokesman said.Defence Minister Peter Dutton dismissed Mr McGowan's call on ABC Insiders on Sunday.“There are eight or nine hotels that are working perfectly fine in WA at the moment,” Mr Dutton said.He also said the Premier had “made a mistake with the Mercure Hotel” and “doesn't want to be the next Dan Andrews”.After those comments, Mr McGowan was asked by a reporter: “Why do you keep pushing ... when you know they won't give in?”“We keep pushing it because it is actually their responsibility and they do have facilities built for this purpose,” the Premier replied.“I've lived in some of those defence facilities.“I know what they're like. Many of them were built with this in mind.“When everyone pushes back against Christmas Island, just remember ... the Commonwealth used it in March and April last year for people coming back from Japan and China.“So all I'd say is, look, it should be a joint effort here.”Mr McGowan said the federal government wanted “to push it to the state and blame the state if anything goes wrong”.He also revealed the Commonwealth had agreed to his call to halve the number of returning Australians into Perth, reducing the intake to just over 500 per week from Thursday.Mr McGowan said he refused to return to current levels.“We'll advise the Commonwealth that we will not go back up to over 1000 per week because our system is put at too much risk when that occurs,” the Premier said.“Especially when we learn that many of the people who are COVID positive are people who left Australia recently and went to COVID-laden countries.“I'm just not copping that.”Mr McGowan was scathing of the person who went to India for a wedding.“It's not OK,” he said.“If you want to go overseas, it should be for o...

Sunday is ANZAC day - and this year it comes at a particularly important time for Australia’s military image. Last week, Scott Morrison announced Australia’s remaining troops will leave Afghanistan by September, following President Biden’s announcement of the United States withdrawal. One negative legacy of Australia’s participation in this conflict is documented in the Brereton report on Australia war crimes, which detailed alleged incidents of unlawful killing and cruelty by some special forces troops. Among the report’s recommendations was the revocation of the Meritorious Unit Citation that had been awarded to some 3,000 soldiers. The Chief of the Australian Defence Force, Angus Campbell, agreed with the recommendation. But critics were fierce and this week the new Defence Minister Peter Dutton said the award would not be revoked. Executive Director of the Australia Defence Association Neil James joins the podcast, to discuss the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the strategic risk China poses, and the high profile new minister in the portfolio. James is concerned the departure of international forces from Afghanistan will lead to more instability. “By withdrawing and without a peace agreement with the Taliban, it’s going to be a reasonable problem. The simple thing about all wars is they always end when one side gives up or both sides get tired. And in this case, unfortunately, the message being sent to the Taliban is that the international community has given up.” On China, James is concerned about any “number of flash points that could easily cause a war, even if only accidentally”. Taiwan “is the big flash point.” “President Xi will seek to legitimise his presidency by, in his words, absorbing Taiwan back into the motherland. That will automatically cause a war for the simple reason that Taiwan is a functioning democracy and a lot of the world’s democracies will probably object to that. That’s the biggest flash point.” On the controversial Dutton decision to override Campbell over the citation, James believes the minister did the wrong thing. “I think probably, to be brutally frank, he was ill advised. And I think if he [had] bothered to consult a bit more broadly and understood the implications of what he was doing, he may not have done it.” “[The revocation] needs to be done for the simple reason that the revocation of the citation isn’t an Australian issue - it’s an international issue. We’re showing the world that we’re taking the Brereton report seriously. "We admit the war crimes occurred even if we have difficulty convicting anyone of it, eventually. They certainly definitely occurred. And therefore, we have to be seen to be doing something about it. "And by cancelling the revocation, we’re actually sending the wrong message internationally about Australia’s commitment to international law. But we’re also sending the wrong message internally within the defence force about unprofessional behaviour.” While James thinks Dutton was “the only bloke who could have taken over the ministry after [Linda] Reynolds” was moved, he remains a strong defender of Reynolds. Even before the Brittany Higgins matter, Reynolds faced considerable criticism from commentators. James believes there was a sexist element in some of the attacks on her performance in the portfolio, and he condemns those who thought Australia couldn’t be “taken seriously as a country when both the foreign minister and the defence minister were female”. “I mean, that’s just absurd in the 21st century. It was actually absurd for most the late 20th century.”

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has bowed to pressure by announcing a royal commission into veteran suicide.The federal government has faced calls from veterans to implement the inquiry over a mounting suicide toll among ex-servicemen.Announcing the measure on Monday, the prime minister said he hoped the inquiry would prove an “important process” for grieving families.“I hope it will be a healing process. I hope it will be a process by which veterans and families can find some comfort,” he said.“But it obviously can't replace the loss. We understand that.“I think this will be a process that will assist in the comfort that those families have been seeking.”The Prime Minister confirmed the inquiry's draft terms of reference would be released on Monday, and the commission would have the power to hold private sessions.Mr Morrison said he expected the royal commission to take a year to 18 months to complete.It will examine “all aspects of service” in the Australian Defence Force, including those who continue to be at risk of suicide.Mr Morrison said Australians needed to understand more about the human cost of sending troops to war overseas.“It's not just about the great risk that our Defence Force personnel are put at when they engage in those deployments,” he said.“We must also understand … the human cost, and that cost is most significant when we see it in the death by suicide of our veterans.”Mr Morrison said he had “listened carefully” to veterans both within and outside parliament and had come to the conclusion a royal commission was necessary.“I do not want to see there to be any delay in moving ahead with examining these issues but also putting in place the permanent arrangements that are necessary,” he said.Labor veterans spokesman Brendan O'Connor welcomed the announcement but said it had arrived “belatedly” after pressure from Labor since 2019.“We are glad to see the government has made a decision, although it does seem it has done so begrudgingly, belatedly and because of the pressure that has been brought to bear upon them by the veterans' community,” he said.The announcement came just hours after Defence Minister Peter Dutton flagged his support for a royal commission in the clearest indication the government was willing to change its stance.Mr Dutton was pressed on whether he supported a royal commission.“Yes, very much so … I think that‘s important, and there are many within the veterans community that support that,” he said.“We don't want to see veterans self-harming, we don't want to see their families suffering. We want to provide whatever support we can.”The measure was a reverse course for the federal government, which had resisted a push for a royal commission.It appointed an independent commissioner to look into veteran suicide on an ongoing basis, which Mr Morrison in December said was a “better answer” than a “one-off” royal commission.Mr Dutton claimed Mr Morrison had been “very clear” in his support for a royal commission.He said a royal commission would act as a “snapshot in time” but should run concurrently to the ongoing commissioner's work.“It's also important that if there is a suicide in five years' time, there's the ability for families to get … a deeper understanding, particularly if there's some ambiguity around the circumstances or contributing factors,” he said.But Mr Dutton but would not give a timetable on when the royal commission would be implemented. “That will be an issue for the Prime Minister, but it'll speak to the government's genuine desire to support our troops, and I think that's important,” he told Sky News on Monday.Independent senator Jacqui Lambie, who has led the push for a royal commission, lashed Mr Morrison for dithering as lives were lost.“How many more does he want on his shoulders right now, this week? Call the bloody royal commission for God's sake,” she said to Sky News.“There is nothing stopping you from calling it today. Stop treati...

Labor Senator Kristina Keneally has accused Defence Minister Peter Dutton of cancelling her trip to Christmas Island, the police officer who shot an killed unarmed black man in Minnesota has been arrested and will be charged with second-degree manslaughter, Bernie Madoff, whose $65 billion Ponzi scheme made him one of the world's most hated criminals, has died, former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak has copped an eight-year ban after being charged with breaches of the anti-corruption code, one of the stars of the Bachelor from the US has announced he's gay, a woman was catfished online and was tricked into thinking she was in a relationship with Prince Harry   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.