Paul Keating accuses Marles of ‘careless betrayal' over China
Former prime minister Paul Keating has lashed Defence Minister Richard Marles for suggesting Australia's territory was crucial to the great power contest between the United States and China, accusing him of betraying his country.
Marles told a conference on Monday that China was conducting the largest conventional military build-up since the end of World War II, which he said meant 'Australia's geography today is more relevant to great power contest'.
Should conflict break out, Marles said, Australia was not at risk of invasion, but its seaborne trade could be disrupted. His conference hosts at The Australian interpreted that as an admission that the country would be involved in conflict between the US and China.
Keating, who is known for his invective, said Marles' statement marked a 'dark moment in Australia's history'.
'A moment when an Australian Labor government intellectually ceded Australia to the United States as a platform for the US and by implication, Australia, for military engagement against the Chinese state in response to a threat China is alleged to be making.'
The Labor elder, who has split from his parliamentary party over foreign policy but remains revered by MPs and ordinary members alike for his reforming time in office, claimed the Albanese government was putting the country in hock to the US without voters' approval.
'The fact is, China has not threatened Australia militarily, nor indeed has it threatened the United States,' Keating said.
'And it has no intention of so threatening.
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But it would not have military deployment obligations. There is appetite for the European Union and Australia to signal a "middle finger to Trump" by uniting on a long-awaited free trade deal but some in Brussels are tempering expectations of a quick turnaround. Trade talks kicked off in 2018 but Canberra walked away about 18 months ago over unsatisfactory market access for beef and lamb producers, and a reluctance to give up naming rights on products for geographical origin reasons, including feta, parmesan and prosecco. Fast forward to 2025 and US President Donald Trump's tariff antics have brought both parties back to the negotiating table. There was speculation of a quick conclusion with the Australian Financial Review reporting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had flagged a trip to Australia for late July or early August in anticipation of signing a deal. This echoed the fact she had also been quick to flag an agreement while offering Anthony Albanese her congratulations on becoming prime minister via Twitter in 2022. But multiple EU spokespeople have declined to confirm the travel, telling AAP a Down Under trip is "not on the radar". Despite acknowledging renewed political will, various sources in Brussels are cautioning patience. "There is no rush," according to one inside the EU Commission. "I wouldn't even say the end of the year, I would say more next year." Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, a senior fellow with Brussels think-tank Bruegel, estimates it could take at least another six months to resolve outstanding issues on agricultural tariffs and quotas. "The broad contour of the deal is already negotiated," he told AAP. "They know where the skeletons are buried. It takes a political grand bargain to do it." 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"We should call it Australian parmesan and Australian feta because Australian milk is the best in the world," he said. Canberra and Brussels announced on Wednesday separate negotiations on a defence pact to boost defence industry, cyber-security and counter-terrorism co-operation. But it would not have military deployment obligations.
