Latest news with #Albanese
West Australian
3 hours ago
- Business
- West Australian
Richard Marles will represent Australia at NATO meeting after Anthony Albanese confirms he won't attend
Anthony Albanese won't attend next week's NATO meeting in the Netherlands, forgoing his first chance to meet Donald Trump since his snubbing at the G7 summit. Earlier this week, the US President left G7 early and cancelled a planned meeting with the Prime Minister amid rising tensions between the countries. Mr Albanese had been considering heading to the Netherlands for the defence-focused gathering — which was a change of heart after he had already announced his deputy Richard Marles would be representing Australia at NATO. Now it's back to plan A, with Mr Marles to head off early next week. The reasons for Mr Albanese's rethink of going to NATO were twofold. Firstly, the June 25 security talks among European and US leaders come at a time of global unrest, with wars in the Middle East and Ukraine. The American president is expected to go to the NATO meeting, although with his attention focused on the Israel-Iran conflict, he may still pull out at the last minute. The Middle-East conflict led to Mr Trump departing the G7 in Canada a day early this past week. The US been pressuring Australia to spend significantly more on defence, the Pentagon is currently reviewing the AUKUS pact with its pledge to sell nuclear-powered submarines to Australia, and Australia has been caught up in the White House's sweeping tariffs. Government sources said Mr Albanese was keen to arrange a meeting with Mr Trump soon. Mr Albanese did speak about the trade issues with senior US officials while in Canada and Foreign Minister Penny Wong pressed the case for AUKUS with Marco Rubio during a phone call on Friday. 'We talked about the Indo-Pacific and the importance of our partnership to stability, peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,' Senator Wong said. 'I've outlined, as you would expect, the benefits to all countries, all three countries of the AUKUS agreement, an agreement which I think is so important for strategic balance in the region, that means protecting peace, preventing conflict and assuring prosperity and security for all countries. And AUKUS is a contribution to that. 'I've also outlined, just as the Prime Minister has, the near-term benefits to the United States, including additional maintenance days and more days in the water for more submarines.' NATO has traditionally been focused on Europe and North America. But the convergence of security interests has prompted deepened ties between the bloc the four Indo-Pacific nations — Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand. Mr Albanese has attended two previous NATO summits and met NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte in Canada last week. Mr Marles also attended the gathering in Washington DC last year. This time, the leaders of Japan and New Zealand are heading to the Netherlands, and the South Korean president is keeping the door open to attending. Senior Opposition frontbencher James Paterson said he'd support Mr Albanese attending NATO regardless of whether he met with Mr Trump because the security discussions were so important.
AU Financial Review
4 hours ago
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Allan wants a seat at Chalmers' roundtable
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has challenged federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers to make solving the productivity crisis a mission for national cabinet, starting with including the states and territories at his ideas roundtable. Allan welcomed Chalmers' pledge to overhaul Australia's tax system as part of the Albanese government's second-term productivity agenda, and called the roundtable he is organising for next month a once in a generation opportunity to drive change across the economy.
Time of India
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Albanese to skip NATO summit as push for Trump meeting and AUKUS talks intensify
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will not attend next week's NATO summit in The Hague on 24-25 June, as he plans for a rescheduled meeting with US President Donald Trump . The two leaders were at the recently concluded G7 summit in Canada but the official meeting failed to materialize as Trump suddenly left for Washington. Albanese had left the door open to joining the key gathering of Trans Atlantic leaders, which will cover critical topics including Australia's role in AUKUS, rising global security tensions, and US trade tariffs. There is additional pressure on the Albanese government to reassert Australia's strategic position with the US as Trump's influence over global security and trade policy intensifies. 'Whatever happens, we'll be represented at a very high level at NATO,' Health Minister Mark Butler told Seven News on Friday, referring to Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, who will lead the Australian delegation . Also read: Albanese gifts Gallipoli poster to Canada's Carney as they meet on the sidelines of G7 summit; here is a list of gifts exchanged Live Events Australia can be sidelined? Critics say skipping the NATO summit risks sidelining Australia during crucial conversations on Ukraine, Iran, and global defence coordination. 'The PM should still go,' Liberal frontbencher James Paterson told Sunrise. 'Meeting Trump would be a bonus, but there are strong shared interests with our allies, from Ukraine to Iran to defence spending.' Albanese had been seeking another opportunity to speak with Trump before the US completes its 30-day review of the AUKUS pact that will help determine how and whether Australia receives American-built nuclear submarines as promised. The crisis in the Middle East Adding urgency to the situation is the Middle East crisis with a new conflict between Israel and Iran, which continues to escalate. Australia has evacuated diplomats from Tehran, deployed aircraft and personnel to assist citizens leaving Israel via Jordan. It has now stationed officials at Azerbaijan's border to support over 2,000 Australians seeking to leave Iran.
Perth Now
6 hours ago
- Business
- Perth Now
Row erupts over state's $2.5bn brag
Cash-strapped state governments are looking west with envy as Western Australia pulls in its large slice of the GST carve up despite the healthiest books in the country. Resource-rich WA posted a $2.5bn operating surplus on Thursday – it's seventh budget surplus in a row. From Friday it is set to receive its share of the GST pool of 75 cents in the dollar, despite its strong revenue stream from its resources sector. State premiers and treasurers have been agitating for changes to the GST distribution, since the final figures were announced in March, and ahead of the funds formally being dished out on Friday. WA Premier Roger Cook and Treasurer Rita Saffioti delivered the state Labor government's seventh straight surplus this week. NewsWire / Philip Gostelow Credit: News Corp Australia WA is still enjoying the windfalls of a 2018 GST deal struck under previous Coalition government by then-treasurer Scott Morrison and backed in by the Albanese government, where WA is guaranteed 75 cents of every dollar paid in GST. Without this benchmark, WA would have received as little as 18 cents back. The WA Premier and Treasurer credited their economic management for this week's operating surplus and healthy debt forecasts. Iron ore prices are hovering at $US95 while the state government has done its forecasting with an expectation of $US72 a tonne. But every state and territory except WA has been posting deficits since the 75 cent distribution reforms in 2018. Queensland Treasurer David Janetzki says his state is being punished for economic productivity. NewsWire / Tertius Pickard Credit: News Corp Australia The Queensland Treasurer feels short-changed, as strong coal royalties pad the state coffers. Victoria and NSW's slices of the GST pie are set to expand while Queensland's portion gets a trim. 'This money belongs to Queenslanders and we should not be punished because of our support for industries that underpin our national wealth,' state Treasurer David Janetzki said. The impending Queensland state budget, to be delivered on Tuesday, will show the effects of a dip in coal prices after an $8.8bn royalties windfall during the past four years. Despite the Sunshine State's royalty take coming down, Queensland's GST payout this year falls by $1.1bn to $16.5bn. In a speech to the National Press Club on Wednesday, federal Treasurer Jim Chalmers, who has historically opposed raising the GST rate, left the door slightly open to raising it from 10 per cent – the amount the excise has remained for the past 25 years. 'I've, for a decade or more, had a view about the GST,' he told The Conversation. 'I repeated that view at the Press Club because I thought that was the honest thing to do, but what I'm going to genuinely try and do, whether it's in this policy area or in other policy areas, is to not limit what people might bring to the table.' Queensland Nationals Senator Matt Canavan is a big fan of coal, and royalties on the natural resource have hugely benefited the state budget in the past few years. NewsWire / Dylan Robinson Credit: NCA NewsWire This year, Queensland is the only state or territory getting less than previous years, while every other jurisdiction is getting more. Victoria is set to become a net-recipient of the GST pool for the first time as well. 'It used to be the case that our friends in Victoria would help us shoulder the burden in supporting all the other states,' NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey said last month. 'Victoria is now a recipient state, to quite a large degree, $1.07 (per dollar taxed) is what they're getting. 'I'm going to continue to speak out, particularly about the fact that NSW is now carrying the federation when it comes to GST distribution.' The Northern Territory receives $5.15 for every dollar it contributes, far and away the largest return. Despite having the second largest population, Victoria receives the largest portion of the total pool, getting 27.5 per cent; with a $3.6bn year-on-year increase this time around.
Sky News AU
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
Anthony Albanese snubs NATO summit in the Netherlands as Richard Marles' attendance is confirmed
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has snubbed the upcoming NATO summit, as it has been confirmed that Deputy PM Richard Marles will go instead. Mr Albanese has been heavily criticised in recent days after US President Donald Trump left the G7 Summit in Canada early due to the ongoing Middle East crisis. The move is understood to have left the Albanese government blindsided after planned talks between the prime minister and the commander-in-chief at the conference were suddenly scrapped. Following Mr Trump's early departure, Mr Albanese did not rule out that he was he considering attending NATO summit in the Netherlands next week, suggesting a potential rescheduled meeting with the US president. The Australian reports that a senior government source has now said Mr Marles will be attending the conference and not Mr Albanese. The masthead reported there was a risk Mr Trump may not attend the event in the Netherlands either, considering the current geological climate. The now-cancelled talks at the G7 summit involved months of work for Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd in securing the meeting. In the wake of Trump's departure, Mr Albanese instead held two brief meetings on the sidelines of the conference in Canada with members of the Trump administration, including US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer. Key issues including AUKUS and US tariffs on Australian exports were expected to be covered in the now-cancelled opportunity for a bilateral meeting between Australia and the US. Sky News Host Andrew Bolt blasted Mr Albanese's public snubbing at the G7 summit and claimed the lack of discussions could be a "disaster" for Australia. "Humiliation for a Prime Minister, who has no personal connection with US President Donald Trump, who has rejected Trump's demands for more defence spending and, big surprise, now gets treated like dirt," Bolt said on Tuesday night. Shadow assistant competition minister and Australia's former ambassador to Israel Dave Sharma labelled the lack of talks at the G7 an 'abject failure of Australian diplomacy'. 'Unlike every other world leader or nearly every other world leader who's made their way to Washington over the past six months... Anthony Albanese has not gone,' Mr Sharma told Sky News host Chris Kenny on Tuesday.
