Latest news with #TheAustralian
Sky News AU
2 days ago
- Business
- Sky News AU
Former prime minister Paul Keating slams Defence Minister Richard Marles for ‘careless betrayal' over US-China war comments
Former prime minister Paul Keating has launched a scathing attack on Defence Minister Richard Marles, accusing him of surrendering Australia's foreign policy independence. Mr Marles declared at a summit on Monday that Australia could play a role in any future war between the United States and China. In a blistering critique published in The Australian, Mr Keating described Mr Marles' comments as a 'careless betrayal of the country's policy agency'. He also said Mr Marles' stance on Australian involvement in a US-China conflict would 'go down as a dark moment in Australia's history'. 'China's singular crime is to have built an economy larger than the United States,' Mr Keating said. 'This is the affront which the United States cannot bear… Now, the US is running about trying to sweep gullible allies into its declining and failing pitch. 'Yet, it believes there is always a mug who will buy its venal view of affairs. And in Australia, the United States is not disappointed.' During The Australian's Defending Australia summit on Monday, the Defence Minister said Australia would play a key role in a war between China and the US. He also expressed a belief that Australia would not be under threat of invasion, but that 'sea lines of communication' may be compromised in any conflict. 'Australia's geography today is more relevant to great power contest than it has been at any point since the end of the Second World War,' he said. Asked about Australia's potential to play a role in a potential war on Thursday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong did not rule it out. 'The focus of everything we do is to prevent conflict,' she told reporters at a press conference at Parliament House. 'The focus of everything that we do, both in hard deterrence, also in reassurance, and the work we do, and I lead in the region, is to prevent conflict and to preserve peace.' Ms Wong also did not rule out the possibility of Australian involvement in the Middle East conflict. 'We're not a central player in the Middle East,' she said in response to questions about moving defence assets to the Middle East.
Sydney Morning Herald
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
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.
The Age
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
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 buildup 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.
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Sky News AU
Sydney tradie revealed to be one of three men arrested over fatal shooting of fellow Australian in Bali
Three Australian men have been arrested over the fatal shooting of a fellow Australian national, who was allegedly killed in a targeted incident in Bali. Melbourne man Zivan Radmanovic, 32, died at the scene of the incident at a villa in Munguu, Bali on Friday night local time, while 34-year-old Sanar Ghanim, also from Melbourne, was injured in the shooting. Indonesian authorities have now confirmed three men have been arrested in relation to the shooting after they allegedly attempted to flee the country. One of those men has been identified as Sydney man Darcy Francesco Jenson, who has been arrested in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. Bali Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya said the suspects used a motorbike and cars in their attempted escape. He confirmed one man was intercepted at Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Evidence has been gathered and the investigation remains ongoing, the chief inspector said. 'A 9mm firearm is suspected to have been used, but this is still being investigated through ballistic tests and other forensic analyses. We need to examine everything thoroughly. That's why we need the suspects and their testimonies,' Inspector Adityajaya said, according to The Australian. "The South-East Asian country has strict gun laws, and the suspects could face the death penalty if they are charged with premeditated murder. The arrests follow a manhunt by Bali authorities for two people allegedly involved in the shooting, which occurred on the southern side of the island. It was believed the incident may have links to Melbourne's underworld, and injured man Mr Ghanim, who has since been released from hospital, has been linked with organised crime. The attackers allegedly involved in the shooting had Australian accents and escaped the scene on motorbikes, according to witnesses. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade previously told the family of the deceased victim was being provided with consular support. "We send our deepest condolences to the family at this difficult time," a spokesperson had said.
Sky News AU
3 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News AU
‘The place is empty': Tel Aviv desolate as tensions with Iran reach boiling point
The Australian Margin Call Editor Yoni Bashan says he and many other civilians in Israel are receiving 'conflicting messages" from both Iran and Israel on how the Middle East war will play out. Mr Bashan and The Australian reporter Liam Mendes join from Israel. The number of missiles entering Israel has dropped, with Israel destroying at least a third of Iran's rockets using the Iron Dome. 'The sooner that they run out of their arsenal, the sooner life in Israel can go back to normal,' Mr Bashan told Sky News host Sharri Markson. 'If you take a stroll through the streets of Tel Aviv, the place is empty … there's no one here, it's basically COVID-esque once again. 'On the one hand, the Iranians are trumpeting every night …. On the other hand, we've got statements coming from the Israeli government, saying the defensive arrays have been annihilated and they're taking out individual launches in Iran itself. 'We're getting conflicting messages from both sides.'
