Thread: Keeping tabs on Australia"s newly elected Government

Donald Trump ‘keen’ for a meeting with Anthony Albanese, says Penny Wong

The foreign affairs minister told Sky News on Thursday Australia was “very flexible” about when such a meeting between the leaders would occur but said US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, indicated the Trump administration was “keen” to reschedule it.

The prime minister has said, you know, we’re obviously very flexible about those arrangements. The president is a very, very busy man. But I was pleased that Secretary Rubio made clear that, you know, obviously, that they’re keen for a meeting – they want to reschedule it. It was disappointing, as he said, that they had to reschedule because the president had to return [to the US] as a consequence of what was occurring in the Middle East.

The comments follow days of speculation about when Albanese would lock in a meeting and whether it would occur in the White House. On Tuesday, Albanese suggested there would be many opportunities at the end of the year during summit season.

The Guardian

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Foreign affairs minister makes case for tariff reprieve in Washington

Penny Wong met with the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, this morning, Australian time, as Australia continues to negotiate for the removal of tariffs.

The face-to-face discussions took place in Washington on the sidelines of a meeting of Quad foreign ministers, AAP reports, which also includes Wong’s counterparts from India and Japan.

Wong told Rubio it was unfortunate they were meeting against a backdrop of conflict in the world.

“So it has never been more important for us to harness our collective strength for peace, stability, for prosperity in the Indo-Pacific,” she said.

Rubio responded that the US and Australia had a “great partnership”, and while it was important to discuss ideas and concepts, the next steps would be “concrete action”.

It’s the second time in six months that foreign ministers from the Quad nations have met for in-person talks, with the grouping also holding formal discussions in Washington in the days following US President Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Defence, trade and stability in the Indo-Pacific have been high on the agenda during the discussions.

The Guardian

I'm hoping Australia soon gives up its custom of metaphorically fellating American presidents and secretaries of state.

Hundreds of critically endangered frogs released into the wild in NSW

In some good news for your Friday morning, Taronga Zoo says the largest ever release of critically endangered northern corroboree frogs into Brindabella national park has taken place.

The zoo’s conservation society says 544 of the frogs – which it bred in captivity – had been released into the wild in partnership with the New South Wales government.

There are estimated to be fewer than 1,200 mature individuals of the northern corroboree frog in the wild. The zoo says these frogs, which weigh only 2-3g and are “about the size of a paper clip”, are vital for the biodiversity of sub-alpine ranges.

Northern corroboree frogs, known for their black and yellow stripes, are found only within the Brindabella and Fiery Ranges in NSW and the ACT at between 750 and 1,800 metres above sea level.

Their survival is threatened by chytrid fungus, invasive species such as pigs and deer, and catastrophic climate events, including the black summer bushfires, which affected most of the species’ habitat in the Fiery Ranges.

The Guardian

Australia lifts aid to Fiji and deepens ties after Rabuka visit

The Fijian prime minister Sitiveni Rabuka’s week-long visit to Australia has borne fruit, with Anthony Albanese’s government agreeing to bolster aid to the Pacific nation by tens of millions of dollars.

Australia has agreed to a fresh commitment of $52m of support, with a focus on border security, taking commitments to Fiji to just under $500m over the next four years.

Foreign minister Penny Wong has also announced a deepening of policing and security ties, including officers and advisers to be embedded in Fijian operations.

Rabuka arrived in Canberra last week, meeting with governor general Sam Mostyn before a series of meetings with Australian officials, including Albanese.

He addressed the National Press Club on Wednesday, calling for a deepening of defence ties and raised the prospect of Fijian soldiers serving in the Australian defence force.

The Guardian

Mike Kaiser named as new head of climate change and energy department

Anthony Albanese has named former Queensland Labor MP and senior public servant Mike Kaiser as the new boss of the department of climate change, energy, the environment and water.

Kaiser was the Queensland Labor secretary and later an MP in the state parliament, but resigned in 2001 after admitting to the Shepardson Inquiry into electoral fraud that he had falsely signed an electoral enrolment form in the mid 1980s.

He later worked as an adviser to NSW Labor premier Morris Iemma and then Queensland premier Anna Bligh. His CV includes stints as the director general of Queensland’s Department of Premier and Cabinet and the director general of State Development and the Department of Resources.

The Queensland Liberal-National Party premier, David Crisafulli, sacked Kaiser in October 2024, his first staffing decision after winning the election.

Albanese said Kaiser would take up the five-year term on 14 July.

“Mr Kaiser’s experience includes delivering on large scale projects, administering complex regulatory regimes and leading the Queensland government’s policies on planning and infrastructure,” Albanese said in a statement. He replaces David Fredericks in the role.

Shortly after the appointment was announced, Kaiser posted a statement on social media.

“The career rerouting is over. And the path ahead was worth the wait,” he wrote.

A consequential agenda. Passionate stakeholders. An outstanding team. High expectations. A lot to deliver. Thank you to those who stayed in touch over recent months. I’ve appreciated it. Back to work, now for the people of Australia.

The Guardian

Trump’s trade war will have ‘profound’ effects, RBA deputy governor warns

The Reserve Bank deputy governor, Andrew Hauser, has warned that Donald Trump’s trade war will have a “profound” impact on the global economy.

Speaking at the Australian Conference of Economists this morning, Hauser said it was “puzzling” that investors seemed unperturbed by the tectonic shifts in the global economic order.

Sharemarkets are higher now than they were before Trump announced his extraordinary tariff rates in early April’s “liberation day”.

“How worried are we about it (Trump’s trade policies)? We are very, very focused on it, the level of uncertainty is clearly elevated. The first round effects of these changes in US tariffs are probably relatively minor, but the effects on a broader global economy are profound,” he said.

Hauser, who joined the RBA from the Bank of England, used the experience of Brexit to explain how it can take years for the full impact of major shocks like Trump’s tariffs to become clear.

The day after Brexit happened, everyone thought the world would end, and it didn’t. But 10 years on, you’re seeing the profound effects of some of those changes for sustainable growth rates and for fundamental things in the economy.

Hauser’s comments came a day after the RBA board defied expectations to hold rates, but the official offered no fresh insights into what the central bank was thinking on that score.

The Guardian

PM reiterates PBS, media bargaining code and biosecurity laws 'not on the table' in Trump tariff negotiations

Anthony Albanese says the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, media bargaining code and biosecurity laws “are not on the table for negotiations” with the US.

The prime minister was asked whether the government’s “planned local content on streaming services or the news media bargaining code” will be “potential … bargaining chips” to protect exports as the US president, Donald Trump, threatens a potential 200% tariff on pharmaceuticals.

Albanese said:

On trade and tariffs, we are continuing to engage in the national interest with the United States but I’ve made it very clear that the issues such as the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, the media bargaining code that is about not tax, that is about journalists being paid for the work that they do, and our bio laws to protect our agricultural interests are not on the table for negotiations, they are a part of who Australia is. So we will continue to engage.

My government has made considerable effort to make medicines cheaper for Australians, and they will be $25, the same price that they were in 2004 ... That is what Australians voted for on the third of May and they voted for it in substantial numbers.

The Guardian

Albanese speaks to reporters ahead of China trip

Anthony Albanese is speaking to media now ahead of his visit to China this weekend.

Asked about expanding trade opportunities with China, he said:

We will engage constructively across a range of issues and a range of potentials that is there. In areas such as green energy, there is a real prospect of further engagement.

There will be a round table in which Australian and Chinese businesses will be interacting.

Originally Posted by 39TG

I can't recall seeing fire stories from Oz yet. Fire season must have arrived.

Are you mad? ... you broke the OP's run on continuing posts without another poster giving a rat's posterior.

NO-ONE else has posted in the last 7 pages on this esteemed public forum ... Guinness Book of Records ... are you listening?

Originally Posted by S Landreth

Albanese speaks to reporters ahead of China trip

Anthony Albanese is speaking to media now ahead of his visit to China this weekend.

Asked about expanding trade opportunities with China, he said:

We will engage constructively across a range of issues and a range of potentials that is there. In areas such as green energy, there is a real prospect of further engagement.

There will be a round table in which Australian and Chinese businesses will be interacting.

https://www.pm.gov.au/media/doorstop-sydney-4

FTFY

you do not have to open the thread either newbi dave aka angry clown

Barnaby Joyce vows to wind back ‘lunatic crusade’ of net zero with private member’s bill

Barnaby Joyce has vowed to wind back the “lunatic crusade” of net zero by 2050 in a private member’s bill once parliament resumes later this month.

The former deputy prime minister and Nationals backbencher’s clarion call on Friday afternoon laid bare the Coalition’s decades-long brawl over climate change and energy policy.

The New England MP, who has long been sceptical of the impacts of climate change, described the policy to reduce carbon emissions by 2050 to net zero as “treacherous” to Australia’s security in a post on Facebook on Friday afternoon.

Joyce also claimed Australia’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 was akin to self-immolation without the “authentic” participation of other countries.

“There is no more time to assess, to ponder, to nuance or to amend. Net zero must be repealed and as such, I will, at my first opportunity bring forward a bill to do that,” he wrote.

“The idea that, at this stage, we have put the focus of our nation on a lunatic crusade of Net Zero is treacherous to the very security of Australia.”

There’s no guarantee Joyce’s private member’s bill will be considered for debate if it is introduced in the upcoming sitting fortnight.

It is also unlikely to attract the full support of the opposition, which was reduced to 43 seats of 150 after May’s federal election.

The opposition is undertaking an internal review of its election policies, with climate change and energy expected to take centre-stage in an ideological tussle.

Joyce and his Queensland colleague Matt Canavan have long campaigned for the climate targets to be ditched, while some Liberals, such as the shadow home affairs minister, Andrew Hastie, have expressed fresh scepticism about the goal.

Joyce has previously labelled the estimated cost of net zero “utterly untenable” and urged the Coalition to walk away from the Paris agreement and its associated climate targets.

China hails Albanese's 'personal efforts' to restore ties

Relations between China and Australia reached a “low point” but are back on track under Anthony Albanese’s leadership, the Chinese premier, Li Qiang, said last night after the pair met in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

China’s premier congratulated Albanese on his re-election, Australian Associated Press reports, and for his “personal efforts” to stabilise the China-Australia relationship, which soured under the former Liberal government during the Covid pandemic.

“China-Australia relations have moved beyond a low point and returned to the right track of stability and development,” Li said.

Since the pair last met in October last year “a lot has happened in the world”, Li said, and there was growing instability and uncertainty in the global economy.

“The development of all countries is faced with new challenges. Given such circumstances, China and Australia as important trade partners, should strengthen dialogue and cooperation,” he said.

Albanese said he looked forward to the two nations exploring new opportunities in trade, climate change, tourism and culture.

“We’ll also have an opportunity to have a frank and open dialogue that enables us to navigate issues that need to be discussed,” he said.

For more on Albanese’s visit and his meeting with Xi Jinping yesterday, check out Tom McIlroy’s report here:

Xi says Australia and China should ‘unswervingly’ work together despite global instability

Albanese to wrap up China visit in Chengdu

Pandas and bionic ears are on Anthony Albanese’s agenda as his six-day tour of China reaches its final leg, Australian Associated Press reports.

The prime minister touched down in Chengdu in China’s south-west yesterday afternoon, where he announced the Sichuan capital would be given hosting rights to an Australian Open wildcard playoff tournament for a second year running.

In the sweltering 37C heat, the prime minister turned down the offer of a hit on centre court, instead hailing the role of sport in boosting people-to-people and cultural links between Australia and China.

“I know that my dear friend [former professional tennis player] Glenn Busby comes here and coaches and spends a lot of time here each year, and he tells me that China will dominate the sport in the years to come,” he said.

Chengdu, home to 21 million residents, is best known outside China as the home of giant pandas.

Albanese will visit a breeding research centre at the forefront of efforts to save the species from extinction.

As well as a beloved cultural icon, pandas are a central part of China’s efforts to exert soft power in the world.

In a meeting with local party secretary Wang Xiaohui, Mr Albanese said pandas “have been such an important feature” of building positive relations between Australia and China.

He noted the two new pandas who were loaned to Adelaide zoo in 2024, in the most recent example of “panda diplomacy”.

“I thank this province for our two newest guests who have been so well received,” he said.

But Chengdu has another, arguably more impactful, connection to Australia.

Cochlear, the Australian hearing device company, bases a manufacturing and research plant in the city, which the prime minister will visit today.

More than 50,000 Chinese patients have had hearing loss restored by a Cochlear device, making it one of the company’s largest markets.

Albanese ends China visit

The prime minister has officially finished his visit to China, with his office calling the trip an opportunity to “continue advancing Australia’s security and economic interests”. Albanese met with the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, premier Li Qiang and the chair of the National People’s Congress, Zhao Leji. The PM also visited the Great Wall of China and Chengdu, the world’s panda capital.

Albanese said in a statement:

A stable and constructive relationship with China is in Australia’s national interest. We will cooperate where we can, disagree where we must and engage in our national interest.

Strengthening our security and economic interests with our largest trading partner will boost Australian jobs and support Australian businesses.

The Guardian

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Coalition ‘didn’t have a phone conversation’ with China during term, says Albanese

Albanese has said his focus is on reaching “more agreement and less disagreement” with China when asked about criticism his visit this week had not achieved tangible benefits for Australia.

The prime minister pointed to increased cooperation between China and his government compared to the previous Coalition government as proof of results. He told reporters:

If you compare the difference of this visit with the failure of the Coalition during the last term, during the term in which I was opposition leader, they didn’t have a phone conversation between a single minister in Australia and our major trading partner.

What we’ve had is constructive engagement. … The fact that you have the four major Australian resource and iron ore exporters – BHP, Rio Fortescue and Hancock – all sitting down with their Chinese purchasers of their products, that benefits Australia enormously.

Albanese said he was looking forward to continuing conversation over points of cooperation with Chinese leaders, with visits from Communist party chair, Zhao Leji, to come later this year. He said:

What I’d like to see is to be able to talk about those issues regularly, get as much agreement as possible … Out of understanding, can come greater cooperation.

The Guardian