Tag: Scott Morrison

India to Station Patrol Aircraft in Australia as Both Nations Seek Closer Ties

India will station maritime patrol aircraft in Australia amid ongoing concerns of hostility in the Indo-Pacific region, a move that comes as part of a larger package that will see the Australian government commit around AU$200 million (US$147 million) into developing the relationship. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met…


New South Wales Government Opens Independent Inquiry Into Flood Response

The New South Wales (NSW) government has launched an independent flood inquiry to examine and report on the causes, preparedness, response, and recovery from the unprecedented weather event. The state’s former police commissioner Mick Fuller and its chief scientist Mary O’Kane will head the inquiry. Acting Premier Paul Toole said the review would ensure NSW…


PM Arrives in Western Australia, Announces Boost to Billion-Dollar City Deal

After touching down in Western Australia (WA), Prime Minister Scott Morrison has made quick work of unveiling a $74 million (US$54 million) federal boost towards the development of key projects in the state’s capital, Perth. It brings the total Perth deal to $1.69 billion (US$1.24 billion), including a new university campus in the heart of…


Australia Funds Critical Mineral Projects to Break China Reliance

The Australian federal government announced $243 million (US$176 million) in funding for four critical mineral refining projects to break the country’s near full reliance on China for the products. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the projects, that are expected to create over 3,400 jobs, were key to securing domestic manufacturing in Australia. “These projects are…


Australian PM More Experienced but Less Trustworthy Than Opposition Leader: Poll

The latest Newspoll conducted for News Corp’s The Australian has revealed that voters perceive Prime Minister Scott Morrison to be far more experienced than Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese but less trustworthy. The periodical poll, which reveals what Australian voters think about their leaders and who they would vote for if an election were held that…


Communities the Front Line for Crisis Response, Not Military: Australian PM

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Australian Defence Force (ADF) had moved as quickly as possible to help with the floods, but that no level of response was ever going meet the needs of a “1-in-500-year flood” event. In an interview with Nine Network, Morrison said the first response to emergencies always comes from…


People Know Why Petrol Prices Rising: Aussie PM

Scott Morrison believes Australians understand why petrol prices are going up but won’t say whether there will be help in the budget at the end of the month through a cut in fuel excise. Some parts of the country are paying well over $2 per litre as a result of global oil prices spiking due…


Tributes Flow for Deceased Australian Senator and ‘China Hawk’ Kimberley Kitching

Tributes have poured in from human rights advocates and across the political spectrum for Australian Senator Kimberley Kitching. Kitching, one of the most vocal critics of Beijing’s human rights record in the Australian Labor Party (ALP), passed away from a suspected heart attack on March 10, aged 52. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the Victorian…


Australian Labor Party Pledges Climate Change Action in National Security Election Pitch

Federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese has pledged solid action on climate change as part of his foreign policy election pitch. The pledge came during a major address to the Lowy Institute in Sydney, where the Australian Labor Party (ALP) leader outlined his party’s credentials amid criticism from the federal government that the ALP would be…


Australia Announces Biggest Expansion of Military Personnel in 40 Years

Australia will see the biggest expansion to its defence force since the Vietnam War amid ongoing tensions in the Indo-Pacific and war in Ukraine. The build-up, announced by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Defence Minister Peter Dutton, will see personnel numbers swell by 30 percent from the current active force of 59,095 to around 80,000…