Anthony Albanese explains why Australia hasn't yet committed a warship to the Red Sea; The bitter argument between the government and opposition over the Abdul Nacer Benbrika case continues; And in sport, Manchester City ease into the Club World Cup final.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Anthony Albanese explains why Australia hasn't yet committed a warship to the Red Sea;
- The bitter argument between the government and opposition over the Abdul Nacer Benbrika case continues;
- And in sport, Manchester City ease into the Club World Cup final.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia hasn't yet agreed to send a warship to the Red Sea, because the nation's defence assets have to be focused on its own region.
The federal opposition is calling for Australia to agree to a request from the United States to send a ship to the Middle East to join an multi-national taskforce to secure international shipping lanes against blockade from Yemen's Houthi rebels.
The rebels say the blockade is in support of Palestinians in the current Israel-Hamas conflict.
National Party leader David Littleproud says the blockade could cause a rise in oil prices, as ships re-route to avoid it.
Mr Albanese says Australia is still mulling the US request, and is helping the multi-national taskforce currently through diplomatic means.
"It is important that navigation and freedom of movement be allowed. We condemn the actions of the Houthis, and the disruption that is occurring. And we know that the US understands the best way for Australia to support this is through diplomatic support, and our resources have been prioritised in our region- the Indo-Pacific."
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Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is rejecting Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus' explanation of the circumstances surrounding the release of convicted terrorist Abdul Nacer Benbrika.
She says, with this case, and the recent release of more than 100 people from immigration detention, the federal government is simply failing to keep Australians safe.
"Courts make decisions. Governments respond to them. That's the separation between the two. I want the Attorney-General or the Prime Minister to stand up, look Australians in the eye, and actually say they think it's okay for Benbrika to be walking the streets, to walk amongst us. I want to hear that come from them. because if they can't do that, then they have failed in their responsibility. Their responsibility has always been to keep Australians safe. They have not done that."
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New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Luxon says his country has interest in possibly joining Australia in the AUKUS defence alliance.
Mr Luxon has met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Sydney on his first official overseas visit since taking office on the 27th of November.
The AUKUS agreement has formed part of the discussion between the two leaders.
Australia will acquire nuclear-powered submarines from the United States and United Kingdom as part of the alliance, which rules New Zealand out of a frontline role, as it goes against New Zealand's long-running no nuclear ships policy.
But Mr Luxon says his country is interested in the so-called pillar two of the agreement, which involves the development of defence technology, such as hypersonic missiles, and artificial intelligence.
"We will always have our nuclear-free position. That's non-negotiable for us in New Zealand, But we already have our navies that work together in an incredibly interoperable way, and we want to see more interoperability, frankly, between our respective defence forces. From my point of view, we are interested in exploring pillar two, particularly, in AUKUS, and the new technologies and the opportunities that that may mean for New Zealand to participate. We'll work our way through that over the course of next year, as we understand it more, and think about what the opportunities may be for us."
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And in sport,
Manchester City have eased into the final of the Club World Cup with a comfortable 3-0 win over Japanese side Urawa Red Diamonds.
Without Erling Haaland, the Champions League winners needed an own goal to launch their campaign in Saudi Arabia but second-half strikes from Mateo Kovavic and Bernardo Silva saw them stroll to victory.
Having already added the European Super Cup to last season's treble, City will now have the chance to claim a fifth trophy of the calendar year when they face Brazil in the final in Jeddah.
