Anthony Albanese turns his attention to the Pacific as his China visit endS, police interview the driver behind the deadly Daylesford crash, and in sport, Australia edge past Afghanistan to make the World Cup cricket semi final.
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TRANSCRIPT
- Anthony Albanese turns his attention to the Pacific as his China visit ends
- Police interview the driver behind the deadly Daylesford crash
- Australia edge past Afghanistan to make the World Cup cricket semi final
The Prime Minister says the AUKUS agreement did not come up directly in his talks with Chinese leaders, as he wraps up his three day visit.
AUKUS has been a point of contention between Australia and China, with Beijing strongly opposing the security alliance, fearing AUKUS might undermine the global nuclear non-proliferation regime due to the technology transfer to Australia.
But Mr Albanese says their discussions only referenced regional security in general terms.
He has reaffirmed the government's commitment to the security pact, amid tensions in the Indo-Pacific between the US and China.
“Well we’re committed to AUKUS and we’re busy implementing it. And that's what I mean by dealing with people honestly, upfront. We have been upfront about our engagement. We think that AUKUS is in Australia's national interest. We also think that AUKUS is a vehicle to promote security, peace and stability in the region.”
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will join more than a dozen Pacific leaders in the Cook Islands for the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting this week.
The Prime Minister touches down in Rarotonga today (November 8) for three days of talks with leaders of a region he has described as family, on issues including climate change, geopolitical challenges, and nuclear issues.
This comes as the Prime Minister has concluded a three-day visit to China where he had what he has described as "very successful" meetings with President Xi Jinping, amid concerns about Chinese intentions in the Indo-Pacific.
Mr Albanese says security in the region, including China's closening diplomatic ties with the Solomon Islands, will form part of discussions.
"One of the things about the Pacific Island Forum is that we have recognised in last year's statement the importance of the Pacific family, looking after our security interests of the region. But the Pacific family is also made up of sovereign states, so we respect the fact that sovereign states have a right to make their decisions."
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Police have interviewed but not charged the man behind the wheel of a car that ploughed through a roadside beer garden in regional Victoria, killing five people.
The 66-year-old driver from Mount Macedon has been in hospital since the incident and was interviewed there.
Police have released a statement saying that enquiries will continue after his eventual release from care.
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Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa has resigned, just hours after prosecutors detained his chief of staff in a probe into alleged corruption in his administration's handling of lithium mining and hydrogen projects.
Costa announced the decision in a televised statement after meeting President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
In the statement, he has said his conscience is clear, but he would not stand as candidate for a fourth time as premier.
"This is a period in my life that comes to an end. Also as we know criminal cases very rarely are speedy, so I would not stand by and wait to make a decision."
It is up to the president now to decide whether to allow Costa's Socialists, who have a majority in parliament, to form a new government or to dissolve parliament and call an election.
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In cricket,
Australia have edged past Afghanistan to make their way into the World Cup semi-finals thanks to an excellent performance by Glen Maxwell who smashed 201 out of 128 balls, in one of the most astonishing innings of the tournament.
The 35-year-old, who was suffering from cramps, finished his highest ODI overnight unable to run between the wickets.
Maxwell hit 21 fours as well as 10 sixes, the last coming off the last ball of the game.
Maxwell has told Fox Sports the weather added an extra layer of difficulty to the team's efforts.
"It was obviously quite hot when we were fielding today and I haven't really done a whole lot of high intensity exercise in the heat. It certainly got a hold of me today. Just likely enough, we came out with a plan to sort of stay at the same end for a little bit until I could get some movement back and luckily enough I was able to stick it out to the end."
