As we flagged earlier, the CEO of Greyhound Racing NSW has resigned after report alleging animal mistreatment was released and then removed.
You can now read our full story on the matter from Luca Ittimani and Stephanie Convery below:
Richard Marles shared these images from Nato to social media, not too long ago:
NATO is a force for peace. We’re honoured to join our many friends and partners in celebrating the 75th Anniversary of @NATO and look forward to deepening our friendships further. Thanks @POTUS for hosting today’s celebrations. pic.twitter.com/c2qWsfZhXS
— Richard Marles (@RichardMarlesMP) July 9, 2024
Marles says Australia will ‘work with whoever the American people choose to lead it’
Continuing from our last post: asked about perceptions of strong leadership from America, Richard Marles said he was pleased to have met his American counterpart Lloyd Austin many times, saying that said “a lot about the way in which the Biden Administration has been engaging with the world, about the way in which the US and that Joe Biden has been managing its relationships with the world, and we could not be more pleased with that.”
We’re certainly very pleased about the focus that the Biden Administration has placed on the Indo-Pacific, on the issues which are front and centre for Australia.
Asked about Biden’s debate performance, where he appeared uncomfortable and lost at times, Marles said he wouldn’t provide commentary on American political affairs.
Asked whether the “instability” could lead to another Trump presidency, Marles responded:
America’s got a right to go through its political processes in an election year, and I’m going to let America do that themselves without providing a commentary on it. It’s part of the democratic process.
We will work with whoever the American people choose to lead it after the first Tuesday in November. Right now, we are working very closely with the Biden Administration and we’re very happy with the role that the Biden Administration is playing in terms of providing American leadership in a troubled world.
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Marles dodges questions about Biden and Trump during press conference in Washington
Deputy prime minister Richard Marles has dutifully dodged a number of questions about US president Joe Biden and Republican hopeful Donald Trump in a press conference in Washington DC this morning, saying “America has been providing strong leadership” and declining to weigh into the storm over Biden’s political future.
Marles is representing Australia at the Nato summit this week. The defence minister is fronting the conference after prime minister Anthony Albanese was criticised by some conservative voices for not attending himself.
In a doorstop interview, Marles was asked seven questions in a row about Biden, Trump and the looming US election – to which he played a dead bat to nearly all.
Asked if world leaders were looking at Biden’s performance at Nato, Marles said:
I think people are focused on the 75th anniversary of Nato and the challenges that are facing Nato and its allies in the contemporary world.
Penny Wong welcomes Tuvalu prime minister to Adelaide
The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, has welcomed Tuvalu PM Feleti Teo to Adelaide.
As we flagged earlier, Australia will provide up to $40m in aviation and connectivity support to Tuvalu as the two nations progress a security pact.
Wong said she and Teo discussed “progress on the Falepili Union, our joint initiative to safeguard our collective peace, security and sovereignty.”
The visit is also an opportunity to showcase Australia’s rich culture and traditions.
To help grow our ties and boost connectivity, Australia is pleased to announce up to $40 million in aviation support for Tuvalu. This will help to build capacity and capability in Tuvalu’s aviation sector including people, processes and airport safety and quality.
Wonderful to welcome Tuvalu PM Feleti Teo to Adelaide.
— Senator Penny Wong (@SenatorWong) July 9, 2024
We discussed progress on the Falepili Union, our joint initiative to safeguard our collective peace, security and sovereignty.
The visit is also an opportunity to showcase Australia’s rich culture and traditions. pic.twitter.com/idjBUy8nRG
Government to establish 12 new Indigenous protected areas
The Albanese government is set to establish 12 new Indigenous protected areas (IPAs) following a $14.6m investment.
IPAs are areas of land and sea country managed by First Nations groups. A statement from environment minister Tanya Plibersek and Indigenous Australians minister Linda Burney said that combined, the new projects will protect 7.5m hectares of land and 450,000 hectares of sea country – bigger than the size of Tasmania.
The new IPAs go towards the government’s commitment to protect 30% of land by 2030. Plibersek said:
Our investment to establish 12 new IPAs will not only protect our biodiversity and rehabilitate areas in need, but it will produce more local jobs and opportunities for regional and remote areas.
Burney said that “no one knows this country better than First Nations people who for time immemorial have cared for our land and sea.”
The new IPAs include:
Mount Willoughby IPA in South Australia
Yanyuwa Sea Country IPA in the Northern Territory
Bellinger Valley IPA consultation project in NSW
Bringing Jagun Together in NSW
Muunthiwarra, Alka Bawa and Kalpowar (MAK) IPA in Queensland
Wadja IPA consultation project in Queensland
Pormpuraaw Aboriginal Lands and Waters IPA in Queensland
Western Miyarrka IPA consultation project in the Northern Territory
Simpson Desert IPA in the Northern Territory
Nyamal IPA in Western Australia
Wudjari IPA in Western Australia
Yindjibarndi IPA in Western Australia
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Inquiry into claims of poor animal welfare practices in greyhound racing industry to be announced
Just circling back to news that the boss of NSW’s greyhound racing industry has quit:
Racing minister David Harris has been speaking with ABC News Breakfast following the announcement, and was asked whether the resignation offers any solution to the industry’s problems?
He responded:
I have been working with Greyhound Racing NSW since becoming minister, making sure that they understand they have to operate at the very highest standards. It’s a matter for the board about the CEO, but certainly I have put to them a number of issues which need resolution and we will continue to work with them to solve those particular issues.
We are also about to announce an inquiry looking into some of the claims that have been made in the most recent reports, and also covering other allegations that have been made since we came to government …
I think it’s important for the public to know that we take these claims seriously and that we are acting to refer them to the appropriate body or, in this case, having an independent inquiry look at some of those issues.
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Age assurance technology distracting big tech from other regulation, organisation claims
Tech platforms research organisation Reset Tech Australia has said the focus on age assurance technology to keep young people off social media is a distraction used by the big tech companies to keep focus away from other forms of regulation.
The organisation’s director of research and policy, Dr Rys Farthing, told a federal parliamentary committee on social media that all the focus on age assurance tech to estimate or verify user ages was “a bit of a trap”.
It’s their playbook to start talking about age verification the moment we talk about any particular safety enhancements or safety standards that could be implemented for kids.
There are multiple regulatory reforms that we could put in place that would fundamentally transform the digital architecture for young people without requiring age assurance, but it’s the only thing tech wants us to talk about.
The federal government has funded an age assurance trial for $6.5m, while the opposition wants teens under 16 banned from social media. Facebook and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, previously told the inquiry that age assurance was best left to Apple and Google to do in the app stores or on devices.
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Greyhounds boss resigns after vet report made public
The boss of the NSW greyhound racing industry has quit after a scathing report made allegations of poor animal welfare practices in the industry, AAP reports.
Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) CEO Robert Macaulay resigned late yesterday after a report written by the organisation’s former chief veterinary officer Alex Brittan was made public.
The report included claims that greyhound deaths were being hidden, adoption rates were exaggerated and dogs were being pushed to race at levels that were causing injuries.
Racing minister David Harris received the report in June and referred it to the NSW Office of Racing for further scrutiny, while the government backed Animal Justice MP Emma Hurst’s bid for the document to be made public.
In a statement yesterday, the organisation’s board said it had accepted Macauley’s resignation.
[His] decision to resign was an amicable one and one he felt was best for the industry at this time. Macaulay helped reform the organisation, and the industry’s culture, during his tenure. GRNSW now looks forward to embarking on its next chapter of continual improvement and growth, for the benefits of all participants.
Then-NSW premier Mike Baird in 2016 announced a ban on greyhound races after evidence of extensive misconduct within the industry, but backflipped on the plans before they took effect.
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More from the parliament’s social media inquiry
Digital Rights Watch chair Lizzie O’Shea called on the government to legislate new privacy protections – with legislation due to hit parliament in August. She said:
It is quite clear now that our laws are four decades out of date. The result is that the data extractive business models that have been allowed to proliferate online have come at significant expense to Australian society … Micro targeting makes online life dangerous for many Australians, but these business models also allow for the monetisation of viral content, because that encourages ongoing engagement with the relevant digital media platform, and together with algorithmic amplification, this incentivises the creation of extremist content, as well as mis and disinformation.
Our information ecosystem is being polluted by content that is at best, low quality, and is at worst, deceptive and extremist, and that is because it is profitable, both on social media and other media platforms.
Updated
Digital rights groups call on parliament to legislate social media companies
Digital rights groups have called on the parliament to get on with legislating social media companies, arguing change has been too slow, too dictated by the platforms, and split too much across government.
Speaking before the federal parliament’s social media inquiry, the founder of Per Capita’s Centre of the Public Square, Peter Lewis, said it was “incredibly frustrating to be presenting … another government inquiry dealing with the negative impacts of social media and the power of big tech”.
He called on the government to legislate the recommendations out of the five-year review of the digital platforms by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and noted part of the issue was many of the facets of regulating platforms were split across portfolios including attorney general, communications, treasury, and industry. He said there should be one overarching senior minister responsible for platforms.
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Australian Health Workers for Palestine to hold day of action
Australian Health Workers for Palestine are set to hold a national day of action on Friday.
Themed “code blue”, the group says it is invoking a medical emergency to “emphasise the critical situation in Gaza as a direct result of Israel’s atrocities”.
The group says that to date, there are no fully functioning hospitals remaining in Gaza, while “at least 541 healthcare workers have been killed.”
The group is calling on the government to demand an “immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire”, to apply diplomatic and economic sanctions on Israel, demand the release of unlawfully detained Palestinians, provide humanitarian visas to Palestinian asylum seekers, and recognise a sovereign State of Palestine.
Updated
Minns on NSW’s extended Anzac Day retail trading ban
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, is speaking to reporters in Sydney after earlier news that the state is extending its Anzac Day retail trading ban to cover the entire day.
(You can read more details earlier in the blog here).
Speaking on the decision, Minns said:
We believe there has been … a creeping commercialisation of Anzac Day over a prolonged period of time to the detriment of the importance of the day.
There is many things that divide up our community in NSW and Australia and the truth of the matter is the nation’s national day is Anzac Day, it is an opportunity for our community to come together, to recognise people that have given the ultimate sacrifice in the service of the country that we all live in and for the first time in a long time, acknowledge that it is a special day that should be set aside for commemoration of that important event.
I know that there will be some disruption and a bit of inconvenience for some members of the community but frankly, it is a small price to pay for ensuring that we place Anzac Day where it should be … as an important commemorative day on the nation’s calendar where we remembered those that gave their life for service for their country.
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Australia pledges $40m for Tuvalu during PM Feleti Teo’s visit
Australia will provide up to $40m in aviation and connectivity support to Tuvalu as the two nations progress a security pact, AAP reports.
Prime minister Feleti Teo will meet prime minister Anthony Albanese after meeting with foreign minister Penny Wong and pacific minister Pat Conroy yesterday. He will also meet opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Simon Birmingham during his Australian trip this week.
Australia provides the Pacific nation a defence guarantee under the Falepili Union treaty but it sparked controversy with concerns about Tuvalu’s sovereignty, as Canberra was given oversight of their security arrangements.
Senator Wong signed a subsequent agreement and memorandum of understanding during her visit to Tuvalu in May that outlined the nation’s sovereignty after Teo raised concerns when coming to office earlier this year.
Albanese welcomed the Tuvalu government’s plan to open a new diplomatic mission in Canberra, and said in a statement:
This is a clear demonstration of the growth of the bilateral relationship and will help support the growing Tuvaluan diaspora in Australia.
Updated
Woman dies after being struck by a train in Sydney
A woman has died after being struck by a train in south-west Sydney, after she climbed on to the track to retrieve something she had dropped but was unable to get back on to the platform.
Emergency services were called to Punchbowl train station at about 3.30pm yesterday afternoon, and found the 52-year-old woman had died after being struck by a citybound train.
Police said they have spoken with a number of people at the scene and had viewed CCTV as part of inquiries. The train driver returned a negative breath test.
A report will be prepared for the coroner, and anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.
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Kevin Rudd attends Nato summit
Australia’s ambassador to the US, former prime minister Kevin Rudd, has shared some images to social media from the Nato summit in Washington.
He wrote to X:
Attending the 75th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of [Nato] here in Washington DC. With [Australian ambassador to the European Union] Caroline Millar, our permanent representative to Nato. And Deputy PM [Richard Marles] representing the PM.
Big anniversary for peace and security in the world in the face of Soviet and now Russian aggression.
Attending the 75th anniversary celebrations of the establishment of @NATO here in Washington DC. With @AustraliaEU Ambassador Caroline Millar, our permanent representative to NATO. And Deputy PM @RichardMarlesMP representing the PM. Big anniversary for peace and security in the… pic.twitter.com/hVHM38TxKS
— Kevin Rudd AC (@AmboRudd) July 9, 2024
Updated
Community pressure builds over youth crime ‘crisis’ in Victoria
Victoria’s attorney-general Jaclyn Symes and police minister Anthony Carbines are set to meet with Victoria police, legal experts and youth workers today and tomorrow regarding youth crime.
As AAP reports, the meetings will focus on quick implementation of the government’s youth justice bill once it passes parliament and extra measures to respond to community safety concerns.
Government minister Colin Brooks told reporters yesterday that police were doing a good job, but called for courts to explain their decisions to the community.
The community expects politicians, their elected representatives, to explain the decisions that we’re making. Victorians understand that the courts have a difficult and complex job but they’d like to understand how they come to a decision.
Latest crime statistics show the number of offenders in the 15 to 17 age cohort in the 12 months to March rose by almost 25% to 15,495.
Updated
Teen to face children’s court after alleged bail breach
A teenager who allegedly breached his bail after a crash that killed a 28-year-old man has been re-arrested and will face a children’s court, AAP reports.
The 17-year-old allegedly failed to comply with his bail conditions after officers were unable to locate him yesterday afternoon, police said.
He was arrested several hours later at his address and faced a hearing last night where he was remanded in custody. The teenager will appear before a children’s court today.
He initially faced a children’s court last Friday after being charged with culpable driving causing the death of Ashburton man William Taylor. He was released on bail after a judge found the case against him was weak.
Police allege the teenager was behind the wheel of a stolen Jeep speeding through the inner-Melbourne suburb of Burwood before colliding with a Toyota sedan on 2 July. Taylor died at the scene.
The boy’s lawyer said he had stable accommodation with his mother and was not on bail at the time of the alleged offending.
The judge found any risk the youth posed could be reduced through conditions, including a curfew.
Two 15-year-old girls were charged with car theft and three other males remain wanted over the collision.
Alice Springs residents wake up from second night under curfew
Residents of Alice Springs have woken up from their second night under curfew restrictions. A three-night stay-at-home order was issued on Monday after a spate of violent incidents, including a brawl involving 80 people and a knife attack on a 42-year-old woman.
Catherine Liddle, chief executive of the Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care (SMAICC), spoke with ABC News Breakfast just earlier about the matter.
She said her “initial reaction was surprise” when the curfew was declared because there hadn’t “been a sustained trajectory like what we saw [in April]”, when the first youth curfew was called.
This has been quite a sharp spike related to things like Territory Day, where we know that there is going to be an influx of people [and] there is going to be probably more alcohol-related crimes – those types of things that happen with really significant public holiday.
Liddle said the curfew is viewed as “nonsensical to most people, because there’s no evidence that they work,” while some don’t even know it is occurring:
I’m getting phone calls from people saying, ‘is there a curfew on, we didn’t know about it!’ …
What’s really hard is the rubber hitting the road and working with your community on sustainable solutions. And that’s what we really need in Alice Springs – sustainable solutions that invest in what is genuinely happening, what is genuinely needed, and what will genuinely make a difference.
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Biden’s future is a ‘matter for the US’, Thistlethwaite says
Matt Thistlethwaite, who has already been meeting with US political leaders ahead of the Nato summit, was asked what he is hearing from Democrats about president Joe Biden’s future?
He told ABC RN this was “obviously … a matter for the United States”, and that Biden had been “a strong supporter” of the Aukus alliance.
It’s encouraging to see that there’s across the aisle support for Aukus. It’s well known in congress, and both Democrats and Republicans are very supportive of the program.
We’re now starting to work through some of the details. We had a roundtable this morning, myself and the deputy prime minister [Richard Marles] and ambassador [Kevin] Rudd with defence industry here …
Circling back to Biden’s leadership: Thistlethwaite said: “at the end of the day, that’s a matter for the United States and its people.”
Regardless of who occupies the White House, the alliance that Australia has with the United States has been strong and has grown regardless of which party was in government here, and indeed the same in Australia.
Updated
Australia’s support for Ukraine has been ‘appropriate’, says assistance defence minister
Assistant minister for defence, Matt Thistlethwaite, also spoke with ABC RN just a moment ago ahead of the Nato summit in Washington, where he is in attendance.
At the last Nato summit, the prime minister announced more Bushmaster military vehicles for Ukraine – will there be further announcements in aid this time?
He said the defence minister would announce “Australia’s next stage of support for Ukraine”.
We’ve already pledged over a billion dollars worth of support, most of that is in military equipment, Bushmasters, artillery, drones, communications, equipment, and … I think we’re on the sixth rotation of Australia troops visiting the UK and importantly, providing training for Ukrainian troops …
We think that Australia’s contribution is appropriate … We’ve got to balance Australia’s defence needs as well as being a good international partner, not only in our region – the Indo-Pacific – but more broadly in conflicts, such as in Ukraine.
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Queensland Greens’ plan to break up supermarket duopoly
It’s not often that the Greens and Peter Dutton are on the same page but today might be one of them, when the Queensland Greens announce a plan to break up the Coles and Woolworths “duopoly” – just like the Coalition leader hinted he was thinking the other week.
The plan is part of the Greens’ cost-of-living strategy and they also want to cap the price of 30 essentials such as bread, milk and nappies, with increases tied to wages.
More coming up as they make their announcement, but here’s our full story:
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What retail trading restrictions do other states have for Anzac Day?
As AAP reports, retail trading restrictions vary across Australia’s jurisdictions, with only Western Australia also imposing a total ban.
Victoria and Queensland allow trading from 1pm, Tasmania does from 12.30pm while South Australia only allows it in the Adelaide CBD between 12pm and 5pm.
The ACT and the Northern Territory have no restrictions.
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Anzac Day retail trading ban in NSW to respect veterans
NSW is extending its Anzac Day retail trading ban to cover the entire day, AAP reports, hoping it will help encourage more people to commemorate veterans.
Previously banned until 1pm, the restrictions on retailers including supermarkets now won’t be lifted until midnight.
Retailers who have exemptions – such as cafes, restaurants, chemists and news agencies – can continue to trade all day.
The NSW RSL and the retail workers union back the ban, which premier Chris Minns says is appropriate because of Anzac Day’s status as Australia’s most “solemn and significant” occasion.
[We] will extend our retail trading restrictions across Anzac Day, to make sure our veterans are recognised and free to take part in services throughout the day.
It might be inconvenient for a few hours, but closing our biggest corporate shops for a single day is a small price to pay for living in a free and open democracy.
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Chaney urges government to adopt gambling reform measures from Murphy inquiry
Independent MP for Curtin, Kate Chaney, was speaking with ABC RN earlier about the need for gambling reform, arguing that “we regulate gambling a bit like Swiss cheese” in Australia.
This comes as the Alliance for Gambling Reform blamed weak advertising and consumer protection laws for the promotion of “bonus bets” and cashback offers, which it says are luring Australians into problem gambling – carefully designed to make customers believe they are placing “safer” bets and that a win is more likely.
Chaney said that “partial bans don’t work” and “the clock is ticking” to implement the recommendations of the Murphy inquiry – of which she was a participant – more than one year since they were handed down.
Every week counts and … I think the government has to show some guts and implement those recommendations because it’s really what the community wants.
She said the Murphy inquiry was a “really great achievement and a good sign that there’s broad community support” for reform, especially given there was unanimous recommendations with no dissenting comments.
We regulate gambling a bit like Swiss cheese, there are just holes everywhere and we take the lowest common denominator approach across the country. So there’s still so much work that needs to be done.
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Murder charge after woman’s body found at rubbish tip
A man has been charged with murder after the discovery of a woman’s body at a tip in Melbourne’s north, AAP reports.
The 45-year-old, who police say was known to the alleged victim, was arrested and questioned by detectives throughout the day before being charged last night.
Workers found the woman while moving green waste at a facility in Epping on 3 July but investigators believe her body was originally inside a domestic bin picked up outside a property in a nearby suburb the previous day.
They identified the address as Hilgay Street in Coolaroo, which has rubbish collected each Tuesday. Forensic and uniformed officers were seen at a house on Hilgay Street surrounded by police tape on Saturday, when the discovery was made public.
The woman, who is still yet to be formally identified, is believed to be a 67-year-old from Coolaroo.
The accused man has been remanded to appear in Melbourne magistrates court today.
Detectives still want to speak to anyone who noticed any suspicious behaviour in Coolaroo from 23 June to 2 July.
Updated
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued a road weather alert for Brisbane amid the widespread fog, warning:
Reduced visibility in fog will make road conditions dangerous during Wednesday in the Brisbane Area.
The alert was issued just after 5am.
Significant delays out of Brisbane airport amid widespread fog
Flights have been cancelled or delayed out of Brisbane airport this morning as thick smoke blankets the city.
According to the Brisbane airport website, nine domestic flights and two international flights have been cancelled. On social media, the airport wrote that widespread fog across Brisbane was “slowing movements on ground and limiting visibility.”
Flights are still departing but there are delays due to the reduced visibility.
The Bureau of Meteorology shared these images of the fog from its office:
🌫️Is that you, #Brisbane? Our typical view from the office versus our current view. Thick fog is blanketing the city and most suburbs this morning, with a road weather alert current - take care on the roads with reduced visibility. Expect fog to clear by mid to late morning. pic.twitter.com/BlbWTMft9d
— Bureau of Meteorology, Queensland (@BOM_Qld) July 9, 2024
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Government to unveil scorecards to track disability employment services
The government will overhaul how it tracks disability employment services, with new scorecards to measure how providers are supporting jobseekers.
Social services minister Amanda Rishworth will unveil the new system today, in a bid to enhance transparency and accountability in the employment system.
Participants will be able to check accessible scorecards that will show what services DES providers offer and how they rate for quality and effectiveness, helping them make an informed choice when selecting their provider.
The new performance framework will measure service quality, how providers help participants find work, and complete training courses.
Participants will be given access to scorecards to help them choose providers, as will stakeholders.
The aim is to help people find quality providers and drive improvement of the system.
The unemployment rate for people with disability is 7.5% on the latest government statistics, which is down from 10.3% in 2018 but more than double the rate for people without a disability. Rishworth:
The new performance framework will give providers, employers and participants, as well as the general public, a very clear picture of what is expected of DES services and how providers are stacking up.
We want DES providers to be striving to ensure jobseekers with disability are informed, supported and getting the best services possible.
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We ‘need a strong US’, Birmingham says
Simon Birmingham was also asked if he believes US president Joe Biden is “capable” of being president for the next four years, if elected?
He responded that Nato and the world “need a strong United States” and that it would be “counterproductive” for him or “any Australian leader to offer that type of assessment”.
We have to work as a country with whoever the US people elect, and we have to respect their democratic systems and processes.
We expect them to respect us. We do need a strong America, one in which the leadership is engaged in international forum to do exactly the type of aims I’ve just been talking about. Strong levels of engagement, through strong levels of deterrence, to get the best chance of maintaining peace and prosperity in our region and around the world.
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If Nato was to have a bigger footprint in the Indo-Pacific, could that inflame tensions with China?
Simon Birmingham responded that Nato members have “managed to preserve peace throughout the last 75 years … by working with each other to create deterrence from conflict”.
And that’s precisely what we want for our region – a deterrence framework that ensures peace and for the Indo-Pacific region.
And what we should be asking China very clearly to do, and seeking as many countries it’s possible to do so, is for China to desist and stop the type of confrontational military activities that we see against the Philippines and elsewhere in the region, and that run the risk of miscalculation conflict.
And that’s why having not just Nato countries, but of course south-east Asian countries and other partners, all engaged clearly on upholding principles, of holding international rules, but also creating strong defence deterrence and is crucial to preserving the peace in our region.
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Shadow foreign minister weighs in ahead of Nato summit
The shadow foreign minister, Simon Birmingham, has weighed in on the Nato summit and what he believes Australia’s focus should be.
Speaking to ABC RN, he said:
It’s disappointing that Anthony Albanese has chosen not to go – with the leaders of Japan, South Korea and New Zealand there – because it’s crucial that we do try to forge stronger ties and Australia should be there, not just to attend with a plan for how we make Nato a more central partner in our regional security and in the peace we want for our region in the world.
As we flagged a moment ago, deputy prime minister Richard Marles is attending in Albanese’s place.
Birmingham said Australia should ask Nato to develop its Indo-Pacific strategy and seek to formalise the ties between Indo-Pacific nations and Nato, “so that we aren’t just invited each year but we’re embedded as part of these critical security talks”.
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Biden has done a ‘magnificent job’, Marles says
The event, which will be led by US President Joe Biden, will also be viewed as a test of his fitness as the octogenarian struggles to convince Americans that he is fit for a second term, AAP reports.
Asked about his confidence in the US leader, Richard Marles said Biden had done a “magnificent job”.
We really couldn’t be happier with the presence of his administration … the way in which he has played a leadership role in the Indo-Pacific but in fact throughout the world.
Updated
Richard Marles in Washington for Nato summit
Australia’s relationship to Nato has never been more important, the deputy prime minister says, as concerns grow over Russia’s war in Ukraine and stability in the Indo-Pacific.
As AAP reports, Richard Marles has arrived in Washington DC and will soon begin rubbing shoulders with the world’s leaders as he attends the three-day Nato summit in place of prime minister Anthony Albanese.
Ahead of the summit, Marles said Australia deeply valued its partnership with Nato. He told reporters in Washington:
Our connection with Nato has never been more important.
The 75th anniversary of Nato reminds us that over that period of time, Nato has been a defender of peace in the world, in the post-World War order, in the cold war and now, today.
We see that the world is much more connected place, Ukraine puts that into stark relief, and the significance of that conflict on the Indo Pacific.
Albanese was expected to attend the summit himself but deferred to his second-in-command to focus on domestic matters.
Updated
Good morning
Thanks to Martin for kicking things off – I’m Emily Wind, and I’ll be with you on the blog this Wednesday.
See something that needs attention? You can get in touch via X, @emilywindwrites, or you can send me an email: emily.wind@theguardian.com.
Let’s go.
China hits back at cyber accusations
China’s foreign ministry has hit back at cybercrime accusations levelled by the Australian government and its close partners.
Australia published a technical report attributing malicious cyber activities to the group APT40, which it said was acting on behalf of China’s ministry of state security and had stolen “several hundred” usernames and passwords from an unnamed Australian entity in April 2022.
The Australian Signals Directorate’s report was backed by the US, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, Germany, South Korea and Japan.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, told reporters last night that Beijing was “firmly opposed to such repeated hypes about so-called Chinese cyber-attacks aimed to smear and frame China on cybersecurity”. He said the US was responsible for sweeping cyber surveillance and added:
We urge relevant parties to open their eyes and make the right judgment, rather than serving as the cat’s paw at their own expense.
Close followers of Beijing’s rhetoric may recognise the “cat’s paw” expression. The foreign ministry used it in July 2021 at the height of the trade dispute with Australia’s then Morrison government, saying at the time: “When a certain country acts as a cat’s paw for others, it is the people that pay for misguided government policies.”
Australia’s foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, said yesterday that the Albanese government was engaging with China “without compromising on what is important for Australia and to Australians”.
Updated
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our rolling news coverage. I’m Martin Farrer and these are some of the top stories this morning before my colleague Emily Wind takes over.
China’s foreign ministry has hit back at cybercrime accusations levelled by the Australian government and its close partners.
Australia published a technical report attributing malicious cyber activities to the group APT40, which it said was acting on behalf of China’s ministry of state security and had stolen “several hundred” usernames and passwords from an unnamed Australian entity in April 2022.
A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian, told reporters last night that Beijing was “firmly opposed to such repeated hypes about so-called Chinese cyber-attacks aimed to smear and frame China on cybersecurity”.
The cost of the national disability insurance scheme is on course to blow out to $90bn a year by the end of the decade and Labor is trying to reform the scheme. But it hasn’t helped that current popular focus on the NDIS concerns the question of whether or not clients should be able to claim for sex work services. The NDIS minister, Bill Shorten, says there were 228 requests for sexual activity support in the 12 months to April and, although none were granted, it has opened a debate about what’s reasonable and what isn’t. More coming up.
Questions about Joe Biden’s fitness to run for office again later this year continue to dog the president, but the Australian defence minister, Richard Marles, gave his backing to the leader of the free world as he landed in Washington overnight for this week’s Nato summit. The deputy prime minister was asked about Biden’s health and responded that he had done a “magnificent” job as president. He also said Australia’s relationahip with Nato had “never been more important” as the defence pact marks its 75th year.
