PM leads charm offensive as Wallabies clash with Fiji

2 days ago

Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here They are neighbours, friends and in many cases family, but now the Pacific Islands are being seen as vital in the struggle for power in our region. With China's influence growing, Australia is pushing back, turning Wallabies into ambassadors. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka was the guest of honour in Newcastle as part of a charm offensive aimed at a pivotal player in the Pacific power struggle. Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka was the guest of honour in Newcastle as part of a charm offensive aimed at a pivotal player in the Pacific power struggle. (AP) With China investing billions into infrastructure projects across the Pacific Islands, Australia and our allies – unable to compete financially –have turned to sport as part of a bigger-picture approach. Fijian workers on a specialty Pacific visa class were in the stands. "We provide a lot of support for rugby in the Pacific – it's an important way of connecting up with a lot of young people," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said. Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia ahead of the International Test match between the Wallabies and Fiji. (Getty) "That essentially is about family. We are all part of the Pacific family - we have an important responsibility." Rugby union is the code of choice for Fiji, with the new NRL team vital for Papua New Guinea, our nearest neighbour. The contest for hearts and minds in the Pacific has been made harder with the Trump administration cuts to American financial aid in the region. "We are managing, and in three years hopefully things will change," Rabuka said. Deputy Nationals leader Kevin Hogan said "Obviously China are an important trading partner for us". Harry Wilson of the Wallabies is presented the Vuvale Bowl by Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia and Sitiveni Rabuka, Prime Minister of Fiji during the International Test match between Australia Wallabies and Fiji at McDonald Jones Stadium on July 06, 2025 in Newcastle, Australia. (Photo by) (Getty) "We have issues with China - we have things we need to talk about their leadership as well," he told Sky's Agenda. The prime ministers jointly presented the Vuvale bowl to the winning Wallabies today. Trust and cooperation in uncertain times is a much bigger prize. Politics
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Australia tus coj tsis pom zoo nrog cov kev teeb tsa National Taskforce daws cov antisemitism

SBS Australia

39 minutes ago

SBS Australia

Australia tus coj tsis pom zoo nrog cov kev teeb tsa National Taskforce daws cov antisemitism

Xov xwm luv tshaj tawm hnub zwj Quag (Tuesday news 08.07.2025): Thawj pwm tsav Anthony Albanese tsis lees paub tej lus nqua hu ntawm lub koom haum Council of Australian Jewry thiab lwm pab nom teb chaws kom teeb tsa pawg National Taskforce los tawm tsam nrog tej xwm txheej faib cais ntxub ntxaug tsis nyiam neeg Jews tom qab tau muaj ib co xwm txheej no tau tshwm sim rau 2 hnub so dhau los. Meskas tus President Donald Trump tau qhia tias yuav tsub se 25 feem pua rau tag nrho txhua yam khoom xa ntawm teb chaws Japan thiab South Korea muag rau Meskas txij tim 1 lub 8 hli ntuj mus. Thiab Mr Trump tau ceeb toom tias yog lub teb chaws twg tseem nce se pauj ces yuav tsub se kom ntau ntxiv rau. Tsis tas li ntawd los Meskas kuj tau qhia tias tsub 25 feem pua rau Malaysia, thiab Kazakstan, thiab tsub 30 feem pua rau South Africa ua ke no tsub 40 feem pua rau Nplog thiab Phabmab. Thiaj ua rau Lee Jae Myung uas yog South Korea tus presiden hais tias nws yuav nrog xyuas kom muaj sij hawm ntau tuaj ntxiv los sib khom, tom qab tau muaj ib txhia teb chaws li Askiv, Cob tsib thiab Suav tuam tshoj tau sib khom kom txo tau tej reciprocal tariff tsawg nrog Meskas lawm. Australia lub koom haum tswj cov kev nyab xeeb txog pej xeem cov kev ya dav hlau tau ceeb toom rau tej zej tsoom sawv daws uas xav mus ntoj ncig kom kub siab txog cov kev npaj ntim koom kom tau txais kev nyab xeeb, hais tsi ntsees txog cov roj teeb lithium batteries. UN lub tuam chav hauj lwm tau muaj ib co kev tawm suab txog tej poj niam thia tej me nyuam ntxhais tej cai ntawm teb chaws Afghanistan rau lub caij tsu tsoom fwv Taliban tswj hwm. Ces thiaj tau muaj 116 lub teb chaws tawm suab pom zoo, 12 lub tsis kam tawm suab thiab muaj 2 lub uas yog Meskas thiab Israel tawm suab tsis pom zoo. Donald Trump uas yog Meskas tus president tau noj ib plua hno nrog Benjamin Netanyahu ntawm tsev dawb thiab tau sab laj txog kev pab kev ruaj ntseg rau Gaza thaib yuav xa cuab yeej tsov rog pab rau Ukraine tom qab limtiam dhau los uas tau hais tias ncua tsis xa pab rau Ukraine. Tib lub caij no los kuj muaj zejzog pej kum haiv tej chaw nthuav xov xwm tau tshaj tawm tias Nplog tau xa 50 tus tub rog daws meem thiab nplaum mus pab Russia ntawm cheeb tsam Kursk tom qab tau ob xyoos tsis ntev los no uas Russia tau pab ib co tsheb tanks qub rau Nplog. Meskas tus President Donald Trump tau hawv tias yuav tsub se tshab 10 feem pua rau cov teb chaws tub koom siab ntawm lub koom haum BRICS. 11 lub teb chaws tub koom siab ntawm lub koom haum no tseem tab tom koom rooj sab laj ntawm Brazil lub tuam ceeb Rio de Jenario ob hnub uas muaj hom phiaj pab kom tau txais kev ncaj nces thiab siv tau cov system ua tau ntau theem lagluam. Touitre News tau qhias tias lub caij Cob tsib tub coj tau ntsib Brazil tus coj ntawm BRICS summit ces tau muaj Brazil ntau cov tuam txhab lagluam xav nqes peev rau tej lagluam biofuel, aerospace thiab agriculture.

Anthony Albanese defends Labor's action against anti-Semitism after Melbourne synagogue fire

News.com.au

an hour ago

News.com.au

Anthony Albanese defends Labor's action against anti-Semitism after Melbourne synagogue fire

Anthony Albanese has defended Labor's track record of working and responding to anti-Semitic attacks on the Jewish community, amid attacks from the opposition that there have been too many 'talkfests' and not enough 'action'. While quizzed by journalists in Hobart on Tuesday, the Prime Minister snapped back at a reporter who said Jewish community leaders had claimed the government's response was 'insufficient'. The questions were in response to an alleged arson attack on the East Melbourne Synagogue on Friday night, 'Who is saying that?' asked in response, and said he had spoken to community leaders on Saturday. 'Every time there has been a request, it has been met, expeditiously,' he said. 'On Saturday, one of the reasons why this gentleman has been caught so quickly is because the CCTV that was in place there was as a direct result of Commonwealth Government funding.' Mr Albanese also rejected calls for him to convene national cabinet in response to Friday's alleged arson attack. 'Every time an issue comes up, people say, let's have a national cabinet. Let's be clear. What people want is not a meeting. They want action,' Mr Albanese said. Mr Albanese's comments comes after Executive Council of the Australian Jewry president Alex Ryvchin urged the government to adopt its 15-point plan to 'defeat anti-Semitism' in Australia. The plan includes calls for anti-Semitism education in the national curriculum and urges Labor to declare a National Emergency and establish a Joint Counter-Terrorism Taskforce to 'fight against anti-Semitic terror before we have a major terror attack in this country'. Speaking later on Tuesday following a visit to the East Melbourne Synagogue, Sussan Ley maintained the Albanese government was not doing enough to protect Jewish-Australians. 'What I hear from the community is there have been many task forces, there have been many talkfests, many conversations and many words. What they are really calling for is action,' she said, alongside shadow attorney-general Julian Leeser and finance spokesperson James Paterson. Ms Ley also called for stronger state hate speech laws, which would prohibit people from chanting phrases like 'death to Israel,' and said calls for a national cabinet meeting to tackle anti-Semitism were a 'good suggestion'. 'There shouldn't be an ability for people to chant the words 'death' and I won't complete the phase, on the streets of Melbourne, and it just be accepted,' she said. 'It is not a protest, it is hate – pure hate and we need to have laws and levers and I would respectfully ask the Premier of Victoria to consider how she might instruct law enforcement in a way that allows a stronger intervention.'

Perth Now

2 hours ago

Perth Now

Albo murky on Beijing's AI bid

Anthony Albanese has kept tight-lipped on China's offer to co-operate on artificial intelligence amid tensions between the government and the Trump administration. Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian wrote an op-ed this week saying Beijing was keen to take a 'more open attitude' to the free-trade agreement with Australia. Mr Xiao said that included bolstering 'co-operation in traditional areas such as agriculture and mining' but also exploring 'new growth areas in emerging fields like artificial intelligence' – a convenient offer against a backdrop of fierce AI competition with the US. Though, even as lacklustre Australian defence spending and US tariffs strain Canberra's alliance with Washington, the Prime Minister was hesitant to embrace or reject the offer on Tuesday. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has neither embraced nor rejected China's offer to co-operate on artificial intelligence. Chris Kidd / NewsWire Credit: News Corp Australia 'We will determine our policy,' Mr Albanese told reporters in Hobart. However, he was quick to spruik the benefits of free trade with China. 'Of course, we have a free-trade agreement that was done by the Coalition government when they were in office,' Mr Albanese said. 'What we have done is to get rid of the more than $20bn of impediments of goods that were stopped from going to China. 'It's made an enormous difference and we have, indeed, products like wine and barley have not just bounced back – they're back higher than they were before.' He also spruiked his upcoming trip to China, calling it an 'important trading partner for Australia'. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet for a fourth time next week. Prime Minister's Office / NewsWire Credit: Supplied 'Twenty-five per cent of our exports go to China,' Mr Albanese said. 'What that means is jobs and one of the things that my government prioritises is jobs.' Pressed on whether he was open to having AI covered by the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, he dodged it, saying his 'priority is jobs'. China is in an AI race with the US. The launch of DeepSeek in January dealt the first serious blow to the US' global leadership in the space, with the ensuing tech sell-off wiping about $US1 trillion ($A1.5 trillion) in value off American titan Nvidia. The Trump administration earlier this year announced a $US500bn investment in AI, eclipsing all other countries as the clear frontrunner. About the same time, China launched a AI investment fund with an initial $8.2bn. But with DeepSeek free and offering capabilities comparable to American counterpart OpenAI, the AI race may not be won by those who splash the most cash.