BREAKING NEWS Bega to close major peanut factory with more than 150 jobs at risk in Queensland
Bega will scale down Peanut Company of Australia's Kingaroy and Tolga facilities in Queensland before they're closed for good in 18 months time.
'We understand the impact this decision will have,' Bega Group chief executive Peta Findlay said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
39 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The one question about Australia's plans for China that Trump wants answered - as Anthony Albanese touches down in Shanghai
Anthony Albanese 's trip to China could be derailed by the Trump administration, who have issued a demand to know how he would respond to an invasion of Taiwan. Prime Minister Albanese and fiancé Jodie Haydon touched down in the Chinese financial hub of Shanghai on Saturday, ahead of a week-long visit that includes a meeting with Chinese Communist Party leader President Xi Jinping. While the Australian leader is set to discuss lighter topics, like trade and tourism campaigns, US President Donald Trump 's team on Saturday demanded answers on whether Australia would back America in a war against China. The US has been largely ambiguous about what its response would be to a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which China has long claimed territorial rights over. Nevertheless, a report by the Financial Times on Saturday claimed US defence undersecretary Elbridge Colby had questioned Japan and Australia over its positions. The outlet cited five sources who all recalled the topic of the countries' response to a conflict in the Indo-Pacific being raised during meetings. Colby responded to the report on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, Australian time. 'As the department has made abundantly and consistently clear, we at Department of Defence are focused on implementing the President's 'America First', common sense agenda of restoring deterrence and achieving peace through strength,' he said. The senior defence official claimed the America First approach was already working. 'This has been a hallmark of President Trump's strategy - in Asia as in Europe where it has already been tremendously successful.' He also suggested several American allies were seeing the 'urgent need to step up' and 'are doing so'. 'President Trump has shown the approach and the formula - and we will not be deterred from advancing his agenda,' he said. In response to questions about Australia's hypothetical response to conflict in the Indo-Pacific, Albanese said 'we have our AUKUS arrangements in place'. 'We'll continue to work through all of these issues,' he said. 'Our alliance with the United States is a very important one for Australia so we'll continue to engage constructively in a coherent, stable, orderly way. 'That's the way I conduct this government.' As for his position on Taiwan, Albanese simply said Australia supports the 'status quo'. 'I think it's important that we have a consistent position, which Australia has had for a long period of time,' he said. 'We support the status quo when it comes to Taiwan. We don't support any unilateral action there. We have a clear position and we have been consistent about that.' Reports on Thursday claimed the US believed Australia should voice its direct support of the US by stating it would use American-made nuclear submarines should a conflict with China arise. However, the production of those submarines was called into question earlier this year by Colby himself, who is leading a review into the AUKUS pact under which the submarine deal was made. Albanese also addressed pressure to make a public statement on Sunday, noting tactical conversations between it and Australia would remain 'private'. 'You don't take private comments to a media conference. By definition, that's in private,' he said. 'We engage in a mature way. That's the way that we deal with our relationships.' Defence Industry Minister Pat Conroy on Sunday was more blunt in telling the US it would not dictate Australia's military decisions. 'The sole power to commit Australia to war, or to allow our territory to be used for conflict, is the elected government of the day,' he told the ABC. 'That is our position. Sovereignty will always be prioritised and that will continue to be our position.' Albanese's upcoming sit-down with Xi will be the second time he's met with the Chinese leader, following his excursion to China in November 2023. He is yet to meet with Trump after the president left Canada's G7 summit early in June citing urgent developments in the Middle East. Albanese has faced criticism for meeting with Xi before the leader of one of Australia's biggest allies. However, it's not the first time an Australian leader has met with Xi before the US president. Tony Abbott pulled the same move by meeting with Xi in the weeks after taking office in 2013, before he met with Barack Obama. Tensions between Australia and China have grown since the Asian superpower began ramping up efforts to grow influence over the Indo-Pacific since the 2010s. That included the creation of armed artificial islands in the South China Sea. The Chinese Communist Party's intent to shift from a diplomatic player to a strategist became clear in 2019 with Kiribati and the Solomon Islands both switching its policies regarding Taiwan to side with China. Since then the Chinese People's Liberation Army has extended its presence in international waters, including an excursion down Australia's east coast by three Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy ships.
The Guardian
5 hours ago
- The Guardian
Australia won't commit in advance to joining hypothetical US-China conflict, Pat Conroy says
Australia will refuse any US request to join a 'hypothetical' conflict with China over Taiwan and won't make any advance commitment, the defence industry minister, Pat Conroy, has said, amid reports Washington is seeking such promises in discussions over the Aukus submarines. Conroy called on China to be more transparent about its military buildup, but said any commitment to war would be the sole power of the Australian government of the day. It came after multiple reports this week that the Pentagon was seeking guarantees from Australia and other allies about how they would respond in the event of a conflict in the Indo-Pacific. The Financial Times reported on Saturday that Elbridge Colby – the US under-secretary of defence for policy, who is also undertaking a review of the Aukus pact which would see America share nuclear-powered submarines with Australia – was asking Japan and Australia to reveal how they would act in a potential US-China war over Taiwan. The Sydney Morning Herald separately quoted a senior US defence official, who reportedly said Washington was seeking 'a clear sense of what we can expect from Australia'. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email The Pentagon was contacted for comment. Colby shared a post on X on Sunday (AEST) which referenced the FT article. In his post, he wrote that the US policy position included 'urging allies to step up their defense spending and other efforts related to our collective defense'. 'This has been a hallmark of President Trump's strategy - in Asia as in Europe where it has already been tremendously successful. 'Of course, some among our allies might not welcome frank conversations. But many, now led by NATO after the historic Hague Summit, are seeing the urgent need to step up and are doing so.' Conroy, a cabinet minister whose portfolio deals heavily with preparing to build the Aukus submarines, rebuked the idea Australia would commit in advance to any conflict. 'The sole power to commit Australia to war, or to allow our territory to be used for a conflict, is the elected government of the day. That is our position. Sovereignty will always be prioritised and that will continue to be our position,' Conroy told the ABC's Insiders program. Conroy said he would not comment on the nature of confidential discussions with the US over Aukus, but said the government would not 'discuss hypotheticals' around what Australia could do in the event of a potential future military engagement. 'The decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day, not in advance but by the government of the day,' he stressed. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, arrived in China on Saturday night for a six-day visit, which includes meetings with president Xi Jinping and premier Li Qiang, with the government saying the trip was about advancing Australia's security and economic interests. On Sky News on Sunday, the treasurer, Jim Chalmers, described the Australia-China relationship as 'full of opportunity but not short of complexity either'. It is unclear when the US may give any further public clarity on Colby's review of Aukus, which was initially described as a 30-day process. The start date of the review is unclear, but it is now 30 days since it was publicly announced. On Insiders, Conroy also declined to respond to reports that Trump may seek further costs from Canberra to fulfil the Aukus submarine deal, which would see the US sell several older ships to Canberra before new assets are constructed onshore in Australia. 'Let's see what the review finds. I'm confident it will support Aukus, just as our review of Aukus found, just as the UK review of Aukus found that. It's in the national interest of all three countries. It will contribute to deterrence as well as grow 20,000 jobs in Australia. Let's see what the US review comes forward with, then we'll react accordingly,' he said. Guardian Australia reported this week that Labor sources don't expect the review to be completed for months, while a Pentagon spokesperson said last week there was no public timeline for the work. Conroy said he didn't believe the report had been completed. The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, met her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi at the Asean summit in Malaysia on Friday. Government sources said she raised a number of Australian concerns with Beijing, including the circumnavigation of Australia by a Chinese naval taskforce and live-fire exercises, as well as unsafe actions in the South China Sea. Wong also raised concerns about the detention of Dr Yang Hengjun, Australia's opposition to the death penalty, and human rights in Xinjiang, Tibet and Hong Kong.
Reuters
7 hours ago
- Reuters
Australia and China: Trade flows and security tensions shape ties
SYDNEY, July 13 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese arrived in Shanghai on Saturday for a six-day visit to three Chinese cities where regional security tensions and economic ties are likely to dominate talks. Albanese's second visit to China, where he will meet President Xi Jinping, comes after Canberra stepped up screening of Chinese investment in critical minerals and as U.S. President Donald Trump rattles the global economy with sweeping import tariffs. Here is a timeline of relations between Australia and China over recent years: Nov 17, 2014 - Australia sealed a landmark free trade agreement with top trade partner China, concluding a decade of negotiations. It comes into effect in late 2015. Dec 5, 2017 - Australia, concerned about Chinese influence, announces a ban on foreign political donations to prevent external interference in its politics. Aug 23, 2018 - Australia bans Huawei Technologies from supplying equipment for its planned 5G broadband network, citing national security regulations. Apr 2020 - Australia seeks support for an international inquiry into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. China's then ambassador to Australia says that in response to the call, the Chinese public would boycott Australian wine, beef and tourism. Jun 9, 2020 - China urges students going overseas to think carefully before choosing Australia, citing racist incidents, threatening a $27.5 billion market for educating foreign students. Aug 2020 - Australian citizen Cheng Lei, a business anchor for Chinese state television in Beijing, is detained. Nov 27, 2020 - China announces temporary anti-dumping tariffs on Australian wine. Shipments of Australian live lobsters, timber and barley are also blocked or restricted around this time. China's embassy lists 14 grievances with Australia, including the blocking of 10 Chinese investments on national security grounds. May 22, 2022 - Australia's Labor Party, led by Albanese, wins the general election ending almost a decade of conservative rule. Nov 15, 2022 - Albanese meets Xi on the sidelines of the G20 in Indonesia. It is the first leaders' meeting since 2016. Jan 3, 2023 - China allows three government-backed utilities and its top steelmaker to resume coal imports from Australia. Aug 5, 2023 - China ends 80.5% tariffs on Australian barley. Oct 11, 2023 - China releases Australian journalist Cheng Lei after three years in a Beijing prison on national security charges. Oct 22, 2023 - China agrees to review dumping tariffs of 218% on Australian wine. Australia pauses WTO complaint. Nov 6-7, 2023 - Visiting Beijing, Albanese tells Xi and Premier Li Qiang that a strong relationship between the two countries was "beneficial into the future". Xi says stable bilateral ties served each other's interests and both countries should expand their cooperation. Jan 18, 2024 - Australia rejects comments by China's ambassador seeking to deflect blame from China's navy for the injury of Australian military divers in an incident near Japan in November. Feb 5, 2024 - A Beijing court hands Australian writer Yang Hengjun a suspended death sentence, opens new tab, five years after he was first detained in China and three years after a closed-door trial on espionage charges. Mar 29, 2024 - China lifts tariffs on Australian wine, triggering a surge in imports. Dec 3, 2024 - China lifts final restrictions on Australian beef. Dec 12, 2024 - Australia strikes rugby league funding deal with Papua New Guinea that is contingent on its Pacific Islands neighbour rejecting security or policing ties with China. Dec 26, 2024 - China resumes imports of Australian lobster. Feb 21, 2025 - Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong raises concerns with Chinese counterpart over inadequate notice given by the Chinese navy of a live-fire exercise in international waters between Australia and New Zealand that forced airlines to divert flights. May 3, 2025 - Albanese's Labor government is re-elected for a second term in national elections.
