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The people behind the Aussie good life

The people behind the Aussie good life

The Advertiser08-06-2025
Despite their seeming ubiquity in Australian life, elections don't just happen.
Turning up on election day, having your name crossed off the roll and repairing to a booth to exercise your democratic right ahead of nabbing a democracy sausage comes about as the result of an elaborate process overseen by the Australian Election Commission.
And despite Australia's compulsory voting, our system is the subject of much envy the world over.
And there's none more deserving of one of a King's Birthday honour this year than former Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers, who has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to public administration and leadership and administration of Australia's democratic electoral system.
As commissioner for a decade, Mr Rogers led the agency to successfully deliver the 2016, 2019 and 2022 federal elections, numerous by-elections and boundary redistributions in every Australian state and territory.
He also led the AEC in 2023 to deliver the Indigenous Voice referendum, the first referendum held in Australia in nearly a quarter of a century.
Most Australians are blissfully unaware that much of the system we take for granted comes down to a dedicated team of distinguished public servants, but this fact, in and of itself, is one to emulate.
"Running the election, it is Australia's largest peacetime logistic operation," Mr Rogers said last week.
"If you think about it, 105,000 workers, 8000 polling places, it's like setting up a Fortune 500 company in five weeks and then disassembling it a couple of weeks after the event."
And with talk of stolen elections in the United States and elsewhere, Mr Rogers didn't mind that Australians just expected their electoral system to work.
"We used to have this thing called the 'Electoral Commission's dilemma' - which was the easier we make it look, the easier people think it is," he said.
"I've had different comments over the years, from people I know pretty well, along the lines of 'You're so lucky, sweet job, it must be nice to work every three years, then it's pina coladas and away you go' and maybe that's okay.
"Australians love their electoral system, they trust the AEC greatly, and maybe that's a good thing, that it's seen as unremarkable."
And that's the thing about the King's Birthday honours - they're a chance to shine a light on the things that make our ordinary and everyday lives easy, or straightforward, or successful.
Mr Rogers is in distinguished company this year, with the likes of broadcaster Phillip Adams, who was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for his services to the media, the arts, cultural leadership and the community, alongside husband-and-wife creative powerhouse Baz Lurhmann and Catherine Martin, for eminent service to the arts. Former prime minister Scott Morrison has been appointed AC, routine postnominals for former holders of the nation's top office, but an honour that will not pass without some criticism.
Former model and television host Deborah Hutton, who had two skin cancers removed from her face and advocated for sun safety, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to community health and to media.
There are many extraordinary people living throughout our communities, and the King's Birthday is an opportunity to reflect on how lucky we are to live in such a diverse country.
Much like elections, a rich and varied life doesn't happen automatically, or without effort.
Despite their seeming ubiquity in Australian life, elections don't just happen.
Turning up on election day, having your name crossed off the roll and repairing to a booth to exercise your democratic right ahead of nabbing a democracy sausage comes about as the result of an elaborate process overseen by the Australian Election Commission.
And despite Australia's compulsory voting, our system is the subject of much envy the world over.
And there's none more deserving of one of a King's Birthday honour this year than former Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers, who has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to public administration and leadership and administration of Australia's democratic electoral system.
As commissioner for a decade, Mr Rogers led the agency to successfully deliver the 2016, 2019 and 2022 federal elections, numerous by-elections and boundary redistributions in every Australian state and territory.
He also led the AEC in 2023 to deliver the Indigenous Voice referendum, the first referendum held in Australia in nearly a quarter of a century.
Most Australians are blissfully unaware that much of the system we take for granted comes down to a dedicated team of distinguished public servants, but this fact, in and of itself, is one to emulate.
"Running the election, it is Australia's largest peacetime logistic operation," Mr Rogers said last week.
"If you think about it, 105,000 workers, 8000 polling places, it's like setting up a Fortune 500 company in five weeks and then disassembling it a couple of weeks after the event."
And with talk of stolen elections in the United States and elsewhere, Mr Rogers didn't mind that Australians just expected their electoral system to work.
"We used to have this thing called the 'Electoral Commission's dilemma' - which was the easier we make it look, the easier people think it is," he said.
"I've had different comments over the years, from people I know pretty well, along the lines of 'You're so lucky, sweet job, it must be nice to work every three years, then it's pina coladas and away you go' and maybe that's okay.
"Australians love their electoral system, they trust the AEC greatly, and maybe that's a good thing, that it's seen as unremarkable."
And that's the thing about the King's Birthday honours - they're a chance to shine a light on the things that make our ordinary and everyday lives easy, or straightforward, or successful.
Mr Rogers is in distinguished company this year, with the likes of broadcaster Phillip Adams, who was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for his services to the media, the arts, cultural leadership and the community, alongside husband-and-wife creative powerhouse Baz Lurhmann and Catherine Martin, for eminent service to the arts. Former prime minister Scott Morrison has been appointed AC, routine postnominals for former holders of the nation's top office, but an honour that will not pass without some criticism.
Former model and television host Deborah Hutton, who had two skin cancers removed from her face and advocated for sun safety, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to community health and to media.
There are many extraordinary people living throughout our communities, and the King's Birthday is an opportunity to reflect on how lucky we are to live in such a diverse country.
Much like elections, a rich and varied life doesn't happen automatically, or without effort.
Despite their seeming ubiquity in Australian life, elections don't just happen.
Turning up on election day, having your name crossed off the roll and repairing to a booth to exercise your democratic right ahead of nabbing a democracy sausage comes about as the result of an elaborate process overseen by the Australian Election Commission.
And despite Australia's compulsory voting, our system is the subject of much envy the world over.
And there's none more deserving of one of a King's Birthday honour this year than former Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers, who has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to public administration and leadership and administration of Australia's democratic electoral system.
As commissioner for a decade, Mr Rogers led the agency to successfully deliver the 2016, 2019 and 2022 federal elections, numerous by-elections and boundary redistributions in every Australian state and territory.
He also led the AEC in 2023 to deliver the Indigenous Voice referendum, the first referendum held in Australia in nearly a quarter of a century.
Most Australians are blissfully unaware that much of the system we take for granted comes down to a dedicated team of distinguished public servants, but this fact, in and of itself, is one to emulate.
"Running the election, it is Australia's largest peacetime logistic operation," Mr Rogers said last week.
"If you think about it, 105,000 workers, 8000 polling places, it's like setting up a Fortune 500 company in five weeks and then disassembling it a couple of weeks after the event."
And with talk of stolen elections in the United States and elsewhere, Mr Rogers didn't mind that Australians just expected their electoral system to work.
"We used to have this thing called the 'Electoral Commission's dilemma' - which was the easier we make it look, the easier people think it is," he said.
"I've had different comments over the years, from people I know pretty well, along the lines of 'You're so lucky, sweet job, it must be nice to work every three years, then it's pina coladas and away you go' and maybe that's okay.
"Australians love their electoral system, they trust the AEC greatly, and maybe that's a good thing, that it's seen as unremarkable."
And that's the thing about the King's Birthday honours - they're a chance to shine a light on the things that make our ordinary and everyday lives easy, or straightforward, or successful.
Mr Rogers is in distinguished company this year, with the likes of broadcaster Phillip Adams, who was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for his services to the media, the arts, cultural leadership and the community, alongside husband-and-wife creative powerhouse Baz Lurhmann and Catherine Martin, for eminent service to the arts. Former prime minister Scott Morrison has been appointed AC, routine postnominals for former holders of the nation's top office, but an honour that will not pass without some criticism.
Former model and television host Deborah Hutton, who had two skin cancers removed from her face and advocated for sun safety, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to community health and to media.
There are many extraordinary people living throughout our communities, and the King's Birthday is an opportunity to reflect on how lucky we are to live in such a diverse country.
Much like elections, a rich and varied life doesn't happen automatically, or without effort.
Despite their seeming ubiquity in Australian life, elections don't just happen.
Turning up on election day, having your name crossed off the roll and repairing to a booth to exercise your democratic right ahead of nabbing a democracy sausage comes about as the result of an elaborate process overseen by the Australian Election Commission.
And despite Australia's compulsory voting, our system is the subject of much envy the world over.
And there's none more deserving of one of a King's Birthday honour this year than former Australian Electoral Commissioner Tom Rogers, who has been appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia for distinguished service to public administration and leadership and administration of Australia's democratic electoral system.
As commissioner for a decade, Mr Rogers led the agency to successfully deliver the 2016, 2019 and 2022 federal elections, numerous by-elections and boundary redistributions in every Australian state and territory.
He also led the AEC in 2023 to deliver the Indigenous Voice referendum, the first referendum held in Australia in nearly a quarter of a century.
Most Australians are blissfully unaware that much of the system we take for granted comes down to a dedicated team of distinguished public servants, but this fact, in and of itself, is one to emulate.
"Running the election, it is Australia's largest peacetime logistic operation," Mr Rogers said last week.
"If you think about it, 105,000 workers, 8000 polling places, it's like setting up a Fortune 500 company in five weeks and then disassembling it a couple of weeks after the event."
And with talk of stolen elections in the United States and elsewhere, Mr Rogers didn't mind that Australians just expected their electoral system to work.
"We used to have this thing called the 'Electoral Commission's dilemma' - which was the easier we make it look, the easier people think it is," he said.
"I've had different comments over the years, from people I know pretty well, along the lines of 'You're so lucky, sweet job, it must be nice to work every three years, then it's pina coladas and away you go' and maybe that's okay.
"Australians love their electoral system, they trust the AEC greatly, and maybe that's a good thing, that it's seen as unremarkable."
And that's the thing about the King's Birthday honours - they're a chance to shine a light on the things that make our ordinary and everyday lives easy, or straightforward, or successful.
Mr Rogers is in distinguished company this year, with the likes of broadcaster Phillip Adams, who was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) for his services to the media, the arts, cultural leadership and the community, alongside husband-and-wife creative powerhouse Baz Lurhmann and Catherine Martin, for eminent service to the arts. Former prime minister Scott Morrison has been appointed AC, routine postnominals for former holders of the nation's top office, but an honour that will not pass without some criticism.
Former model and television host Deborah Hutton, who had two skin cancers removed from her face and advocated for sun safety, was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for service to community health and to media.
There are many extraordinary people living throughout our communities, and the King's Birthday is an opportunity to reflect on how lucky we are to live in such a diverse country.
Much like elections, a rich and varied life doesn't happen automatically, or without effort.
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Top End war games visit follows bilateral pact signing
Top End war games visit follows bilateral pact signing

The Advertiser

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  • The Advertiser

Top End war games visit follows bilateral pact signing

With the ink dry on a 50-year Anglo-Australian submarine agreement, visiting British ministers David Lammy and John Healey are set to join Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles for some fun and war games in the Top End. Mr Marles and Secretary of State Mr Healey put pen to paper on a bilateral deal said to strengthen ties around the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement in Geelong on Saturday despite a review of the three-nation pact by the US government. AUKUS, formed with the UK and US in 2021 to address concerns about China's rising military ambition, is designed to enable Australia to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines in the 2040s. However, concerns over the viability of the $560 billion deal have been ongoing since the Trump administration initiated a review to examine if it meets its "America-first" criteria. In a bid to put the matter to rest, Mr Marles insisted after the Geelong Treaty signing that it built on "the strong foundation of trilateral co-operation between Australia, the UK and the United States" and advanced the shared objectives of AUKUS. "It will support the development of the personnel, workforce, infrastructure and regulatory systems required for Australia's ... AUKUS program" as well as support the rotational presence of a UK Astute-class submarine at HMAS Stirling in Perth, he said. Mr Marles said he remained confident about the future of US involvement in the partnership, as did Mr Healey and Mr Lammy, Britain's Foreign Secretary. Australia will pay $5 billion to support British industry in designing and producing nuclear reactors to power the future AUKUS-class subs. It will also acquire at least three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US in the early 2030s. With the formalities done and dusted, Mr Marles, Mr Lammy and Mr Healey are expected to attend Talisman Sabre in Darwin on Sunday. Australia's largest and most sophisticated war-fighting exercise started on July 13 and involves more than 35,000 personnel from 19 militaries across three weeks. In addition to the US, forces from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the UK have joined as partners. Malaysia and Vietnam are also attending as observers. The 2025 war games involve the UK's Carrier Strike Group, led by the Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales - the first UK carrier strike group to visit Australia since 1997. With the ink dry on a 50-year Anglo-Australian submarine agreement, visiting British ministers David Lammy and John Healey are set to join Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles for some fun and war games in the Top End. Mr Marles and Secretary of State Mr Healey put pen to paper on a bilateral deal said to strengthen ties around the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement in Geelong on Saturday despite a review of the three-nation pact by the US government. AUKUS, formed with the UK and US in 2021 to address concerns about China's rising military ambition, is designed to enable Australia to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines in the 2040s. However, concerns over the viability of the $560 billion deal have been ongoing since the Trump administration initiated a review to examine if it meets its "America-first" criteria. In a bid to put the matter to rest, Mr Marles insisted after the Geelong Treaty signing that it built on "the strong foundation of trilateral co-operation between Australia, the UK and the United States" and advanced the shared objectives of AUKUS. "It will support the development of the personnel, workforce, infrastructure and regulatory systems required for Australia's ... AUKUS program" as well as support the rotational presence of a UK Astute-class submarine at HMAS Stirling in Perth, he said. Mr Marles said he remained confident about the future of US involvement in the partnership, as did Mr Healey and Mr Lammy, Britain's Foreign Secretary. Australia will pay $5 billion to support British industry in designing and producing nuclear reactors to power the future AUKUS-class subs. It will also acquire at least three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US in the early 2030s. With the formalities done and dusted, Mr Marles, Mr Lammy and Mr Healey are expected to attend Talisman Sabre in Darwin on Sunday. Australia's largest and most sophisticated war-fighting exercise started on July 13 and involves more than 35,000 personnel from 19 militaries across three weeks. In addition to the US, forces from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the UK have joined as partners. Malaysia and Vietnam are also attending as observers. The 2025 war games involve the UK's Carrier Strike Group, led by the Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales - the first UK carrier strike group to visit Australia since 1997. With the ink dry on a 50-year Anglo-Australian submarine agreement, visiting British ministers David Lammy and John Healey are set to join Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles for some fun and war games in the Top End. Mr Marles and Secretary of State Mr Healey put pen to paper on a bilateral deal said to strengthen ties around the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement in Geelong on Saturday despite a review of the three-nation pact by the US government. AUKUS, formed with the UK and US in 2021 to address concerns about China's rising military ambition, is designed to enable Australia to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines in the 2040s. However, concerns over the viability of the $560 billion deal have been ongoing since the Trump administration initiated a review to examine if it meets its "America-first" criteria. In a bid to put the matter to rest, Mr Marles insisted after the Geelong Treaty signing that it built on "the strong foundation of trilateral co-operation between Australia, the UK and the United States" and advanced the shared objectives of AUKUS. "It will support the development of the personnel, workforce, infrastructure and regulatory systems required for Australia's ... AUKUS program" as well as support the rotational presence of a UK Astute-class submarine at HMAS Stirling in Perth, he said. Mr Marles said he remained confident about the future of US involvement in the partnership, as did Mr Healey and Mr Lammy, Britain's Foreign Secretary. Australia will pay $5 billion to support British industry in designing and producing nuclear reactors to power the future AUKUS-class subs. It will also acquire at least three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US in the early 2030s. With the formalities done and dusted, Mr Marles, Mr Lammy and Mr Healey are expected to attend Talisman Sabre in Darwin on Sunday. Australia's largest and most sophisticated war-fighting exercise started on July 13 and involves more than 35,000 personnel from 19 militaries across three weeks. In addition to the US, forces from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the UK have joined as partners. Malaysia and Vietnam are also attending as observers. The 2025 war games involve the UK's Carrier Strike Group, led by the Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales - the first UK carrier strike group to visit Australia since 1997. With the ink dry on a 50-year Anglo-Australian submarine agreement, visiting British ministers David Lammy and John Healey are set to join Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles for some fun and war games in the Top End. Mr Marles and Secretary of State Mr Healey put pen to paper on a bilateral deal said to strengthen ties around the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement in Geelong on Saturday despite a review of the three-nation pact by the US government. AUKUS, formed with the UK and US in 2021 to address concerns about China's rising military ambition, is designed to enable Australia to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines in the 2040s. However, concerns over the viability of the $560 billion deal have been ongoing since the Trump administration initiated a review to examine if it meets its "America-first" criteria. In a bid to put the matter to rest, Mr Marles insisted after the Geelong Treaty signing that it built on "the strong foundation of trilateral co-operation between Australia, the UK and the United States" and advanced the shared objectives of AUKUS. "It will support the development of the personnel, workforce, infrastructure and regulatory systems required for Australia's ... AUKUS program" as well as support the rotational presence of a UK Astute-class submarine at HMAS Stirling in Perth, he said. Mr Marles said he remained confident about the future of US involvement in the partnership, as did Mr Healey and Mr Lammy, Britain's Foreign Secretary. Australia will pay $5 billion to support British industry in designing and producing nuclear reactors to power the future AUKUS-class subs. It will also acquire at least three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US in the early 2030s. With the formalities done and dusted, Mr Marles, Mr Lammy and Mr Healey are expected to attend Talisman Sabre in Darwin on Sunday. Australia's largest and most sophisticated war-fighting exercise started on July 13 and involves more than 35,000 personnel from 19 militaries across three weeks. In addition to the US, forces from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the UK have joined as partners. Malaysia and Vietnam are also attending as observers. The 2025 war games involve the UK's Carrier Strike Group, led by the Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales - the first UK carrier strike group to visit Australia since 1997.

Drew Hutton ousting: Expulsion of Greens co-founder shows party is unashamedly at odds with men who raise concerns about biological realities and the trans agenda
Drew Hutton ousting: Expulsion of Greens co-founder shows party is unashamedly at odds with men who raise concerns about biological realities and the trans agenda

Sky News AU

timean hour ago

  • Sky News AU

Drew Hutton ousting: Expulsion of Greens co-founder shows party is unashamedly at odds with men who raise concerns about biological realities and the trans agenda

The expulsion of co-founder Drew Hutton from the Greens is more than a warning shot to anyone in the party who thinks they can question gender ideology without consequence. It is bigger than trashing the legacy of a thoughtful 78-year-old who has dedicated his life to environmental causes. It is, I would argue, about every rational and reasonable man watching this circus and realising he could be next. Young decent Australian men, in particular, have been crucified over the past decade for the crime of being male, forced to routinely defend themselves from the toxic masculinity label. Now the Greens have declared war on men and they are not even hiding it. Men like Mr Hutton who built movements and stood for free speech are now rebranded as bigots and silenced as liabilities. And the male 'crime' is daring to raise concerns about biological reality and more broadly issues like parents' consent for puberty blockers and fairness in women's sport when females are being injured. Mr Hutton lost his life membership of the very party he helped build because he wouldn't toe the line on censoring alleged transphobic remarks made by other people on his Facebook page post from 2022. Exiled not for what he wrote but for 'failing' to censor what others wrote. This is not about discriminating against trans people either. In fact in those posts he said, amongst other things, that he of course supported their full human rights. But now in modern Australia, defending biological sex is seen as an act of hate. The new Greens believe you are what you say you are and if a man, especially an older one, dares to question that, he is dangerous. Yes, the irony here is suffocating. Mr Hutton said the party stymied open discussion about its transgender policy which declares that individuals have 'the right to their self-identified gender'. He called their beliefs 'a closed language, which they understand but nobody else does'. In an interview with ABC's 7.30 after his expulsion, Mr Hutton said: 'The main things they think are important are we get rid of the notion of biological sex and replace it with gender identity… 'What I disagree with vehemently is the way that anybody who actually voices any dissent with that policy and does so from a credible position, that there is such a thing as biological sex and there are two sexes, is forced out of the party.' That is correct. In this ideological revolution, men do not get a say. They effectively get told to shut up and go away. He also told Sky News host Chris Kenny that a 'transgender and queer cult' were at the wheel and driving the Greens off a cliff, effectively taking any environment-focussed party faithful with them. 'Their vision is one where particular identities prevail and the rights of those particular identities are far more important than any other issue that the party addresses,' Mr Hutton said. What was also very telling in this mess was the reluctance of Larissa Waters, the woman who replaced Adam Bandt as leader, to defend Mr Hutton. Ms Waters washed her hands of the whole episode except to say the result showed 'good governance' and claimed she had not read the documents that engineered her former party colleague's exile because she was busy preparing for Parliament with a focus on climate and tax. She added that any future decision about Mr Hutton's potential return to the party was 'not up to me'. In other words, defending him would mean challenging the mob. The Greens' purge of Mr Hutton sets a dangerously low bar of how Australian men are treated and ultimately silenced. The message to men is that your history, contributions and your view are null and void if you dare to question, even factually and politely, the new order. And that is not progress. Louise Roberts is a journalist and editor who has worked as a TV and radio commentator in Australia, the UK and the US. Louise is a winner of the Peter Ruehl Award for Outstanding Columnist in the NRMA Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism and has been shortlisted in other awards for her opinion work.

Top End war games visit follows bilateral pact signing
Top End war games visit follows bilateral pact signing

West Australian

time3 hours ago

  • West Australian

Top End war games visit follows bilateral pact signing

With the ink dry on a 50-year Anglo-Australian submarine agreement, visiting British ministers David Lammy and John Healey are set to join Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles for some fun and war games in the Top End. Mr Marles and Secretary of State Mr Healey put pen to paper on a bilateral deal said to strengthen ties around the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement in Geelong on Saturday despite a review of the three-nation pact by the US government. AUKUS, formed with the UK and US in 2021 to address concerns about China's rising military ambition, is designed to enable Australia to acquire nuclear-powered attack submarines in the 2040s. However, concerns over the viability of the $560 billion deal have been ongoing since the Trump administration initiated a review to examine if it meets its "America-first" criteria. In a bid to put the matter to rest, Mr Marles insisted after the Geelong Treaty signing that it built on "the strong foundation of trilateral co-operation between Australia, the UK and the United States" and advanced the shared objectives of AUKUS. "It will support the development of the personnel, workforce, infrastructure and regulatory systems required for Australia's ... AUKUS program" as well as support the rotational presence of a UK Astute-class submarine at HMAS Stirling in Perth , he said . Mr Marles said he remained confident about the future of US involvement in the partnership, as did Mr Healey and Mr Lammy, Britain's Foreign Secretary. Australia will pay $5 billion to support British industry in designing and producing nuclear reactors to power the future AUKUS-class subs. It will also acquire at least three Virginia-class nuclear-powered submarines from the US in the early 2030s. With the formalities done and dusted, Mr Marles, Mr Lammy and Mr Healey are expected to attend Talisman Sabre in Darwin on Sunday. Australia's largest and most sophisticated war-fighting exercise started on July 13 and involves more than 35,000 personnel from 19 militaries across three weeks. In addition to the US, forces from Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the UK have joined as partners. Malaysia and Vietnam are also attending as observers. The 2025 war games involve the UK's Carrier Strike Group, led by the Royal Navy flagship HMS Prince of Wales - the first UK carrier strike group to visit Australia since 1997.

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