Australian news and politics live: Wong, Marles to host UK in meet to deepen defence partnership, AUKUS
Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles will today host their British counterparts, Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Minister John Healey, for the latest Australia-United Kingdom Ministerial Consultations (Aukmin) in Sydney.
The biannual talks will focus on deepening diplomatic and defence cooperation amid evolving strategic challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
Mr Marles and Ms Wong will also join their UK counterparts in Darwin on Sunday for the visit of the UK Carrier Strike Group, the first such deployment to Australia since 1997, taking place during Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025.
'The United Kingdom is a critical partner for Australia. We continue to work closely together, including through the Aukus partnership, to address shared strategic challenges in an increasingly complex and uncertain world,' Mr Marles said.
'We are seeing a very real example of how this works, with the first visit by a United Kingdom carrier strike group to Australia since 1997. I look forward to discussions in the coming days to advance our enduring relationship.'
While Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: 'We take the world as it is – but together, we are working to shape it for the better.'
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