Scott Morrison warns China, Russia developing hi-tech space weapons
The former prime minister is now the chairman of Space Centre Australia, which plans to set up a major space hub in Cape York.
Mr Morrison said on Wednesday that while the West still had 'quite a significant advantage over potential adversaries', foes were swiftly progressing technologically.
'Space is increasingly part of what we must now do in defence,' he told Sky News.
'Back in 2020 we actually defined space as a war fighting domain and set our defence forces on the path to be able to participate.'
Mr Morrison said there was 'not a thing you do almost today, whether it's on land or in sea or in air, that doesn't depend on the assets and capabilities that you have in space'.
'Currently, the US and its allies (have) a quite a significant advantage over potential adversaries, but you know that is changing,' he said.
'We're seeing what the Chinese and Russians are doing.
'There's reports of even Russia having a nuclear anti-satellite weapon that they've been developing.
'China has increasingly more manoeuverable satellites and developing much more sophisticated technologies, which enables them to use that to target movement of forces and other assets around the globe, through their missiles and other offensive weapons.
'So space, whether we like it or not, is part of modern warfare.'
Mr Morrison's comments came after Donald Trump announced his plan for a 'Golden Dome' to protect the US from potential nuclear attacks.
The system, which the US President said he wanted built before the end of his term, would use ground-based interceptors and satellites to protect against hi-tech threats, including hypersonic missiles.
Mr Morrison said he could see Australia playing a role in the dome's development and even adopting the tech down the line.
'It's very possible that it could be extended to other allies and partners,' he said.
'But I imagine the price on that would be pretty strong, certainly in the early phases.
'But we can play a role, and that's important because we're allies.'
The Trump administration has attached a $US175bn ($271.4bn) price-tag to the Golden Dome.
Though, the US Congressional Budget Office has calculated it could cost $US831bn ($1.3 trillion) over two decades.
Mr Morrison, a founder of AUKUS, also used a speech on Tuesday to call for space to be part of the defence pact's third pillar.
AUKUS Pillar I focused on submarines, with the US and UK sharing technology to build nuclear-powered boats in Australia.
AUKUS Pillar II focused on enhancing trilateral co-operation on cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and quantum technologies.
Mr Morrison said a 'strong argument can also be made that such initiatives could form the basis of Australia's contribution to a new Pillar III for AUKUS which, as its founder, I would strongly support'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
13 minutes ago
- ABC News
Are South Australian journalists ‘hysterical' about ambulance ramping?
Scepticism is generally considered a healthy trait in journalism. After all, the fourth estate would not be doing its job properly if journalists did not take certain information with a grain of salt and seek balanced views. In a world of spin doctors, social media conspiracies and so-called 'fake news', the core reason the news media exists is to report accurately, ethically and diligently get to the truth. But at what point can a reporter's questioning and attention be detrimental to the public good? After a months-long inquest into the deaths of three South Australians who died after experiencing ambulance ramping, Acting Deputy State Coroner Ian White had some pointed remarks to make about the SA press pack. Under the heading: 'Responsibility of the media relating to SA Health initiatives to address ramping' in his inquest findings, Mr White wrote that the administration of public services and expenditure of public funds should carry 'heavy obligations' of transparency and accountability. Those obligations, he wrote, were 'fundamental' to the democratic system of governance. 'I also recognise that the media play an important role in facilitating that transparency and accountability,' Mr White continued. 'However, there are risks associated with some of the media's attention that is, as one witness described, 'hysterical'.' It is worth remembering how ramping became such a hot-button political issue. As has been widely recognised, Labor's 2022 state election promise to 'fix the ramping crisis' helped it topple the Marshall Liberal government after just one term. The party's winning campaign was made all the stronger with the backing of health unions and their members – like "Ash the Ambo", who implored South Australians to "vote Labor like your life depends on it". At Labor's 2022 election campaign launch, a then aspiring premier Peter Malinauskas described the need to 'fix ramping' as 'the most urgent need of all'. But despite repeated claims that the government was 'throwing the kitchen sink' at the issue, ambulances continue to be stuck on hospital ramps. Yes – more ambulances are rocking up to patients on time, yes – more doctors, nurses and beds are now in SA hospitals, and yes – the federal government has a role to play in getting aged care patients out of hospital beds when they no longer need to be there. But has ramping now been 'fixed', or will it ever be before the next election in just eight months' time? Why are sick people still waiting outside hospitals in ambulances, when the government has poured billions of extra dollars into the health system? When will this all end? Those are the questions journalists have been repeatedly asking the Premier, Health Minister and SA Health for the past three years. Much of the media's reporting has focused on the personal experiences of people who have experienced ramping. More important than the raw statistics, most would agree, is whether sick South Australians can get the healthcare they need when they need it. 'As I hope is obvious, I do not intend to restrict media coverage of a patient or patients who have suffered personal hardship, pain, or even death whilst ramped,' Mr White wrote in his inquest findings. 'My comments are specifically directed to wider policy issues and strategies that may be implemented by SA Health.' Mr White went on to comment on the media's coverage of one SA Health policy which sought to clarify that responsibility over ramped patients fell to hospitals. The acting deputy state coroner wrote that the health department 'should have been commended for taking a simple pragmatic step'. 'Instead of that commendation, a narrative was established which was, in short, wrong,' he wrote. 'The full consequence of this flawed narrative is not known, but it must have engendered some anxiety and apprehension in many concerned members of the public.' Mr White did not specify how the so-called 'narrative' was 'wrong' or 'flawed', but he elaborated thusly: 'It (the policy) generally was not portrayed as a positive and well-intentioned acceptance of reality on the vital topic of legal responsibility for the care of patients'. Some media reports included commentary from the state's doctors' union and Liberal Party, who argued the policy could increase pressure on clinicians to unload ambulance patients into hospitals already under strain. According to Mr White, the policy 'actually effects no change'. 'If SA Health are continually pitted against the public by the media, then the path to a better future will be incredibly difficult,' he wrote. 'I highlight again that the policy produced by SA Health, while meaningful in written form, actually changed nothing about the law.' Mr White wrote that SA Health should be 'held accountable, but only in a fair and accurate way'. 'Fair and accurate reporting may be a positive factor in emboldening SA Health to try new properly planned and discussed initiatives, even when the risk of mistakes and failure is real,' he wrote. 'Honest acknowledgement of setbacks, paired with balanced reporting, will contribute to a culture where reflecting on errors will foster improvement rather than defensiveness. 'In that sense, clear and accurate media coverage can support evidence-based innovation and the capacity to adapt.' Mr White's findings prompt the question, how should the media report on ramping in SA, when the issue has become so intensely politicised? It is a question likely to keep coming up, with ramping set to once again be a key issue in an election due in less than eight months.
ABC News
43 minutes ago
- ABC News
Estimated 90,000 protesters created 'perilous situation' during pro-Palestine Harbour Bridge march
A safe end to the pro-Palestinian protest in which an estimated 90,000 people crossed the Sydney Harbour Bridge has not allayed concerns about similar mass demonstrations across the world-famous landmark, senior NSW Police say. The number of protesters that attended Sunday's March for Humanity from the CBD to North Sydney, calling for an end to the war in Gaza, far exceeded what organisers had submitted in their forms to gain approval. And as the day progressed, authorities feared there was a "real risk of crowd crush" as protesters gathered on the north side, creating a choke point. It was a safety risk raised by police in the lead-up to the event, along with the short timeframe for planning, that prompted them to seek a prohibition order. Acting Assistant Commissioner Adam Johnson described the situation on the bridge as "intense", and one of the "most perilous" he has been involved in. "I can honestly say in my 35 years of policing, that was a perilous situation," Assistant Commissioner Johnson said at a press conference following the march. "I was honestly worried that we were going to have a major incident with potential loss of life." He said officers were overwhelmed and decisions had to be made on the run. One of the major changes put in place about 3pm stopped the march, with protesters told to stop where they were, turnaround and walk back towards the CBD. It created confusion and frustration as people tried to move in both directions, but police have credited the move with averting a potential incident and ensuring people's safety. Acting Deputy Commissioner Peter McKenna said there were times when they were worried that both groups would come together. "We could not get those people, the number, the significant size of that crowd off that northern egress route without risking crowd crush," Acting Deputy Commissioner McKenna said. "We could not allow those numbers to then egress into the northern side." He credits officers' hard work and the good behaviour of protesters for the fact no-one was injured. "This operation, from our point of view, was a success in that no-one was hurt, no police were hurt," Acting Deputy Commissioner McKenna said. "But gee whiz, I wouldn't like to try and do this every Sunday at that short notice." He reiterated what police had been saying, that "there's a reason we said we like to have time to plan for these protests". "I think going forward into the future, that has to be taken into consideration," he said. "Thankfully we've had an operation, whilst perilous at times, turned out that everyone has gone home safe." Assistant Commissioner Johnson added that police were not anti-protests, saying they oversee more than 1,500 a year, and had for a while been working with the organisers of Sunday's event. The Palestine Action Group has been regularly holding marches in the CBD for nearly two years. He said it was all about public safety. "Our whole issue today was never about the fact that they are protesting something that is so significant, and we understand it's significant in a lot of people's minds and hearts right around the world. "Quite clearly today showed us that we had to scramble … We had to really think about how we could get people safely out of that confined space and back into the city safely. "It came very close to us having almost a catastrophic situation." In response, Amal Naser, one of the organisers from the Palestine Action Group, called the senior officer's comments a "poor attempt" to "undermine the Supreme Court's decision". "The reality is that police had eight days to logistically prepare for this protest," Ms Naser told the media a short time after the event. "They wasted their resources on going to court and trying to crush the right to protest. Ms Naser called the march "successful" and a "monumental and historical moment in anti-war protest history". Fellow organiser Josh Lees said while the turnout had exceeded their expectations, there were no plans for another action on the harbour bridge. He said weekly rallies would continue. "Today was unprecedented, and we thought that a bold step would inspire people to come out," Mr Lees said. "Because they knew it would be such a powerful symbol and they were right." Mr Lees took aim at NSW Premier Chris Minns's comments earlier in the week that there would be chaos. "There was nothing of the sort, there was a beautiful, peaceful mass protest without any incidents. "The protest was so big that yes we had to manage how people dispersed at the end but this was done in a very safe and happy way. "Everyone left in a calm fashion, feeling proud of what they've done today, emboldened to keep fighting for Palestine, that's what today was." The Palestine Action Group is working towards a national day of action scheduled for August 24.
ABC News
43 minutes ago
- ABC News
Disability discrimination commissioner calls on Queensland to scrap plan for new special schools
Australia's disability discrimination commissioner wants Queensland to scrap plans to build more special schools, but the state government says there has been an increased demand for them. Commissioner Rosemary Kayess said she was "disappointed" by the Queensland government's announcement of six new special schools. The prominent human rights lawyer told the ABC she had been speaking to education ministers across the country about the development of a national road map to inclusive education. The road map was a recommendation from the disability royal commission's final report handed down in 2023 and had been agreed to "in principle" by all levels of governments last year. Commissioner Kayess said it would essentially be a move away from "segregating kids" and "transform mainstream education so all kids can go to school together". Commissioner Kayess has written to Premier David Crisafulli and Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek to express her "deep concerns" following the announcement in June. "The Queensland government is locking the state into a failed ableist model of the past which penalises people with disability," she said. It comes as the teachers in the state's 1,266 public schools are set to strike on Wednesday after protracted enterprise bargaining negotiations with the government. Mr Langbroek said enrolments at the state's 46 special schools had increased by more than 38 per cent since 2019. "We cannot ignore the growing demand from parents and carers who need or want to send their child to a special school," he said in a statement. He said the government had announced its largest investment into special schools as part of its $21.9 billion education budget for 2025-26 to cater for the growth. Mr Langbroek said the government was committed to providing "world-class education to all children regardless of the school they attend". "We will continue to provide choice and support for families to help them make the decision that best suits their family's needs," he said. Queensland Association of Special Education Leaders president Andrew Thompson said the new schools would be near mainstream schools to allow for strong relationships to be formed between the two. Mr Thompson's organisation represents almost 700 members who work in special education across special, primary and secondary schools. He said he believed mainstream schools struggled to accommodate for students with a disability due to a workforce shortage and a lack of expertise taught at university. Mr Thompson said he supported "parents being able to make a choice of either a mainstream school or a special school". Inclusive Educators Australia's (IEA) chairperson, Loren Swancutt, said the government should be investing in supporting "regular teachers in regular schools" working to include students with a disability in their classrooms. "This investment is not just a policy misstep, it is a profound moral and human rights failure," the Queensland secondary educator said. "Segregating students based on disability sends a damaging message that some children do not belong in their local schools or communities." Ms Swancutt said IEA represented more than 10,000 educators across the country committed to "building genuinely inclusive schools". She said the state had "nation-leading and award-winning inclusive education policy". "But unfortunately, we have not seen the commitment and follow-through," Ms Swancutt said. Ms Swancutt, who has worked in education for 15 years, said she wanted "actual commitment" from all levels of government to develop and fulfil the national road map. The federal education department said all governments supported the disability royal commission's vision for more accessible and inclusive education for students with disability. "To ensure accountability, all governments have agreed to biannual reporting to the Disability Reform Ministerial Council and the community on implementation of recommendations," the spokesperson said. "The first report is expected within coming weeks." The department said discussions to support the development of policy responses to the royal commission, including the design of the national road map, "have commenced and regular officials-level meetings are ongoing". "It is anticipated that advice for education ministers will be prepared in late 2025 and that people with lived experience of disability and other stakeholders will be a key part of the development of the road map and policy responses," the department spokesperson said. Commissioner Kayess said there had been a lot of focus on the division amongst the disability royal commissioners, who were unable to reach a consensus on the future of special schools in the final report. "What we're forgetting is the unanimous position that all commissioners held that there needs to be a transformation of our mainstream education system to make it inclusive," Commissioner Kayess said. "The royal commission spoke about the well-oiled pathway from special schools to segregated employment, and that really is not a bright future for those kids."
