US hosts Quad meeting amid strained bilateral ties
The four countries, known as the Quad, share concerns about China's growing power but ties have been strained by US President Donald Trump's global tariff offensive from which none of the members have been spared.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, nevertheless, said the meeting had been "very productive".
"Today's gathering will strengthen strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific and keep it free and open," he said in a post on X.
In welcoming his counterparts, Rubio called the Quad countries important strategic partners and said it was time to "deliver action" on specific issues.
He said 30 or 40 companies from Quad countries would meet at the State Department on Tuesday to discuss co-operation, including diversification of the supply chain for critical minerals, which is a sector currently dominated by China.
The meeting offers a chance to refocus attention on the region seen as the primary challenge for the US after Trump was distracted by issues elsewhere, including the recent Israel-Iran conflict.
In January, the Quad said it would meet regularly to prepare for a leaders' summit in India later this year.
Rubio was also to hold bilateral meetings with Japan's Takeshi Iwaya, Jaishankar and Australia's Penny Wong.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier on Tuesday that the US and India were nearing a deal to lower tariffs on US imports and to help India avoid levies rising sharply next week.
Jaishankar told an event in New York on Monday there were hopes of bringing the talks to a successful conclusion, which would require "give and take" to find middle ground.
After the Quad meeting, Jaishankar went to the Pentagon, where Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he hoped India and the US could build on their defence integration efforts.
"We hope we can complete several major pending US defense sales to India, expand our shared defence industrial co-operation and co-production efforts," Hegseth said at the start of their meeting.
Japan postponed an annual ministerial meeting with the US State and Defense Departments that was supposed to be held on Tuesday.
Press reports said this move followed US pressure for it to boost military spending further than previously requested.
Nicholas Szechenyi, at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies, said US-Japan ties appeared to have lost momentum since Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump hailed a new golden age in ties at a summit in February.
"The tariff negotiations are all-consuming, and the Japanese appear exasperated by the administration's public lectures on defence spending," Szechenyi said.
The Financial Times said last week the demands came from Elbridge Colby, the third-most senior Pentagon official, whom analysts say has also recently created anxiety in Australia by launching a review of the massive AUKUS project to provide that country with nuclear-powered submarines.
Arthur Sinodinos, Australia's former ambassador to Washington DC and now with the Asia Group consultancy, said bilateral issues could overshadow the meeting, from which the US is keen to see a greater Quad focus on security.
"Australian audiences will be looking for clues on the US stance on AUKUS as well as on trade," he said.
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Almost none was affordable for a person on JobSeeker wanting a room in a share house, and none for a person on Youth Allowance. Median advertised rents have risen 35 per cent since this government came to office, more than three times the rise in wages. Another recent report, Rights at risk: Rising rents and repercussions, by ACOSS and the University of NSW, carries further alarming findings. Almost seven in 10 people who rent privately worry about asking for repairs in case they face a rent increase, with 56 per cent fearing it would lead to eviction and 52 per cent fearing being placed on a blacklist that would prevent them renting another property. Half of all renters live in homes that need repairs, one in 10 urgently. Almost one-in-five bathrooms has mould, which is a major health risk. Some 82 per cent of renters would find a 5 per cent rent hike "difficult or very difficult". A significant problem, and a major eyesore, is that many potential rentals are left empty - around a million Australia-wide. If occupied, these so-called "speculative vacancies" could greatly assist would-be renters. St Vincent de Paul Society calls for taxation reform to incentivise the use of long-term vacant residential properties and land. Homes that are rented have the added benefit (to owners) of generous tax concessions, both during ownership and at point of sale. This creates a considerable loss to the Treasury, with the Parliamentary Budget Office calculating that tax revenue foregone over the decade to 2034-35 due to negative gearing deductions and the capital gains tax (CGT) discount on residential investment properties will total a massive $165 billion. This is money lost to healthcare, education, housing and other social essentials. St Vincent de Paul Society regards housing as a basic human right and we firmly believe all Australians deserve a secure place to live. Properties should be treated primarily as homes, not investment opportunities. The Society supports reducing CGT concessions from 50 per cent to 37.5 per cent to generate revenue that could be used to improve social services, plus a review of negative gearing. The government should increase needs-based funding of homelessness services and permanent supportive housing, including client-led support services. If not now, when? The last census recorded 122,494 people experiencing homelessness, and that was four years ago. Governments should fund and perhaps mandate policies that improve energy efficiency in low-income households, including apartment buildings. This goes hand in hand with funding and legislating national minimum standards for renters. The package known as "A Better Deal for Renters" was endorsed by national cabinet in 2023 with the promise that, "These changes will make a tangible impact for the almost one-third of Australian households who rent". The plan is yet to be fully implemented. Meanwhile, rent increases have accelerated, and pests are the most common tenant complaint, affecting one-third of premises. We're urging for a compassionate review of the base rate of working-age payments to lift recipients above the poverty line. So many people simply cannot afford decent housing. Achieving this basic goal is fundamental to Australia's future and for our much-prized social harmony. As the Human Rights Law Centre puts it, "every person should have a safe, secure and healthy place to call home, regardless of your postcode or bank balance. Yet too many Australians are homeless, live in inadequate, insecure or unsafe housing, or need to sacrifice other necessities - from food to school uniforms - to keep a roof over their heads." Our members see these challenges every day, and while we can offer assistance within our means, structural change to the national housing market is needed urgently. More than two decades ago, former prime minister John Howard said, "I don't get people stopping me in the street and saying, 'John you're outrageous, under your government the value of my house has increased".' The nation's home owners would have been pleased by recent news from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) that the national mean price of residential dwellings had risen to $1,002,500, the first time it has passed the million-dollar mark. Of course, that level was exceeded long ago in many city suburbs, with prices in regional areas also going sky-high as sea and tree changers took real estate windfalls and relocated. Around 66 per cent of Australian households own their own home with or without a mortgage. Home ownership, with a consistent rise in values, is Australians' most important asset, along with superannuation, which ticks over in the background, accessible only in later years. Renters, numbering one-third of Australian households, have also experienced the impacts of the ongoing property boom, except not in a good way. They are mostly dependent on the one-in-five households that own residential properties other than their usual domicile. For the record, one in 25 of these owners has four or more properties. Yet very few are affordable to low-income earners. Anglicare Australia's 2025 Rental Affordability Snapshot surveyed 51,238 rental listings across Australia and found that just 352 rentals (0.7 per cent) were affordable for a person earning a full-time minimum wage. Almost none was affordable for a person on JobSeeker wanting a room in a share house, and none for a person on Youth Allowance. Median advertised rents have risen 35 per cent since this government came to office, more than three times the rise in wages. Another recent report, Rights at risk: Rising rents and repercussions, by ACOSS and the University of NSW, carries further alarming findings. 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The last census recorded 122,494 people experiencing homelessness, and that was four years ago. Governments should fund and perhaps mandate policies that improve energy efficiency in low-income households, including apartment buildings. This goes hand in hand with funding and legislating national minimum standards for renters. The package known as "A Better Deal for Renters" was endorsed by national cabinet in 2023 with the promise that, "These changes will make a tangible impact for the almost one-third of Australian households who rent". The plan is yet to be fully implemented. Meanwhile, rent increases have accelerated, and pests are the most common tenant complaint, affecting one-third of premises. We're urging for a compassionate review of the base rate of working-age payments to lift recipients above the poverty line. So many people simply cannot afford decent housing. Achieving this basic goal is fundamental to Australia's future and for our much-prized social harmony. As the Human Rights Law Centre puts it, "every person should have a safe, secure and healthy place to call home, regardless of your postcode or bank balance. Yet too many Australians are homeless, live in inadequate, insecure or unsafe housing, or need to sacrifice other necessities - from food to school uniforms - to keep a roof over their heads." Our members see these challenges every day, and while we can offer assistance within our means, structural change to the national housing market is needed urgently.
Sky News AU
an hour ago
- Sky News AU
Former Home Affairs boss Mike Pezzullo warns Australia could face strategic challenges if Donald Trump reconsiders the future of AUKUS
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