Latest news with #AustralianDefenceForce
AU Financial Review
2 days ago
- Business
- AU Financial Review
Warnings over defence cash squeeze
The Defence Department has cut project maintenance and training budgets by 10 per cent to save money to pay for the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines and new missiles, amid growing pressure on the Albanese government to boost military spending. Multiple defence industry sources, granted anonymity to discuss commercially sensitive matters, warned the squeeze was affecting the Australian Defence Force's ability to keep its personnel and weapons platforms such as warships and aircraft in peak condition for a potential conflict.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Australia to deploy 100 soldiers to help Ukraine in its bloody war against Russian aggression
Australia will deploy up to 100 soldiers and a military aircraft to Europe in an effort to support Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia. Defence Minister Richard Marles announced the contributions at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) leaders summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday. At the request of NATO and Poland, Australia will deploy a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail aircraft in August along with 100 Australian Defence Force personnel. Part of Operation Kudu, the deployment is designed to protect an international gateway for humanitarian and military assistance into Ukraine and will not be direct combat roles. The deployment is expected to conclude by November and will compliment Australia's more than $1.5b in support to Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022. 'Australia is proud of its longstanding operational partnership with NATO,' Mr Marles said in announcing the commitments on Wednesday. 'The deployment of an E-7A Wedgetail aircraft will again showcase our ability to operate from Europe, alongside NATO and partners, in support of Ukraine and international peace and security.' Leaders of the defensive alliance descended on The Hague on Tuesday for two days of talks on the conflict and Washington's uncertain commitment to NATO. Representatives of the member states, including many European nations, the UK, the US and Canada, are expected to commit five per cent of their national outputs to defence and related spending. Australia is not a NATO member but is considered one of its Indo-Pacific partners alongside Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand. During the summit, Australia also imposed a fresh wave of financial sanctions and travel bans on 37 individuals and financial sanctions on seven entities. Mr Marles said the sanctions will target Russia's defence, energy, transport, insurance, electronic and finance sectors and proponents of disinformation and propaganda. Foreign Minister Penny Wong welcomed the sanctions as a sign of Australia's deep ties with NATO member states. 'Our targeted sanctions reflect our close coordination with key NATO partners, including the UK, Canada and the European Union. 'Australia has now imposed more than 1,500 sanctions in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. We will continue to work with partners to disrupt Russia's ability to fund its illegal and immoral war.'
ABC News
3 days ago
- Politics
- ABC News
Australian navy joins UK to conduct freedom of navigation exercises in contested South China Sea
An Australian naval destroyer has joined a British patrol vessel to conduct a freedom of navigation exercise in the South China Sea, in another sign Australia's military remains intent on pushing back on Beijing's claims over the contested waters. The UK Defence Ministry's Permanent Joint Headquarters publicised the operation on social media on Tuesday — although the Australian Defence Force has not announced it publicly and has not yet responded to the ABC's questions about the activity. "HMS SPEY and HMAS SYDNEY have just conducted Freedom of Navigation Activity around the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, in accordance with UNCLOS," it said on the social media site X. The two countries conducted the drill while much of the world's attention remains focused on the US strikes on Iran and the threat of a broader conflagration in the Middle East. Beijing claims almost the entirety of the South China Sea as its territory — despite a 2016 international ruling which found that claim invalid — and its navy and coast guard have repeatedly clashed with vessels from the Philippines, which is one of the South-East Asian nations which also has overlapping claims in the sea. China and the Philippines have also had several potentially dangerous aerial encounters over the South China Sea, including in February, when China's military said it had expelled three Philippine aircraft from the Spratly Islands. Australia has conducted freedom of navigation activities in the South China Sea with an expanding number of countries, including the US, Japan, Canada and the Philippines — which have all shown increasing resolve to assert their right to sail through the waters. But Euan Graham from the Australian Strategic Policy Institute said it appeared to be the first time that the United Kingdom and Australia had conducted a publicly flagged freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea by themselves. He said both countries were "pushing back against China's excessive maritime claims and thickening military presence in the South China Sea" by asserting their right to navigation. Mr Graham said Canberra was signalling that China's recent partial circumnavigation of the Australian mainland would not deter it from continuing to operate in the South China Sea. Multiple Chinese analysts have suggested that Beijing was using the deployment to Australia to discourage the federal government from sending naval vessels into waters near China. "There's a sense that Australia is stepping up its game and being present (in the South China Sea) at a time when China's navy is exerting its presence close to Australia," Mr Graham said. The United Kingdom and Australia have already been stepping up joint naval activities in the region — including by taking part in an operation to enforce United Nations sanctions on North Korea. In February British and Australian ships also joined the United States Navy in the South China Sea to conduct a "coordinated manoeuvring exercise", and last week China lashed the United Kingdom after HMS Spey flagged that it was sailing through the Taiwan Strait. The British government has said that HMAS Sydney and HMS Spey will now sail to Singapore, where they will meet with the United Kingdom's carrier Prince of Wales and a Strike Group with a host of navy ships from the UK, Canada, Norway, New Zealand and Spain. The Carrier Strike Group will then sail down to the Northern Territory to join Operation Talisman Sabre — massive Australia-US joint military exercises which will also draw in forces from more than a dozen other nations. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says the deployment of the carrier and other British naval vessels to the region — along with around 4,000 UK military personnel — is aimed at "sending a clear message of strength to our adversaries, and a message of unity and purpose to our allies".
SBS Australia
3 days ago
- Business
- SBS Australia
Israel reopens its airspace amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran
Israel reopens its airspace amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran... Inflation falls to a seven-month low... Rising star Murphy Reid accepts a two-year contract extension with Fremantle. Israel has reopened its airspace amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran, providing hope that Australians stranded in the Middle East may soon be able to return home on commercial flights. Overnight, the Australian Defence Force evacuated 119 Australians and their families from Tel Aviv on repatriation flights. It remains unclear how many Australians are seeking to return home from Israel and Iran, but over 4,000 have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for help to leave the region. Defence Personnel Minister Matt Keogh says Australians should continue engaging with the department, but regular commercial flights may soon be available providing another option. US President Donald Trump has criticised media outlets for reporting a leaked intelligence assessment that has cast doubt over the success of US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. The preliminary report leaked to CBS found America's attack over the weekend only set back Iran's nuclear program by a few months, contrary to claims made by President Trump and other senior officials that the sites were obliterated. Trump administration officials scaled back their comments, telling the UN Security Council the attack had degraded Iran's nuclear program, rather than obliterated it, but President Trump continues to insist the nuclear site was destroyed. US Vice President JD Vance says President Trump's actions in Iran struck the right balance between defending American interests and entering a war. " What I call the Trump Doctrine is quite simple. Number one, you articulate a clear American interest and that's, in this case, that Iran can't have a nuclear weapon. Number two, you try to aggressively, diplomatically solve that problem. And, number three, when you can't solve it diplomatically, you use overwhelming military power to solve it, and then you get the hell out of there before it ever becomes a protracted conflict." Hundreds of Australia's leading First Nations justice advocates, experts and community leaders have gathered in Alice Springs for a two-day conference to discuss evidence-based alternatives to incarceration. The issue has gained increased attention following the recent deaths of two Indigenous men in police custody in the Northern Territory. There have been nearly 600 [[598]] Indigenous deaths in custody in the last 34 years since a Royal Commission on the issue handed down its report in 1991. Robert Tickner was the federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister at the time, who presented the report to parliament. He says inaction over key recommendations has led the justice system toward a state of collapse. " In three and a half decades, almost, since the Royal Commission report came down, things have really gotten worse. At this particular point in time, we are at the lowest point we've been. We've got now record levels of Aboriginal incarceration right around Australia, and we've got a youth detention centre which is totally failing. It's almost at the point of collapse." Inflation has fallen to a seven-month low, raising hopes of an imminent cut to interest rates. Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows headline inflation fell 0.3 per cent in May to 2.1 per cent - the lowest level since October 2024. The monthly figures also show a decline in trimmed mean inflation, a measure of underlying inflation, from 2.8 per cent to 2.4 per cent in the month. Treasurer Jim Chalmers says the figures are especially encouraging given the volatility of the global economy. Economists have predicted a further three interest rate cuts before the end of 2025, which could lead to the cash rate falling to 3.1 per cent. Aldi has again come out on top in a survey of supermarket prices by consumer advocacy group Choice. The quarterly survey compares the cost of 14 common grocery items at four major chains around the country. It found Aldi provided the best value with a checkout cost of $55.35. Woolworths came in just under $59 dollars and Coles WAS not far behind. IGA was the worst value at $69 dollars. Choice CEO Ashley da Silva says Choice included more fresh produce in its basket this time and found the overall price gap decreased. "Aldi are still the best deal overall and that's true whether it's with specials or without specials, but that gap between Aldi and some of the major supermarkets has shortened on the basis of this new basket." He also says shoppers in Tasmania and the Northern Territory who can't access Aldi face higher prices overall. Fremantle have handed rising star Murphy Reid a two-year contract extension, tying him to the club until the end of 2029. The 18-year-old has kicked 16 goals across 14 games this season, and is among the favourites to take out this year's Rising Star award, along with Brisbane's Levi Ashcroft and Essendon's Archie Roberts.
West Australian
4 days ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Australian defence force evacuates 119 citizens from Israel, commercial flights resume
More than 100 Australians and their family members have been safely evacuated from Israel on a special Australian Defence Force (ADF) flight, as the government ramps up efforts to bring home citizens stranded by the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran. The ADF's assisted departure from Tel Aviv carried 119 Australians, marking a significant milestone in ongoing evacuation operations. The evacuation comes after days of uncertainty for Australians in the region, with airspace closures and the suspension of commercial flights leaving thousands of foreign nationals, including Australians, unable to leave Israel and Iran. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirmed late on Tuesday night that Australian defence personnel and diplomats 'have supported an Australian Defence Force assisted departure flight' out of the Israeli city. Photographs posted on X by Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong show groups of Australians being transported by bus to the airport ahead of the departure. Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed the flight to reporters in The Hague, where he is attending a summit of the NATO military alliance. 'So I can confirm that there was an assisted departure that left Tel Aviv in the last few hours,' he said. 'We were very pleased to be able to provide that flight, and they've now been relocated to a place within the region, which is obviously outside of the danger zone. 'We continue to have (military) assets in the region ready to be able to provide assistance.' Mr Marles also said the government had chartered civilian aircraft for future departures 'in certain circumstances'. The evacuees were taken out in a KC-30 RAAF jet. There are still about 3000 Australians in Iran who've registered with the government for help to leave, and more than 1000 in Israel. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said assisted departure flights from Iran are still not possible. 'We've got DFAT consular staff, who are in Azerbaijan, also providing assistance for those who cross that border by land out of Iran,' Mr Marles said. The evacuation was made possible after a ceasefire between Israel and Iran brokered by the US on Tuesday (AEST). The latest conflict erupted on June 13, when Israel fired missiles at Iran in a bid to blow up military assets, arguing it was on the cusp of developing nuclear weapons. The battle took a turn on the weekend when the US launched a bombing raid on Iran, blowing up three underground nuclear facilities. The airspace in both countries was shut to passenger aircraft, leading to the evacuation of Australian embassy staff and their dependents from Tehran. But the current ceasefire has not calmed the fears of Iranians in Australia. The Australian-Iranian community lives in fear of US or Israeli bombs killing their friends and family while also worrying about the threat posed by Iran's autocratic Islamic government to their loved ones. No one person or voice can speak for an entire group, Australian Iranian Community Alliance vice-president Suren Edgar said, however, he believed most Iranians were not happy with the current regime. 'This is not our war, we didn't create this war but we are paying the price,' he told AAP. 'If the outcome of the ceasefire would be to keep the Islamic Republic in power, that won't be safe for the international community and won't be safe for the people inside Iran.' For some, like Persian Australian Community Association member Nader Ranjbar, there was hope the conflict could help de-stabilise the Iranian autocracy and pave the way for a new, democratic government. Without a new regime, he is concerned that the current administration will intensify its persecution of the Iranian people. 'That's my worst fear,' he told AAP. 'That somehow they get away from this mess and the first thing they do is start killing Iranian people. 'We are all worried about our family and friends and the whole country.' There was also confusion about whether the ceasefire will last. Iran's state media on Tuesday reported the truce and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed he had accepted the ceasefire after achieving his war goals. - With AAP
