BEFORE jetting off to the G7, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed the USAsia Centre in Perth on June 9. His address entitled “A world order that favours freedom” is an ambitious attempt at demonstrating that “liberal democracies work” considering that, in many countries, freedom is an elusive or vanishing goal.
AUSTRALIAN Education Minister Alan Tudge has given universities until the end of the year to enforce a freedom of speech code, threatening to use legislation if they refuse or cannot implement it. “You cannot pursue truth without freedom of expression. You cannot create knowledge without freedom of academic inquiry,” Mr Tudge said in a speech to the Universities Australia conference in Canberra on Thursday.
FEWER Australians wanted to buy products made in China, preferring locally made goods, according to new figures. The number of Australians more likely to buy products made in China fell to 21 per cent, down 9 percentage points, according to market research company Roy Morgan.
FEDERAL Finance Minister Simon Birmingham is circumspect on the national implications of last weekend’s NSW by-election in the coal-rich mining region of Upper Hunter, north of Sydney. The by-election was watched closely by major political parties keen to see how popular support for the incumbent NSW government was tracking, particularly considering its handling of COVID-19 and recent sexual assault allegations against several MPs including retiring Upper Hunter MP Michael Johnsen.
THE Chinese regime’s mouthpiece, Global Times, has criticised Australia’s increased national security spending, accusing Canberra of “further escalating regional confrontation”. The newspaper’s report on Wednesday titled “Canberra’s Defence Spending Means More Economic Carnage,” also accused Australia of “relentless and unreasonable provocations” and warned of retaliation.
INDIA will proceed with 5G wireless technology and spectrum trials, inviting equipment makers from various nations – except China. Experts say India is keeping Chinese 5G firms such as Huawei and ZTE out of its massive market because of last year’s border disputes and because the exclusion will economically hurt Chinese entities.
THE US State Department will soon sign-off a A$2.6b arms deal to the Australian government for 160 new Abrams tanks and four Chinook helicopters. The sale comes amid Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s pledge last year to increase defence spending in response to rising geopolitical tension in the Indo-Pacific region.
US STATE Department spokesman Ned Price said the United States supports Australia’s decision to cancel two Belt & Road Initiative arrangements with Beijing. “We continue to stand with the people of Australia as they bear the brunt of the PRC’s coercive behaviour,” Mr Price said.
THE world is at greater risk of polarisation, and like-minded, democratic nations needed to work together to carry the “aspirations of the future” Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said. In a recorded speech to the Raisina Dialogue in India, the Prime Minister said Australia was “not blind” to the realities of the state of the world.
THE Prime Minister has forced the Victorian State government to hand over documents related to secret deals it signed with the Chinese Communist Party. This is the third “Belt & Road” deal between Victoria and the CCP that the Morrison government is scrutinising under the Foreign Relations Bill that will see arrangements with all foreign nations at each level of government vetoed if they aren’t in Australia’s national interests.
