The Albanese government is wary of deploying a warship to the Red Sea to protect trade from attacks by Houthi rebels because of concerns it would detract from Australia’s maritime security contribution to the Indo-Pacific in the face of rising Chinese assertiveness.

Defence Minister Richard Marles confirmed an approach was made by the US for Australia to consider joining an international coalition to ensure safe passage of cargo ships. This follows a spate of rocket and drone attacks in the wake of Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Hamas terrorists in Gaza.