NewsBite

Richard Marles

March

Maintenance of Collins class submarines will exceed $1 billion.

Ghost soldiers: 5000 ADF personnel disappear

Funding for thousands of troops has been wiped out to offset years of failures to meet recruitment targets, just as pressure rises to boost Australia’s defence capability.

Minister for Defence Richard Marles announcing that Australia’s first High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) will be delivered earlier than planned.

Labor’s $1b fast-tracked defence spending falls short of target

Analysts and defence firms have questioned whether $1 billion in funding will make a difference to Australia’s military build-up.

Former defence minister Christopher Pyne has established a career post-politics as a lobbyist, including for defence firms.

The former MPs cashing in on Australia’s defence spending boom

Former defence ministers have ties to dozens of military companies, lobbying outfits, strategic advisory firms and think tanks.

Defence Minister Richard Marles meeting Australian troops during the Queensland storm earlier this month.

Labor breaks cover to fast-track $50b defence spending

The government and opposition are trading barbs over who can best deliver an increase in defence spending.

New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Canada picks Australian radar in record defence export deal

Canada has chosen an Australian partnership for the over-the-horizon technology system to detect incoming missiles fired over the Arctic.

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Ukrainian firefighters work in Kharkiv following a Russian rocket attack on Friday. Russia has unleashed a furious bombardment at critical Ukrainian infrastructure, after the US decided to withhold intelligence assistance.

Russia slams Albanese’s ‘irresponsible adventurism’ over peacekeepers

The Russian embassy has warned of grave consequences if Australia backs a European-led mission to protect Ukraine.

Just look at America under Donald Trump.

Donald Trump is the political equivalent of a natural disaster

Trump’s tariffs on Australian aluminium will have a modest economic impact, but his assault on US allies is changing Australia’s place in the world.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insists Australia and not the Trump administration will determine the size of our defence budget.

Albanese rebuffs Trump over call to lift to defence spending

While Labor comes under fire over military readiness, figures show defence spending as a share of the federal budget is at highest in almost a decade.

February

People’s Liberation Army-Navy Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu in the Solomon Sea. 

Defence failure on Chinese warships ‘risked passenger safety’

Anthony Albanese stumbles again, saying Defence answered questions in Senate estimates about not providing details on the coordinates, which is not the case.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s government is limping to the end of a first term.

Albanese hit hard by live fire from all sides

From Chinese warships, to Trump’s tariffs, to Australia’s sense of itself, Anthony Albanese is struggling to show he has convincing answers.

Donald Trump, in a meeting with  Keir Starmer, at the White House seemed to not know what the AUKUS deal was.

What does that mean? Trump asks reporter what AUKUS is

Donald Trump seemed to be unaware of Australia’s military pact with the United States and Britain during a White House meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

People’s Liberation Army-Navy Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu, and Renhai-class cruiser Zunyi.

Gaps emerge in coast surveillance as PM cops flak over Chinese drills

Defence officials did not know for 40 minutes that Chinese warships had started a live-firing exercise that disrupted commercial airlines.

People’s Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang.

Albanese accused of soft-pedalling on Chinese navy drills

Australian air traffic controllers only learnt of Chinese navy live-firing exercise thanks to a Virgin Australia pilot flying over the Tasman Sea.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is in Washington trying to negotiate a tariff exemption

Rudd, Chalmers, Farrell lock in US talks in race for tariff carve-out

The Albanese government is mounting a full court press in Washington to spare Australian exports from tariffs before the election is called.

A Chinese Coast Guard ship fires a water cannon at a Philippine Navy chartered vessel carrying supplies in the South China Sea in March last year, part of the PLA Navy’s aggressive behaviours in the neighbourhood.

Live-fire drills have blown up Labor’s ‘stabilisation’ with China

The Chinese are telling everyone the naval manoeuvres are not illegal, but it’s odd to hear Australia’s prime minister and defence minister parroting their words.

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People’s Liberation Army-Navy Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang.

Chinese flotilla exposes navy in ‘chronic decline’

The navy has retired a third of its warships since Labor came to power three years ago, underlining its lack of capacity to respond the Chinese flotilla in the Tasman Sea.

Wu Qian: “China’s actions are in full compliance with international law and international practices and will not affect aviation safety.”

China slams Australia for ‘hyping up’ live-fire drills in Tasman Sea

The defence ministry has hit back at Australia’s response to its naval exercises off the east coast, labelling Canberra’s protests as “unreasonable”.

Christopher Luxon: “What we are doing is monitoring and shadowing and tracking the fleet.”

NZ ‘monitoring’ live-fire drills by China in international waters

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said it was unclear where the Chinese naval vessels were headed in international waters and for what purpose.

Tony Abbott and Donald Trump.

Trump ‘in a fantasy land’ on Ukraine, says Abbott

The former prime minister’s comments threaten to undo Rupert Murdoch’s efforts to maintain good relations with the new US administration.

A Chinese J-16 fighter pilot at a training base in eastern China’s Zhejiang Province.

Australia locks out China from PNG ports as military tensions flare

Australia’s $4 billion taxpayer-funded Pacific bank has signed a deal to upgrade one of Papua New Guinea’s major ports and keep Beijing out.

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/person/richard-donald-marles-1n0g