‘Manchurian candidate’: Morrison weaponises China tensions

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has escalated tensions with Labor over China, even calling an Opposition frontbencher “the Manchurian candidate”.

Tensions over China and national security are increasingly becoming politicised as Prime Minister Scott Morrison declared that he would “never be their candidate” and called a Labor frontbencher “the Manchurian candidate”.

It sparked a furious response from Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, who blasted it as “nonsense” and not in the national interest, in a fiery Parliament sitting yesterday.

The heated exchange followed the Chinese Government-owned Global Times nominating Mr Albanese as its preferred prime minister.

Leaping on comments from intelligence agency ASIO that it had recently foiled a foreign interference plot aimed at an Australian election, Mr Morrison said his Government had taken strong action to stand up to coercion and threats levelled at Australia.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison says his Government has stood up to coercion and threats for foreign powers. Picture: Gary Ramage/NCA NewsWire

“My Government will never be the preferred partner of a foreign government that has chosen to intimidate this country and has sought to threaten this country,” Mr Morrison said.

“They will not find a fellow traveller when it comes to threats and coercion against Australia in my Government. I will never be their candidate.”

Mr Albanese said he had made Labor’s position very clear.

“It’s not in Australia’s national interests for this nonsense to occur,” he said.

The Opposition Leader recently toughened his stance on China, saying there will be “no compromise on values at all” in dealing with emerging superpower.

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese says accusations Labor is weaker on national security are a “nonsense”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

Meanwhile, criminals and bikies who try to import illegal firearms will face up to 20 years’ jail time, double the current penalty, and mandatory minimum sentences of five years, as the Federal Government announced a last-minute renewed push for the tougher laws on Wednesday in another attempt to wedge Labor.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said there were more than 260,000 illegal guns are believed to be in circulation in Australia.

“We know that organised criminals bikies use illegal weapons to threaten, to terrorise and to assault generally their own, but not always their own, and there are always innocent bystanders that are put at risk because of their actions,” she said.

The Opposition opposes mandatory minimum sentences and previously rejected the laws, including in 2016 shortly after the election.

It follows the Government trying to push through laws to make it easier deport foreign criminals, declaring it a “test for Labor”, even though Immigration Minister Alex Hawke admitted they may have run out of time to get it through the Senate.

Mr Morrison also said reports Education Minister Alan Tudge was about to be sacked were inaccurate, but a review into allegations against him by former staffer Rachelle Miller was ongoing and “it would not be appropriate to comment at this time”.