Foreign deals bill hits snag over changes

A key bill allowing Marise Payne to scrap agreements with foreign powers struck by universities and sub-national governments has been thrown into jeopardy.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne. Picture: Sean Davey

A key bill allowing Foreign Minister Marise Payne to scrap agreements with foreign powers struck by universities and sub-national governments — including Victoria’s contentious Belt and Road Initiative­ deal with Beijing — has been thrown into jeopardy.

The Morrison government now faces a battle to pass its Foreign Relations Bill next week after it rejected a crossbench amendment that would subject any decis­ions made by the foreign minister under the new laws to judici­al oversight.

Labor sources indicated that, rather than agreeing to the un­amended bill when it returned to the upper house next week, the opposition could instead withhold its support — raising the stakes for the government on an issue that China has identified as a key grievance.

The parliamentary brinkmanship came as the incoming Biden administration in the US declared it would stand “shoulder to shoulder” with Australia amid escalating tensions with Beijing, after China’s Foreign Ministry tweeted a fake image of an Australian ­soldier holding a knife to an Afghan­ child’s throat.

Following a week of acrimony in the relationship, Scott Morrison vowed to be “patient and clear” in expressing the nation’s interests to China.

In a show of support for Australia, president-elect Joe Biden’s pick for national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, also said the US would not allow Australia to face challenges to its national security and prosperity alone.

“The Australian people have made great sacrifices to protect freedom and democracy around the world,” Mr Sullivan tweeted.

“As we have for a century, America will stand shoulder to shoulder with our ally Australia and rally fellow democracies to advance our shared security, ­prosperity, and values.”

Government insiders welcomed the message as a strong statement from the incoming administrati­on that it has Aust­ralia’s back in what is shaping as a years-long cooling in the bilateral relationship with China.

Anthony Albanese, who accused­ the Prime Minister this week of presiding over “a complete­ breakdown” in China ties, also repeatedly declined to say how Labor would repair the China relationship.

“The government, we have said, needs to have a strategy to deal with that,” the Opposition Leader said. “Our strategy is to get into government.”

Mr Morrison said he was “disappointed but not surprised” by Mr Albanese’s attacks on his handling of relations with Beijing.

“You cannot have each-way bets on national security,” he said in Canberra. “That is really all I have to say about that matter. Australia’s policies and plans, the rules that we make for our country, are made here in Australia ­according to our needs and our interests, and we will continue to do that.”

Mr Morrison said he wanted “to seek constructive engagement” with Beijing, and the relationship was “mutually benefic­ial”. “We’ve sought to be very respectful. We will continue to do that,” he said.

But he also said he would continue to put the nation’s interests first. “Australia’s interests are very clear, and I think Australians understand that my government will always be very patient and clear about those interests,” the Prime Minister said.