Angus Taylor says Australia needs ‘agility’, ‘very high price to pay’ if something goes wrong with Aukus
Shadow defence ministerAngus Taylorsaid he remains concerned Australia could pay a “very high price” if something goes south with the Aukus deal and the country loses out on nuclear-powered submarines. He spoke to RN Breakfast this morning:
Taylor went on to again advocate for more spending on defence, saying “peace in our region is something that needs to be invested in”:
Air Indiaconfirmed the nationalities of passengers onboard the aircraft that crashed in Ahmedabad yesterday.
The 242 people onboard included two pilots and 10 cabin crew. The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants, according to Reuters.
Of them, 169 were Indian nationals, 53 were Britons, seven Portuguese and one Canadian,Air India said. Multiple people died on the ground at the site of the plane’s crash.
There was one survivor, a Briton.
The Department of Foreign Affairs said last night it was “urgently following up” to determine if any Australians were affected by the incident.
The Guardian has reached out for more information this morning.
Marles again says ‘completely appropriate’ for US to review Aukus
The deputy prime minister,Richard Marles, downplayed the potential for the Trump administration’s Aukus review to jeopardise the trilateral security agreement.
Marles, who is also the defence minister, was questioned about the future of the nuclear-powered submarine deal on theABC’s 7.30last night, after the US defence department announced a 30-day review of the agreement.
Marles mainly stuck to his talking points during the interview, even as hostSarah Fergusonput pressure on him over whether the US has the capacity to construct enough conventional submarines to fulfil its end of the Aukus arrangement, even before Australia is due to start building nuclear-powered vessels of its own.
Ferguson said the Pentagon’s undersecretary of defence for policy,Elbridge Colby, had doubts about Aukus and the US’s ability to produce enough submarines to service its own navy. She noted the US had never been able to produce more than one conventional Virginia-class submarine a year, when it would need to produce two a year to enable them to be made available to Australia.
Marles insisted the challenges were “well known”, saying:
Anthony Albaneseis leaving Canberra this morning to attend the G7 leaders’ summit in Canada early next week, a trip that will include stops in Fiji and the United States. A meeting with US presidentDonald Trumpcould take place on the sidelines of the meeting in Kananaskis – but it is yet to be officially locked in.
The prime minister of Canada,Mark Carney, and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the European Union will also be at the summit.
On Friday, Albanese will meet in Nadi with his Fijian counterpart,Sitiveni Rabuka, for talks on climate change and regional security in Nadi. In Seattle over the weekend he will meet with business leaders to discuss technology and artificial intelligence.
Once in Canada early next week, Albanese will participate in G7 discussions on global energy, critical minerals, secure supply chains and infrastructure. The prime minister said:
Good morning,Nick Visserhere to guide you through today’s breaking news. Here’s what’s on the cards this morning:
Prime ministerAnthony Albanesewill leave Canberra this morning en route to the G7 meeting in Canada early next week. The trip will include stops in Fiji and the US, with all eyes on a potential sideline meeting withDonald Trump, although nothing has been confirmed.
TheDepartment of Foreign Affairsexpressed condolences to those affected bythe Air India crashin the city of Ahmedabad last night. The Australian high commission and consulate general are “urgently following up” with local authorities to determine if any Australians were affected.
Defence ministerRichard Marlesagain downplayedthe US review of the Aukus submarine deal, telling the ABC last night he believes it is “completely appropriate” for the Trump administration to look into it.
Stick with us.