What we learned, 14 September 2025
With that we’re wrapping up the blog. Before we go, here are the major stories from Sunday:
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has announced a $12bn investment in a WA defence precinct to prepare for the delivery of nuclear submarines;
The defence minister, Richard Marles, says Labor is spending $70bn more on defence compared with previous government;
Police have appealed for help finding a hiker missing in the Snowy Mountains.
NSW Labor’s Kiama byelection win was a “gift from voters”, the NSW premier Chris Minns said.
The veterans’ affairs minister says an Australian War Memorial investigation into its withholding of an award to a book about Ben Roberts-Smith has concluded;
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, announced an expanded shadow cabinet following a reshuffle of her frontbench.
We’ll pick things up again tomorrow.
Updated
Sharp increase in weekend auction activity
Auction activity has climbed this weekend with 2,455 auctions to be held.
This is a sharp increase on the 2,122 held last week but on par for the 2,457 auctions that occurred at the same time last year.
Based on results collected so far, CoreLogic’s summary found that the preliminary clearance rate was 74.8% across the country, which is lower than the 75% preliminary rate recorded last week but above the 70% actual rate on final numbers and the 62.5% at the same time last year.
Across the capital cities:
Sydney: 629 of 837 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 74.7%
Melbourne: 968 of 1,273 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 75.2%
Brisbane: 104 0f 148 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 74%
Adelaide: 57 of 108 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 75.4%
Canberra: 60 of 79 auctions with a preliminary clearance rate of 73.3%
Tasmania: No auctions held.
Perth: Six of ten auctions held.
Updated
Jobs data in focus as economic outlook brightens
Workers are taking home a larger slice of the economic pie as a result of Australia’s historically tight labour market.
Australia’s unemployment rate is tipped to remain historically low as workers reap the benefits of tighter than average labour market conditions.
Economists at ANZ expect the jobless rate to hold steady at 4.2% when the Australian Bureau of Statistics publishes its labour force update for August on Thursday.
Other than a brief moment in June this year, the unemployment rate has held below 4.3% since late 2021.
– AAP
Updated
Sussan Ley announces shadow cabinet reshuffle
The opposition leader, Sussan Ley, has announced a wider-than-expected shadow ministry reshuffle and expanded the Coalition’s leadership group after sacking Jacinta Nampijinpa Price amid the fallout from her Indian migrant comments.
The Western Australian MP, Melissa Price, will take on her namesake’s shadow defence industry portfolio, which the Northern Territory senator was stripped of after refusing to express support for Ley’s leadership or apologise for suggesting the federal government’s migration program favoured Indians to help Labor to win votes.
Ley has chosen to make wider changes, including bringing the Tasmanian senator, Claire Chandler, back on to the frontbench after she was dumped from the shadow cabinet following Liberals’ post-election leadership change.
Chandler – a rightwinger – has been given the cybersecurity and science portfolios, which both sit in the outer shadow ministry.
Simon Kennedy, who represents Scott Morrison’s old Sydney seat of Cook, has been promoted from the backbench to a trio of shadow assistant minister roles, including government waste.
Ley has also expanded her leadership team to include the Victorian senator, James Paterson. The group includes Liberal deputy leader, Ted O’Brien, Michaelia Cash, Anne Ruston, Bridget McKenzie, Alex Hawke and her recent rival for the leadership, Angus Taylor.
Updated
Aldi to offer solar and battery packages as retail chains move to cash in
Big businesses cashing in on Australia’s charge towards a solar future are cementing renewables as mainstream, experts say.
Supermarket giant Aldi is the latest to join the rush, flagging plans to sell solar panels and battery packages on the heels of Bunnings and Ikea developing installation arms.
The Green Energy Council’s Con Hristodoulidis says the solar industry has become “the clothesline that we have in our back yard”.
When big chain supermarkets and hardware stores like Bunnings and Ikea get into it, it shows you that solar is now a mainstream part of the Australian culture.
The Climate Council’s Greg Bourne said it was interesting that chains like Aldi were now offering solar and battery packages, but warned that the installer was “more important” than the actual panels, battery, or inverter systems.
The installer who understands the integration into your particular setting is probably the most important thing of it all.
Clearly, a company like Aldi does have a global buying potential … it may well be that they can bring the prices down and deliver quality integration.
Aldi Solar’s service provider, Tempo, is an accredited installer, according to the New Energy Tech Consumer Code.
– with AAP
Updated
Nine arrested and charged after AFP raids targeting child exploitation material
A man who livestreamed online child sexual abuse has been charged along with several others in a string of raids across the country by the Australian federal police in the last fortnight.
More than 140 officers were involved in the raids that included 15 properties across New South Wales.
Nine people have been arrested and charged, including men and a woman accused of uploading, transmitting and distributing images and videos of children.
Among them was a 62-year-old man was arrested for live online child sexual abuse material involving children in overseas countries on three occasions. He has already faced court and been remanded in custody. He faces a maximum of 20 years in jail if convicted.
Another man posed as a woman and engaged in sexualised conversations with children to obtain sexually explicit content.
Others caught in the raids include a member of the defence force and a high ranking firefighter.
The arrests were made as part of National Child Protection Week with the investigations beginning as the result of intelligence shared by national and international law enforcement agencies.
Det Sgt Jarrod Cook said the work undertaken by investigators was “confronting and horrific” but “critical to safeguard our vulnerable young people.”
- with AAP
Updated
NSW government to rezone Parramatta Road corridor and make room for 8,000 new homes
Sydney’s ugliest road is again being touted as the next development hotspot, with plans by the Minns government to rezone and develop about 8,000 new homes along Parramatta Road in Leichhardt and Camperdown, in the city’s inner west.
The state government and inner west councillors have agreed to partner on rezoning along the Parramatta Road corridor to deliver a major boost to housing close to the CBD.
The proposed rezoning would cover the section of Parramatta Road within the Inner West local government area, complementing work already under way with Inner West council, Burwood and Canada Bay council.
It will begin with areas of Parramatta Road in Leichhardt and Camperdown, close to the city, and is likely to result in rezonings to allow buildings of between six and 20 storeys.
But unlike earlier plans, which proposed putting a light rail down Parramatta Road and limiting the amount of traffic on what was once the major artery between the city and Parramatta, this plan relies on existing transport.
For more on this story read the full report from Anne Davies:
Updated
The PM closes out the press conference by promoting his government’s support for Western Australia, saying that under his leadership he has been keen to promote the state.
Can I conclude by just saying that it’s great to be back here in WA? One of the things that I said in the lead-up to [the 2022 election] was that I wanted to put WA really at the centre of what my government would deliver over the coming period. We’re now into our fourth year. I think it’s fair to say that I don’t need a visa to get into WA because I’m here so often that it’s a continuous visa from the premier here in WA. And you know, the only concern here is that someone might challenge that I should be on the electoral roll here in WA.
And that’s a wrap.
Updated
Australia ‘not planning’ on garrisoning troops in PNG under new pact, Albanese says
Addressing questions about the new security pact with Papua New Guinea, Albanese says Australia is “not planning” on garrisoning Australian troops in the country.
He adds that Australia “operates very significantly” with a number of regional neighbours, including Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.
Increasingly we are doing exercises and operations with all of those countries and they in turn are doing exercises and operations here in Australia. And I think what we’ll see with the defence agreement that we signed in the coming days is an agreement which speaks to an enormous amount of ambition between our two countries to work even more closely together.
Albanese described the upcoming agreement as a “refresh of an old agreement, which has been in place since 1977”.
But the level of ambition that both of us have brought to the table has meant that really, I believe what we’ll be saying in the next few days is a genuinely historic agreement between our two countries.
One of the aims of the agreement, Albanese says, is to “try and evolve the capability” of PNG’s defence force.
Updated
Veterans’ affairs minister says War Memorial investigation into Ben Roberts-Smith literary award controversy has concluded
The prime minister has thrown his support behind the Australian War Memorial council after its decision not to grant an award to a book covering the activities of Ben Roberts-Smith.
I must say that the Australian War Memorial, which is a sacred site for Australians, it is visited each and every day by young and older Australians to pay respect, to learn about the contribution that the men and women who’ve served us in uniform have made, and to give respect, particularly to those who’ve made the ultimate sacrifice.
The prime minister then passes to the veterans’ affairs minister, Matt Keogh, who says that the operation of the war memorial is “independent of politics and partisanship”. Keogh says the government sought to clarify with the memorial what occurred following media reports.
Well, this only came to my attention this week with the media reporting because what it does in that regard is independent. We saw some an explanation as to what’s occurred there. And they’re running that process and it’s now completed. And they communicated that with people that were involved in that competition. And they’ll keep doing these education programs and various different ways. And that’s a good thing that the war memorial does.
Read more on what happened in Paul Daley’s report here:
Updated
‘You don’t defend the country with a media release’, PM tells media
Asked whether Australia will be able to sustain this investment, Albanese says unequivocally “yes”, saying today’s announcement is the product of “work that’s been done”.
What we have done is consistent with the way that my government operates across portfolios. It is orderly. It is considered. It always acts in the Australian national interest. We get it right. We get the detail right and then we make an announcement.
This is a restatement of the prime minister’s theory of government that very much focuses on process and consultation.
You don’t defend the country with a media release. This here is what you defend the country with, with assets, with capability. And that’s what we’re investing in.
Updated
Defence capability announcement ‘will be welcomed’ by US and UK, Marles says
Asked about the demands being made by the Trump administration, Albanese says “Australia has always pulled our weight.”
We pay our way and we contribute to our alliance each and every day. What we have done here, if you look at what we’ve done since the Defence Strategic Review is invest in capability to make a difference.
Marles also steps in to contribute, emphasising the announcement is an investment in Australia’s defence manufacturing capability.
And so I’ve got no doubt this decision will be welcomed in the United States as it will be welcomed in the United Kingdom because it is a another step forward down the Aukus path. But fundamentally, what we are doing here is an Australian announcement and it is based on meeting the timing needs that we have to maintain the momentum around this facility.
Updated
SA and WA the ‘winners’ from defence industry investment, Albanese says
Questions now and the first is hard to hear but it appears to be about whether South Australia is being cut out of this investment.
Anthony Albanese:
Not at all. The two biggest, the two big states that are winners from what we are doing in defence are Western Australia and South Australia.
The work that is going on in South Australia is already seen training of new and upskilling of the workforce there in preparation for what will occur.
The investment that’s occurring in South Australia is enormous and here in Western Australia it is as well.
Albanese says both the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, and WA’s Roger Cook are “very pleased every time we cross the borders into either of those states”.
Updated
Defence industry could overtake agriculture in WA, premier says
We’re back with the deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, who is speaking about how the Australian government is spending $127m over the next three years to perform “early works and planning to scope this project”.
This [facility] will underpin the building of army’s landing crafts. It will provide for the basis of the sustainment of nuclear powered submarines here at Henderson and in time this will provide the place where we will see the building of the Mogami-class frigate in Australia.
After Marles, we have the Western Australian premier, Roger Cook, who echoes the words of the prime minister in describing this about jobs for the local economy.
There’s a huge opportunity for us. We want to diversify our economy, make sure that WA stays the strongest economy in the country. We want Western Australians have access to the quality jobs and the business opportunity that comes from a diversified economy and the development of our defence industries is an important part.
Cook says the investment represents “a significant body of work” that is “potentially overtaking agriculture as Western Australia’s second biggest industry.”
So for us this is a big deal, and we are extremely excited to play the role that we can.
Updated
Albanese touts $12bn investment in WA Aukus shipyards
Anthony Albanese is in Western Australia to mark the $12bn investment in new shipyards to support Australia’s acquisition of nuclear submarines under the Aukus agreement.
Speaking to reporters now, the prime minister says the facility to be built will be “world class” and provide 10,000 jobs along with “strong opportunities for local industry”.
There’s no greater honour than serving our country and our nation’s uniform. And my government is dedicated to investing in the defence capabilities that our nation requires to keep Australians safe. My government has already made record investments across shipbuilding here in the west. And today’s announcement builds on that.
Albanese said “progressing these capabilities is absolutely critical”.
Unfortunately the presser has been interrupted by the weather, so we will pick this up when they regroup.
Updated
New Zealand police asked to help in Dezi Freeman manhunt
Victorian police have called in backup from New Zealand to help in the manhunt for Dezi Freeman.
The acting deputy commissioner of regional operations, Russell Barrett, spoke to the media on Sunday morning to give an update on the search.
He said police from New Zealand had been called in for their expertise, given the rugged, mountainous environment where Freeman is believed to be at large.
Barrett said there are “so many places to hide”.
If we think of Freeman and what he’s capable of, every step must be taken really really carefully.
Updated
NSW Labor's Kiama byelection win 'gift from voters', Minns says
Labor shouldn’t take the electorate for granted despite a solid win in the Kiama byelection that the NSW premier, Chris Minns, says was a “gift from voters”.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday morning, Minns said that he was concerned Labor MPs may “misread the message or mishear the message that the next election’s won without us even fighting for it without us even fighting for it”.
We’ve got to make progress, and one of the areas I want to identify is reliability on the heavy rail public transport network, which is not good enough and must be an urgent priority for us.
Minns said the party had gone into the byelection with a message of “try before you buy” on its newest MP, Katelin McInerney.
What that meant is that Katelin’s a great candidate. We think she’s fantastic. There’s an opportunity for you to put her to work for you for 18 months before you make a more permanent decision at the 2027 election.
Noting the large independent and minor party vote in the byelection, Minns said it was “hard for me to glean what [voters’] motivations were across the board”, but said he had faith that Labor’s performance over the next year would demonstrate the strength of the party.
At the end of the day, if you get close to the next election and we can show real progress in major public hospitals, investment in schools and our public transport network, then we think we’ll have a solid foundation to approach the next election on but that’s going to be up to the voters.
Updated
YouGov emissions poll ‘rare alignment between the public, business and scientific advice’
A new YouGov poll suggests two in three Australians want the government to commit to an emissions reduction target of 75% or higher by 2035 in an indication of strong support for a more ambitious climate action.
In the poll at the end of August, 1,502 voters were asked whether they would support Australia accelerating its timeline to reach net zero to 2035 “as advocated by many climate groups and climate scientists”; whether Australia should push to reduce emissions by 75% by 2035 “as advocated by some progressive Australian businesses”; or seeing no new emissions reduction target for 2034 “as advocated by some members of the opposition”.
The poll found the result was split by equal thirds, with more men than women supporting the position associated with the Coalition, and more young people calling for bringing forward deadlines to reach net zero.
The Future Group CEO, Simon Sheikh, said the polling showed “a rare alignment between the public, business and scientific advice”.
Australians are demanding ambition. This isn’t a fringe view; it is a clear majority of voters saying they want a 75% target or higher by 2035. Businesses are saying the same, and the science has long been clear. There’s now a united front for government to act.
The real story here is alignment. For once, the public, business and experts are all pulling in the same direction. The opportunity for Australia is to lead, not lag, in the global race for clean industries and good jobs.
The modelling comes as the government is expected to announce its emissions reduction targets after months of speculation. The government has previously flagged that political concerns will be factored into its decision.
Updated
PM says protesters have forced electorate office to move
Anthony Albanese is being forced to move his electorate office after the lease has been “discontinued”.
In a statement the prime minister appeared to suggest that the discontinuation of the lease at the Marrickville address was the result of repeated protests that had blocked access for nearby residents and businesses.
I’m incredibly proud of the work electorate officers, past and present, have done in assisting my community from this location.
Sadly, over the past two years, aggressive protesters have repeatedly blocked access to the electorate office for people seeking assistance.
This has also significantly impacted churchgoers attending the neighbouring St Clement’s church, including disruption to funerals and other church services.
The electorate will continue to be serviced by hardworking, dedicated electorate officers at locations in the community, online and via telephone during this time.
The statement said the office will “open at a new location in the heart of Grayndler once it is made fit for purpose”.
Albanese’s electorate office was opened by the former prime minister Gough Whitlam in 1993 for the then member for Grayndler Jeannette McHugh.
Updated
Disgraced MP’s seat falls to Labor as Liberal soul-searching begins
NSW Labor has picked up an extra seat after a byelection to replace a disgraced MP convicted of rape.
Voters in the electorate of Kiama chose a new representative to state parliament after former MP Gareth Ward was forced to resign after being convicted of sexual and indecent assault in July.
It is the first time in three decades a seat in a byelection has gone to the government.
For more on this story read the full report at the Guardian here:
Updated
New technology could make oceans transparent and Aukus submarines vulnerable
Military history is littered with the corpses of apex predators.
The Gatling gun, the battleship, the tank. All once possessed unassailable power – then were undermined, in some cases wiped out, by the march of new technology.
“Speed and stealth and firepower,” the head of the Australian Submarine Agency, Jonathan Mead, told the Guardian two years ago of Australia’s forthcoming fleet of nuclear submarines. “The apex predator of the oceans.”
But for how much longer?
In the first quarter of the 21st century, nuclear submarines have proven a formidable force: essentially undetectable deadly attack weapons. Some also carry a vital “second-strike” deterrent effect: any attack on a country armed with nuclear-powered submarines is made with the knowledge that retaliation is certain – from a warship hidden beneath the waves.
But a drumbeat of declarations – much of it speculative but most of it from China, the very nation the Aukus pact was established to counter – report rapid developments in submarine-detection technologies: vast networks of acutely sensitive sonar arrays; quantum sensing; improved satellite tracking able to spot tiny perturbations in the ocean’s surface; technologies that detect minute disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field; real-time AI processing of vast reams of data.
Could emerging technologies render the last opaque place on Earth – the oceans – transparent?
For more on this feature story read the full report by Guardian Australia’s Ben Doherty:
Updated
Proud moment as PNG celebrates independence anniversary
Papua New Guinea will be alight with festivity as world leaders and dignitaries gather in Port Moresby to celebrate the 50th anniversary of independence.
Half a century after the Raggiana bird of paradise was officially first hoisted on black and red, Papua New Guinea remains fiercely proud of its independence.
The country will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its arrival as the independent state of Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, with an air of festivity expected to flow through its capital Port Moresby as visiting dignitaries and world leaders assemble to pay their respects.
Community groups in Australia have been holding smaller events over the weekend to bring together family and friends in celebration, among them a gathering of the Papua New Guinea Australia Association and community members at Melbourne’s Yarraville Gardens.
The association’s president, Peter Bakua, says is moved by the celebrations, as are his family and the broader diaspora.
It’s a way of promoting PNG to the world, so it is a significant moment in history for our country. We’re very thankful to the government for doing that. The PNG people worked very hard to get independence.
We can call ourselves a nation, have freedom and can make our own laws. It makes us proud.
Papua New Guinea was granted independence during the prime ministership of Gough Whitlam, on 16 September 1975.
Since its independence, PNG has built still closer ties with Australia, most recently via a defence agreement said to have strengthened security and economic cooperation.
The Australian government has also poured $600m into the creation of an NRL team to represent the rugby league-obsessed nation, a move expected to kindle pride within locals.
– AAP
Updated
Australia working to ‘lock down’ regional allies
Australia is expected to sign a new defence agreement with Papua New Guinea to a day before its northern neighbour marks half a century of independence.
The Australia-Papua New Guinea bilateral security agreement has been a long time in the making and is expected to integrate the militaries of the two countries.
The agreement is being signed against growing geopolitical tension and competition between the US and China.
Speaking to the ABC on Sunday morning retired army Maj Gen Gus McLachlan said the agreement was part of a soft power campaign to “lock down partners and allies in regional countries”.
We saw the pressure that came on to the Morrison government when the Chinese government negotiated an agreement to train police on the Solomon Islands.
What we are seeing here is Australia seeking to lock down its relationship with, frankly, I think, probably our most important regional partner. We are 100 or so kilometres apart at the narrowest point. The PNG military and Australia have had a long relationship.
The deputy commander of Australia’s third brigade in Townsville is a Papua New Guinea officer on secondment who fills that important role. This is a further signal we will be joined at the hip with PNG, not leaving room for strategic competitors to nudge their way in.
Updated
New South Wales police will speak to the media about an ongoing investigation into a public shooting that took place in Sydney’s west on Sunday morning.
Det Insp Ricki Lindner of the Cumberland police area command is expected to speak at 11.15am outside the Granville police station.
We will bring you the latest as it happens.
Updated
Police appeal for help finding hiker missing in Snowy Mountains
Police have made a public appeal for help in a search of a man who went missing while hiking and skiing in the Snowy Mountains.
Cameron Little, 57, left to go back country skiing and hiking from the Guthega power station located in the Snowy Mountains-Kosciuszko national park on 4 September.
New South Wales police say he was last heard from on 6 September. However, he has not been able to be contacted and has not been seen since.
He was due to return on Saturday and when he failed to return, police were alerted and have started inquiries into Little’s whereabouts, including a land and air search involving local police, with the assistance of PolAir, the Rural Fire Service, SES and National Parks and Wildlife Service.
Police say Little’s vehicle – a blue Mitsubishi station wagon – has been found unattended at the Guthega power station during the search.
Concerns are held for Little’s welfare, as he is an experienced hiker and skier, and his failure to return is out of character.
Little is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 175cm tall, of medium build, with a fair complexion, brown hair and with an unshaven grey beard.
He is believed to be travelling with a backpack.
Initial inquiries have led police to believe Little may still be in the Snowy Mountains back country area, in the vicinity of Mount Jagungal.
Anyone with information on Little’s whereabouts is urged to contact the Queanbeyan police station or 000.
Updated
Marles says Islamophobia report ‘very significant’
Asked about recommendations from the Islamophobia envoy, specifically about calls for some kind of sanction on MPs who make racist statements, Marles says “we are going to go through the process of responding to this report”.
It is a very significant report with 54 recommendations, so we are going to give it the respect that it deserve and take the time to go through it. Let me be clear: the parliament should not be a place for people to be making racist statements.
Asked directly whether there should be some form of sanction for politicians who say something racist, Marles says:
The way in which this is described in terms of how parties govern themselves, and from the Labor party’s point of view, we have a zero-tolerance approach to racism being spoken about from any of our members. It is utterly unacceptable and no one speaks in those terms.
We welcome the report that has been done by Mr [Aftab] Malik. It is a really important body of work. We are going to review it and give it the attention that it deserve of, but dealing with Islamophobia in this country is something, which as Mr Malik has said, has become intensified particularly after the last couple of decades, after September 11.
It is something we need to deal with and it is part of the ongoing work of our nation.
And that’s a wrap.
Updated
‘We’ve got an eye to recruiting out of PNG into the defence force’ – Marles
Marles is asked about statements from his PNG counterpart about what may or may not be in the agreement, including more integration between PNG and Australian defences forces, and specifically whether there has been any confusion.
I’m very pleased to see the excitement that [the PNG defence minister] Billy [Joseph] is bringing to this and it does, to be honest, reflect the way in which we have been going about this agreement since the moment that he and I first met to do this refresh back in January this year and it has turned into something much more than a refresh.
It is a really significant agreement that we will be signing, but it does reflect the fact that we are doing so many more exercises together, so many more operations together. We are really working hand in glove as two defence forces and I think this is profoundly important.
We’ve made no secret of the fact that we’ve got an eye to recruiting out of PNG into the defence force.
Marles did not provide more details about how this arrangement may work when prompted but compared this to similar deals with New Zealand as a Five Eyes country.
The deputy PM would also not be drawn on whether the deal will place any restriction on PNG’s dealings with China.
I think what you can take, though, is that this is a really important statement from Papua New Guinea and indeed from Australia, to each other, and I think this is Papua New Guinea making it really clear that traditional partners, and they’ve talked about this a lot, the traditional partners is where they look to in terms of their security, and from an Australian point of view, PNG is obviously on our northern flank.
It really matters that we have the very best relationship that we can have with PNG in a security sense, and I’m really excited about the fact that this agreement is going to give expression to that.
Updated
PNG-Australia security arrangements due for ‘refresh’ – deputy PM
On the upcoming defence agreement Australia is expected to sign with Papua New Guinea, Marles says the security arrangement between the two countries was due for a “refresh”.
We’re doing so much more with PNG now. I think it is fair to say that as we’ve walked down that path over the course of the last few months, and we’ve been doing it with a view to signing this agreement in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of PNG’s independence, it is fair to say a lot more ambition has been brought to this agreement and we are really excited about the agreement that we will be signing in the next few days.
It certainly will transform the defence relationship between Australia and PNG, but beyond that, if you look at the various defence agreements we have with countries around the world, actually, it is hugely significant in that context.
Asked about whether the agreement will have its own version of Nato’s article four that triggers involvement of one country if the other comes under threat, Marles says he is “not about to pre-empt what is going to be signed”.
The prime minister will be signing this in the next few days, so I will let the prime minister make those announcements and you will see them shortly enough.
The agreement is expected to be signed on Monday.
Updated
Marles ‘speaking to’ US counterparts since Trump took office
Marles says he has been “speaking to my American counterparts since the moment Donald Trump was inaugurated”.
Literally I was there with my counterpart, Pete Hegseth, and in all the conversations there has been an enormous amount of positivity about the role that that can play for the United States – it is clearly important for us but also for the United States.
Yes, they are having a review into Aukus, something that we welcome. It is an opportunity to work out how we can do Aukus better. That’s exactly what Britain did, when this government came to government last year.
Marles said he would not discuss the content of his conversations with the Trump administration but said “the Americans have actually be very good with us in terms of taking us through the process of how this review will be undertaken and also how we can contribute and we will”.
The deputy prime minister also confirmed that Australia will refer to Trump administration officials by the titles they are given. This means Australia will formally refer to Hegseth as the secretary of the department of war.
Updated
Shipyards overhaul to cost $25bn
Marles says the overhaul of Australian shipyards needed to accommodate nuclear submarines under the Aukus deal with the US and UK will cost in the region of $25bn. By comparison the $12bn the government has announced functions as a “very significant chunk” of that amount, Marles says.
Asked whether the dry docks that will be built as part of this program will allow for US nuclear submarines to use them, Marles said that these facilities are “sovereign capability” and is “ultimately a matter for them”, but as an “Aukus facility” being built “in the context of the optimal pathway for us acquiring a nuclear-powered submarine capability”.
In that context I would expect that in the future this would be available to the US.
Marles says that there are currently 150 Australian workers at Pearl Harbor working on the construction of US Virginia class submarines as part of an effort to build domestic capability for maintaining the vessels in Australia.
By the end of this year, that number will go to 200. That is a significant number in American terms. We are building a cohort here who will be able to work on nuclear-powered submarines, including American nuclear-powered submarines, and that is of enormous advantage in terms of getting more US Virginia class submarines out to sea for the US Navy.
Updated
Labor spending extra $70bn on defence compared with previous government – Marles
The Australian government is spending an additional $70bn on defence spending compared with the previous government, Marles says.
Marles was asked about demands by the Trump administration that countries, including Australia, lift defence spending as a percentage of GDP.
The deputy prime minister, who also holds the defence portfolio, says the government does not think about defence policy in terms of percentage of GDP as the figure will change depending on how the number is calculated.
For example, Marles says, using accounting methods adopted by Nato countries, Australian defence spending is at 2.8% of GDP.
The important point is this: when you include what we are spending here, it is the better part, relative to what we inherited when we came to government back in 2022, of an additional $70bn of defence spending over the decade and what that represents is the biggest peacetime increase in our defence spending in Australia’s history.
So it is a hugely significant amount of that we have been putting into defence since we’ve come to government, and this is all about focusing on the way we do things, to look at what our strategic challenge is, what sort of defence force we need to build in order to meet that and then resourcing it.
Updated
Government sinks defence billions into ships and subs
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is to announce $12bn for a defence precinct to bolster Australia’s naval shipbuilding and submarine capabilities.
Australia’s naval shipbuilding and submarine capabilities are to receive a $12bn boost.
Albanese is set to confirm the mammoth investment along with his deputy, Richard Marles, the defence personnel minister, Matt Keogh, and Western Australia’s premier, Roger Cook, in WA on Sunday.
The money will go towards the delivery of a defence precinct within the maritime hub on Cockburn Sound in Perth’s south.
The design of the Henderson facility will aim to deliver continuous shipbuilding and reinforce Australia’s Aukus capacity.
Albanese is expected to outline expectations the precinct will support 10,000 direct jobs over the next two decades and provide opportunities for small and medium WA businesses. He will say:
Today’s investment is another way we are delivering record defence funding to bolster Australia’s capabilities.
There is no greater honour than serving our country in our nation’s uniform and my government is dedicated to investing in the defence capabilities our nation requires.
The $12bn will in fact amount to a down payment for Henderson, with independent planning and advice indicating it will consume about $25bn over the decade.
– AAP
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Investment in shipbuilding ‘long time coming’: Coalition
The shadow health minister, Anne Ruston, has welcomed the government’s $12bn shipbuilding announcement, telling Sky News: “It’s been a long time coming.”
With that out of the way, attention turns to the story that has dominated the week in federal politics – Jacinta Nampijinpa Price’s axing from the shadow ministry for refusing to apologise for her Indian migrant comments or express confidence in Sussan Ley’s leadership.
Ruston – a close ally of Ley’s – said the leader’s decision to dump Price was “absolutely appropriate”.
She acted quickly and decisively and I think the message that she’s sending to Australians is that she’s a strong leader, and it’s time to get on the jobs that we we’re elected to do.
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Marles confident Trump administration won’t sink Aukus
The deputy PM and defence minister, Richard Marles, is speaking on Sky News from Perth ahead of the announcement of a $12bn investment in a Western Australian defence precinct linked to the Aukus submarine project.
The Henderson defence precinct – expected to cost $25bn over the decade – will be used to build surface vessels and to dock and sustain submarines, including those to be delivered under the Aukus agreement.
The timing of the announcement is notable given the US is currently reviewing the submarine pact and has made no secret of the fact it wants Australia to raise defence spending to about 3.5% of GDP.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is also hoping to secure a first face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump when he travels to the US later this month.
On Saturday (Australian time), the Washington Post reported the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, had recently assured Marles that the Trump administration would not sink the Aukus deal.
Asked if he could confirm that report, Marles said:
Well, I’ve had numerous conversations with American counterparts, really, since the inauguration of the Trump administration, where there’s been really positive statements made about Aukus. So if you’ve asked me questions about this, as have many others, and I’ve said all along that I’m really confident about the proceeding of Aukus under the Trump administration.
Marles said he was aware when the Pentagon’s Aukus review would be finalised but said it wasn’t his place to reveal those details.
Asked about the prospect of an Albanese-Trump meeting, possibly on the sidelines of the UN general assembly, Marles said:
I’m sure that at some point in the not too soon future, you’re going to see a meeting between two leaders
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The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, will be appearing on ABC Insiders host this morning.
Marles is doing the rounds this morning with an earlier appearance on Sky News, followed by the Coalition’s Anne Ruston.
We will bring you the latest as it happens.
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Good morning
And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian live blog.
Australia and Papua New Guinea are expected to sign a defence agreement as the country’s northern neighbour marks half a century of independence. The treaty is part of Canberra’s efforts to bolster its security presence in the region in response to geopolitical competitions with China and would see coordination between the militaries of both countries.
Supermarket chain Aldi will sell solar panel and battery packages, making it the latest big box retail store to cash in on the renewables boom. The move means Aldi follows Bunnings and Ikea, which have announced the development of their own solar installation arms.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.
With that, let’s get started ...
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