The Latest Breaking News from Penny Wong

New home affairs minister emphasises Australia maintains hardline Operation Sovereign Borders policy despite change in government

The signing of a security agreement between Solomon Islands and China in April 2022 brought geopolitical competition and militarisation in the Pacific to the fore of public discussion.

Report finds Australia’s ‘Pacific step-up’ could lack credibility if perceived to be only in response to China’s presence

Australia’s ambassador to Japan, Jan Adams, tipped to replace Campbell, who presided over the robodebt scheme while human services boss

The Albanese government has launched a concerted effort to nip in the bud a threatened resumption of the people smuggling trade, with a visit by Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil to Sri Lanka and a $50 million aid package for that economically-beleaguered country.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to deepen economic engagement with region amid tensions with Beijing.

Bureaucrats in Canberra are expecting a shake-up of top jobs, with the head of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade expected to be replaced due to her role in the robodebt scandal.

The frequent use of the term “shared values” to describe developments in the Pacific tends to obscure a distinct shift in New Zealand and Australian relations with their Pacific partners over the past two decades.

Pacific islands urge new Labor government to support push for international court of justice to issue climate advisory opinion

Foreign Minister Penny Wong was no doubt expecting a cooler reception than her three previous visits to the Pacific when she touched down in Honiara last Friday. The Solomon Islands government website had not even listed the Australian minister’s visit – but it did note the first visit of a…

Australia welcomed reassurances from the Solomon Islands that it would not allow China to install a military base on its territory, helping to assuage concerns about Beijing’s growing influence in the Pacific region.