Australia news LIVE: PM announces $1b defence deal with Germany; Robo-debt report findings leave Scott Morrison’s future up in air
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Key posts
- Ukraine’s invasion matters for Indo-Pacific region, PM to tell NATO
- Turkey gives green light to Swedish NATO membership bid
- This morning’s headlines at a glance
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Ukraine’s invasion matters for Indo-Pacific region, PM to tell NATO
Anthony Albanese will use his invite to a gathering of world leaders to remind them that Russia’s war in Ukraine has consequences far-beyond Europe and a direct impact on security within the Indo-Pacific.
The Australian prime minister will fly from Berlin to the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on Tuesday afternoon to attend the annual NATO summit as part of four regional leaders who warn that new conflicts and competition posed threats to universal democratic values.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attend a joint press conference following talks at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany.Credit: Getty
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine galvanised the Atlantic alliance, but debate over the membership applications of Ukraine has threatened to expose divisions in the past days over the limits of support for Kyiv amid fears in the US and Germany that NATO could be pulled into the war.
Announcing the Royal Australian Air Force would send a surveillance aircraft to Germany – and more than 100 defence personnel – to help monitor the flow of military and humanitarian supplies into Ukraine, Albanese said the war was a reminder that no-one could take international rules and multilateral systems for granted.
Find out more about the prime minister’s comments here, from Rob Harris who is in Berlin.
Turkey gives green light to Swedish NATO membership bid
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan agreed to forward Sweden’s bid to join the NATO military alliance to parliament, appearing to end months of drama over an issue that strained the bloc as war raged in Ukraine.
Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership last year, abandoning their policies of military non-alignment that had lasted through the decades of the Cold War in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg announced Sweden’s bid to join the alliance had been backed by Turkey. Credit: Bloomberg
While Finland’s NATO membership was approved in April, Turkey and Hungary have yet to clear Sweden’s bid.
Stockholm has been working to join the bloc at the alliance’s summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, which begins on Tuesday.
“I’m glad to announce … that President Erdogan has agreed to forward the accession protocol for Sweden to the grand national assembly as soon as possible, and work closely with the assembly to ensure ratification,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference.
He convened Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson for several hours of talks on the eve of the summit as he sought finally to break the deadlock.
The statement issued by both countries said Sweden had reiterated that it would not provide support to the Kurdish groups and would actively support efforts to reinvigorate Turkey’s EU accession process.
Reuters
This morning’s headlines at a glance
Good morning, and thanks for your company.
It’s Tuesday, July 11. I’m Caroline Schelle, and I’ll be anchoring our live coverage for the first half of the day.
Here’s what you need to know before we get started:
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is considering delaying a highly anticipated trip to Beijing until next year.
- Meanwhile, the prime minister who is in Berlin ahead of the NATO summit in Lithuania has distanced himself from Paul Keating’s attack on the head of the military alliance.
- All Australian doctors and nurse practitioners will be able to prescribe the pregnancy termination pill, and all pharmacies can stock it as the government slashes red tape.
- Government Services Minister Bill Shorten says robo-debt victims could sue ministers who presided over the illegal welfare crackdown.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.Credit: Reuters
- Legal experts say criminal prosecutions for the Commonwealth offence of abuse of public office and adverse findings by the national corruption watchdog are among a range of consequences that might flow from the robo-debt scandal.
- Embattled consultancy firm PwC will no longer make political party donations as it attempts to rebuild its reputation and business following the tax scandal.
- In overseas news, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan agreed to forward to parliament Sweden’s bid to join the NATO military alliance.
- And, Stella Assange, wife of Australian-born Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, hasn’t ruled out her husband taking a plea deal to obtain his freedom.
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