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Opposition welcomes shipyard funds, but says Australian defence remains underfunded and ‘under-prepared’
Angus Taylor, the shadow minister for defence, said any extra money for defence, including Aukus, was “welcome”, but said the government had not spent nearly enough to create “a fit-for-purpose defence force at a time which is more dangerous than any time since the second world war”.
Taylor told RN Breakfast the opposition still wants to see defence spending increase to 3% of GDP:
We just saw in the last week or so the Chinese communist party on display, their propaganda parade, and it is clear that they have an influence that they haven’t had in the past. They’re militarising at an unprecedented rate. But we’re also seeing authoritarian regimes right across the globe flexing their muscles. And so it’s crucial that we see the investment necessary and we need to see it urgently. …
Right now, this government is underfunding defence in a very substantial way. … We need this government to shift from rhetoric to readiness. We are under-prepared.
Angus Taylor. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Government ‘very confident’ Aukus will deliver subs after extra $12bn for WA shipyard
Tim Ayres, the minister for science, industry and innovation, says the government remains confident Australia will get nuclear-powered submarines from the US after announcing a $12bn “downpayment” on a shipbuilding facility in Western Australia to prepare for them.
Ayres said this morning that getting the submarines remains the absolute objective of the Aukus deal, rejecting assertions that the US could back out of the deal. He told RN Breakfast:
I’m very confident that this agreement between Australia and the United States and the United Kingdom will be delivered upon in full and it is already well and truly under way. The arrangements between us and the United States on the submarines in particular is deep.
We are well on the pathway. There is a long way to go, but this is an important step for our national security, and we’re following it through diligently in the national interest.
Tim Ayres: ‘We are well on the pathway’. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAP
Read more about the shipyard here:
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Updated at 22.55 BST
Closure of Albanese’s Marrickville electoral office is ‘very sad’, Marles says
Richard Marles says the closure of Albanese’s electoral office in Marrickville is “very sad”, saying a spate of protests there had not helped any causes but deprived locals of their ability to go to their local member.
The prime minister said the site would close after serving as Grayndler’s electorate office for more than 30 years. Albanese cited a string of protests there, many related to the ongoing crisis in Gaza.
Marles, the deputy prime minister, told RN Breakfast this morning of the decision:
I think it’s very sad. I think the kind of protests that we’ve seen outside of the prime minister’s electoral office over the last couple of years have been a complete disgrace. It does nothing to advance the arguments associated with any of these issues. It really, I think, ends up being much more about the protesters than the cause that they pretend to espouse.
It is certainly denying the constituents of Grayndler being able to go to their local member and the office of their local member and receive basic services. I mean, I think there is an intimidatory degree to what’s been going on here, but it is appalling behaviour that it has resulted in this moment.
Deputy prime minister Richard Marles. Photograph: Hollie Adams/ReutersShare
Updated at 22.53 BST
Good morning
Good morning, and welcome to Monday. Here’s what’s on deck this morning as we get the live blog rolling.
Prime minister Anthony Albanese is due to travel to Port Moresby for Papua New Guinea’s 50th anniversary of independence as the countries prepare to sign a major defence treaty. The deal will reportedly allow PNG nationals to serve in Australia’s defence force with similar pay and a pathway to citizenship.
Rooftop solar accounted for 12.8% of all electricity generated in Australia for the first half of 2025, the highest rate ever, according to the Clean Energy Council. More than a third of Australian households now have rooftop solar and the first half of the year also recorded a record-breaking 85,000 batteries sold amid new programs meant to encourage uptake.
We’ll see what else the day has in store. Stick with us.
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