Over two days last week, Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Naval Task Group 107 launched live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea without any warning to the Australian or New Zealand governments. The exercises were directly under the flight path of one of the busiest routes across the Tasman, aContinue Reading
SYDNEY: A Virgin Australia pilot alerted Australian authorities about a live-fire drill by Chinese naval ships last week in the Tasman Sea that forced 49 flights to change their paths, Australia’s air traffic control agency head told a parliamentary committee. Airlines including Qantas, Emirates, Air New Zealand and Virgin AustraliaContinue Reading
In recent days, the Chinese Navy conducted two live-fire military exercises in waters near Australia and New Zealand, sparking concern in both countries. The Albanese government lodged a diplomatic protest with Beijing. China responded by saying it was “deeply surprised and strongly dissatisfied” by Australia’s response. The presence of theContinue Reading
As the Pacific Islands embrace digital transformation, cybersecurity must become a critical priority. Recent cyberattacks targeting the government of Palau and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretariat, carried out by criminal organizations with links to the Chinese government, highlight the vulnerability of the region’s digital infrastructure. The Samoan government’s recentContinue Reading
SYDNEY: Australia’s Labor government on Saturday (Feb 22) promised an extra A$8.5 billion (US$5.4 billion) for the country’s universal healthcare system if re-elected at a national election due by May, amid sagging popularity for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Centre-left Labor traditionally sees its protection of Australia’s cherished Medicare universal healthcareContinue Reading
Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) chief Mike Burgess has warned that over the next five years Australia’s security environment will become more dynamic, diverse, and degraded, with “more security surprises” in the second half of the decade than in the first. In his Annual Threat Assessment delivered on February 19,Continue Reading
SYDNEY: Rights groups on Monday (Feb 17) denounced an Australian plan to send three violent foreign criminals – including a murderer – to live on the tiny Pacific nation of Nauru. Canberra said on Sunday it had paid an undisclosed sum to Nauru – population about 13,000 – in return forContinue Reading
The Albanese government has secured bipartisan support for a major new regime covering political donations and spending, after making significant concessions. The government agreed to increase the proposed threshold above which donations must be disclosed from AU$1,000 (US$625) to AU$5,000. The present disclosure threshold is AU$16,900. In addition, it hasContinue Reading
The decision of the new U.S. administration under President Donald Trump to pause funding for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and place all direct hire personnel on administrative leave – bar a small number of specific life-saving projects – has implications beyond the operations of American NGOs workingContinue Reading
U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent announcement that “the U.S. will take over the Gaza Strip” has sent tremors through the international system, generating a wave of condemnation, raising critical legal questions, and provoking widespread concerns about the potential consequences for regional security. While much of the initial focus has beenContinue Reading
