Latest Australia government News
Australia plans to ban swastikas and other Nazi symbols in legislation coming next week
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s government plans legislation to ban swastikas and other Nazi symbols nationwide due to an increase in far-right activity, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said Thursday. While most Australian states already ban such Nazi symbols, the federal...
Indonesia to deport Australian surfer jailed for drunken rampage in conservative province
MEULABOH, Indonesia (AP) — An Australian surfer who was jailed for attacking several people while drunk and naked in Indonesia’s deeply conservative Muslim province of Aceh will be deported to his country after he agreed to apologize and pay compensation, officials said Wednesday. ...
Indonesia, Australia affirm defense ties amid China concerns
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles met his Indonesian counterpart on Monday to deepen security ties amid China’s increasingly assertive activity in the Indo-Pacific region. Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto said he and Marles discussed...
US defense secretary says Washington won't stand for 'coercion and bullying' from China
SINGAPORE (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin vowed Saturday that Washington would not stand for any “coercion and bullying” of its allies and partners by China, while assuring Beijing that the United States remains committed to maintaining the status quo on Taiwan and would prefer...
Australian PM Albanese stresses need for diplomacy, guardrails in dealing with China
SINGAPORE (AP) — As tensions grow between the United States and China in the Asia-Pacific, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told a gathering of top defense officials Friday that open channels of communication are critical for preserving peace, while also advocating effective deterrence....
Australian decorated hero quits corporate job after Afghanistan war crime revelations
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s most decorated living war veteran Ben Roberts-Smith quit his corporate job Friday after a civil court blamed him for unlawfully killing four Afghans, escalating calls for the tarnished national hero to be stripped of his revered Victoria Cross medal. ...
UN anti-drug agency warns there is no let-up in methamphetamine trade from Asia's Golden Triangle
BANGKOK (AP) — The huge trade in methamphetamine and other illegal drugs originating from a small corner of Southeast Asia shows no signs of slowing down, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime warned Friday. “High volumes of methamphetamine continue to be produced and...
UK hails first post-Brexit trade deals with Australia, New Zealand, but impact likely small
LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government hailed an era of cheaper Australian wine and New Zealand kiwi fruit as free-trade agreements with the two Southern Hemisphere nations took effect Wednesday. U.K. Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said that the start of the first all-new...
Australian general says US warns war crime allegations could prevent work with Australia's SAS
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The United States has warned that allegations of war crimes against Australian soldiers in Afghanistan could prevent U.S. forces from working with Australia’s Special Air Service Regiment, Australia’s defense force chief said on Wednesday. Gen. Angus...
Australian Parliament takes step toward holding a referendum on Indigenous Voice this year
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Australia’s House of Representatives voted overwhelming Wednesday for a referendum to be held this year on creating an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, an advocate aiming to give the nation’s most disadvantaged ethnic minority more say on government policy. ...
