PM defends role in Pacific amid China deal
Labor has attacked the Morrison government for not acting sooner to prevent a security deal from being signed between China and the Solomon Islands.
Labor has attacked the Morrison government for not acting sooner to prevent a security deal from being signed between China and the Solomon Islands.
A security pact between China and the Solomon Islands that has prompted concern from Australia and New Zealand has been signed, Beijing's foreign minister says.
Australia doesn't have any more information about the Sino-Solomons pact after its "initialling" last week, the government's top foreign affairs official says.
Human rights groups are calling for an inquiry into how an accused war criminal was able to enter Australia at least twice and attend public events in 2019.
The defence force's joint operations chief says Chinese navy vessels in the Solomons would change Australian military operations.
New Zealand has urged the Solomon Islands to find their security arrangements from within the Pacific family of nations, rather than China.
The army will receive 24 new unmanned surveillance drones in 2023 and 2024 under a $650 million defence package.
An expansion of Australia's defence workforce will mean an increase of more than 18,000 people over the next two decades.
Border force officers have been told to use the full force of penalties against people arriving in Australia who do not declare potential biosecurity hazards.
Declassified cabinet documents from the Howard government in 2001 provide insight into how Australia's leadership grappled with the 9/11 terrorist attack.