How Australia got badly out in front on China
Since 2016, Australia has embarked on a policy U-turn, adopting a strategy to push back, call out and be out in front in needling and confronting China.
Australia is increasingly committed to the idea that a new Cold War is developing between the US and China.
Illustration: David Rowe
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Seventy years ago when
The Australian Financial Review launched, Australian armed forces were embroiled in the Korean War and were still, in a minor way, part of the armed forces that occupied Japan.
Australia, deeply traumatised by the Pacific war, was painfully negotiating an unsatisfyingly limited security assurance to protect us from Japanese resurgence. That became the ANZUS treaty. The paper’s modest voice reflected those uneasy times.
Secretary Antony J Blinken And Australian Foreign Minister and Minister for Women Marise Payne At a Joint Press Availability — Agenparl agenparl.eu - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from agenparl.eu Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Stephanie Foster, deputy secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, will examine the formal links between the Department of Finance and parliamentary offices, including the possibility of establishing a mandatory reporting system for serious incidents. Sex Discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins is providing advice to Foster.
In addition, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham will consult with leaders from other parties and crossbenchers on who should lead an independent review of how Parliament deals with workplace complaints, and that review’s parameters.
Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has suggested former Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick or domestic violence and equality campaigner Natasha Stott Despoja head the review.