PM raised ‘delicate’ matters of Yang Hengjun and Port of Darwin with Beijing, Marles says
Richard Marles was asked about the case of jailed Chinese-Australian academic Yang Hengjun, who was given a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court in 2024 on espionage charges, which he denies. The defence minister told RN:
The prime minister made clear that he raised Dr Yang’s case in his meeting with President Xi. It’s important that we have consistency in terms of continuing to raise this case, but it’s also important that we are prudent in the way in which we talk about this and what we want to see, obviously, is an outcome in terms of this consular case.
These matters are delicate, but you can look at what the government has done over the last few years in terms of how we have been able to manage other consular cases.
Marles also alluded to the delicate nature of diplomacy when asked about the Port of Darwin, which is held by a Chinese-owned company. Anthony Albanese has said he wants the port in Australian hands again, a position Marles said the government maintained:
In terms of the Port of Darwin, we have consistently said that it shouldn’t have been sold to that interest when it was by the former Coalition government, and that we want to see the Port of Darwin return to Australian hands, and that’s the course that we are pursuing now.
Key events
More on the expected jobs figures, set to come at 11.30
The Reserve Bank will have a keen eye on fresh data on Australia’s jobs market as its next decision on interest rates draws closer, AAP reports.
Labour force figures for June will be released this morning by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and are tipped to show the unemployment rate remaining at 4.1% for the month. The predictions come despite a tightening of the jobs market.
The Reserve Bank would continue to closely monitor the jobless rate before its next meeting in August, NAB’s head of Australian economics Gareth Spence said, noting:
I think the focus for the RBA will be ensuring the labour market remains healthy going forward. The timing of cuts is not super important. It’s more about where do they end up.
Spence still expected the jobless rate to climb to 4.4% by the end of 2025, but said economic indicators point to the labour market still being in a strong position.
Marles says government’s position on Taiwan is ‘clear’
Richard Marles was also asked about criticism from the Coalition about the government’s stance on Taiwan, after the shadow defence minister, Angus Taylor, said this week Australia should be prepared to make “principled commitments” to its security and be prepared “to act” if needed.
Marles told RN:
We do not support any unilateral changes to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait. Now, that’s been the very clear and simple position of this government since we came to power, but to be honest, it’s been the position, the bipartisan position, of Coalition and Labor governments now for a long period of time …
This government is going to maintain what has been the position of the Australian government for a very long period of time, and that is to maintain the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.
PM raised ‘delicate’ matters of Yang Hengjun and Port of Darwin with Beijing, Marles says
Richard Marles was asked about the case of jailed Chinese-Australian academic Yang Hengjun, who was given a suspended death sentence by a Chinese court in 2024 on espionage charges, which he denies. The defence minister told RN:
The prime minister made clear that he raised Dr Yang’s case in his meeting with President Xi. It’s important that we have consistency in terms of continuing to raise this case, but it’s also important that we are prudent in the way in which we talk about this and what we want to see, obviously, is an outcome in terms of this consular case.
These matters are delicate, but you can look at what the government has done over the last few years in terms of how we have been able to manage other consular cases.
Marles also alluded to the delicate nature of diplomacy when asked about the Port of Darwin, which is held by a Chinese-owned company. Anthony Albanese has said he wants the port in Australian hands again, a position Marles said the government maintained:
In terms of the Port of Darwin, we have consistently said that it shouldn’t have been sold to that interest when it was by the former Coalition government, and that we want to see the Port of Darwin return to Australian hands, and that’s the course that we are pursuing now.
Marles says government needs to do ‘everything within our power’ to ensure safety in childcare
Richard Marles said the government was actively looking at ways to ensure children’s safety in childcare centres, saying the commonwealth needed to “everything within our power to clearly make sure that children are safe” in both the education and childcare systems. He was asked about the push for a register or database of childcare workers, telling RN Breakfast:
We think this is a step that would help advance the case of child safety within childcare systems, and we will work with the states to see how we can put that in place in an expeditious way.
I think we are all looking at ways in which we can take this forward and make sure that children are as safe as possible within childcare centres. And the revelations that we have seen in the last couple of weeks are obviously sickening. And as we continue to learn about how best to do this, we need to be making sure that we are exercising our powers in a way which keeps kids safe in childcare.
Marles says PM’s visit to China part of effort to improve engagement with Beijing
The defence minister, Richard Marles, said Australia’s relationship with China is “obviously complex” but that the nation benefited by engaging with Beijing, and building better communication channels remains “really important”. Marles spoke to ABC RN as prime minister Anthony Albanese wraps up his visit, saying:
There is opportunity here, but at the same time, there are also challenges, and even in the national security space, whilst the challenges that we see there aren’t resolved, building better communication channels is really important …
For all the complexities of our relationship with China, it is benefited by engagement. That’s what other countries are doing, and that’s what we seek to do. And the annual leaders’ meeting, which is what this is, is a really important part of that.
Marles pointed to the trade relationship between Australia and China, which has been “much to the benefit of the Australian economy”. The deputy prime minister added:
Engagement with China matters, and what is a complex and challenging relationship to manage is benefited from that engagement. And that’s really as simple as it gets. And in that sense, I think the visit that Anthony Albanese’s had to China has advanced all of that and has been very successful.
Falconio’s parents express ‘relief’ after Bradley Murdoch’s death
The parents of Peter Falconio, the British backpacker murdered in 2001 by Bradley Murdoch, said they still hold out hope their son’s remains will be found. Joan and Luciano Falconio released a statement after Murdoch died this week from throat cancer at 67, having never revealed the location of their son’s body.
The parents said their first feeling after the news was one of relief:
Upon hearing that Bradley John Murdoch had died our first feeling was of relief, it’s like a weight that’s been lifted. We are only forced to think about him now that he’s died, we don’t want to let him to ruin our lives more than he already has. The awful thing is our family’s future with Peter was cruelly taken away.
Today we instead focus on the three children we have left and our grandchildren. We didn’t have much faith but we were hoping Bradley John Murdoch would reveal where Peter was before he died. But even now we still hold out hope that his remains will be found.
The family thanked the NT police for their continued efforts to investigate the murder.
Good morning
Good morning, Nick Visser here to take you through the day’s news, pandas included. Let’s get to it.
Economists await jobs figures for interest rate indications
The Reserve Bank will have a keen eye on fresh data on Australia’s jobs market as its next decision on interest rates draws closer, AAP reports.
Labour force figures for June will be released at 11.30am AEST by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and are tipped to show the unemployment rate remaining at 4.1% for the month.
The predictions come despite a tightening of the jobs market.
The Reserve Bank would continue to closely monitor the jobless rate before its next meeting in August, NAB’s head of Australian economics, Gareth Spence, said.
“I think the focus for the RBA will be ensuring the labour market remains healthy going forward,” he said.
“The timing of cuts is not super important. It’s more about where do they end up.”
In a move that shocked analysts and disappointed mortgage holders, the RBA kept the cash rate steady at 3.85% at its last board meeting on 8 July.
Most economists had pencilled in a 25 basis point cut on the back of slowing inflation growth.
Albanese to wrap up China visit in Chengdu
Pandas and bionic ears are on Anthony Albanese’s agenda as his six-day tour of China reaches its final leg, Australian Associated Press reports.
The prime minister touched down in Chengdu in China’s south-west yesterday afternoon, where he announced the Sichuan capital would be given hosting rights to an Australian Open wildcard playoff tournament for a second year running.
In the sweltering 37C heat, the prime minister turned down the offer of a hit on centre court, instead hailing the role of sport in boosting people-to-people and cultural links between Australia and China.
“I know that my dear friend [former professional tennis player] Glenn Busby comes here and coaches and spends a lot of time here each year, and he tells me that China will dominate the sport in the years to come,” he said.
Chengdu, home to 21 million residents, is best known outside China as the home of giant pandas.
Albanese will visit a breeding research centre at the forefront of efforts to save the species from extinction.
As well as a beloved cultural icon, pandas are a central part of China’s efforts to exert soft power in the world.
In a meeting with local party secretary Wang Xiaohui, Mr Albanese said pandas “have been such an important feature” of building positive relations between Australia and China.
He noted the two new pandas who were loaned to Adelaide zoo in 2024, in the most recent example of “panda diplomacy”.
“I thank this province for our two newest guests who have been so well received,” he said.
But Chengdu has another, arguably more impactful, connection to Australia.
Cochlear, the Australian hearing device company, bases a manufacturing and research plant in the city, which the prime minister will visit today.
More than 50,000 Chinese patients have had hearing loss restored by a Cochlear device, making it one of the company’s largest markets.
German backpacker Carolina Wilga leaves hospital after outback ordeal
Jordyn Beazley
A German backpacker who was lost in the Australian outback for 11 nights has been discharged from hospital.
Carolina Wilga hit her head in a car crash and left her car in a “state of confusion” before going missing in the Western Australian outback.
A desperate search for the 26-year-old began when her family and friends raised the alarm after not hearing from her.
She was discharged from Perth’s Fiona Stanley hospital on Wednesday.
More on Wilga’s ordeal in the outback here:
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser to be your news guide.
Anthony Albanese will wrap up his visit to China in Chengdu today. The south-west city of 21 million people is best known for its pandas and spicy Sichuan food, but it is also where Cochlear, the Australian hearing device company, has a manufacturing and research facility, which the prime minister will visit today. More coming up.
The Reserve Bank and economists will be watching today’s jobs figures for another clue as to where the economy is headed. It comes after the shock decision by the bank to keep rates steady this month. More on that shortly.
