Anthony Albanese returns; The Biloela family prepare to return to Queensland; Peter Dutton is about to become leader of the Liberal Party; COVID Vaccine Eligibility Expanded; Australian Minimum Wage Increase Submission

Staying with the prime minister’s interview on ABC TV, and Anthony Albanese says he will “respond appropriately” to the Chinese premier congratulating him on his election victory.

Like Anthony Galloway wrote, China’s message marks the end of a two-year diplomatic freeze between Canberra and Beijing at the political level.

“We will act diplomatically and appropriately in all our dealings with other nations,” Albanese said.

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“What you need to do is stand firm. We will stand up for Australia’s values. I said the sanctions on Australian exports to China must be lifted. There is no justification for these sanctions which have harmed to the Australian economy and Australian jobs.

“But I will respond appropriately…when the time is right, shortly.”

As for Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on a 10-day tour of the Pacific, and fearing that several new nations might strike a Solomon-type security deal with Beijing, Albanese said that tour “has been in place for some time. time”.

The Prime Minister called the Morrison government complacent on Pacific relations and said a Labor government would not just focus on foreign aid, but on ‘respect’ and recognize that climate change is a ‘ existential threat” to island nations.

“We need to respond to this because China is looking to increase its influence in the region of the world where Australia has been the security partner of choice since World War II.”