Australia news live: US marines plan permanent weapons stockpile in Victoria; Pauline Hanson to address National Press Club | Australia news
important events
kelly burke
Allan said ignoring such messages normalizes hostility, adding that she wants her son and daughter to grow up in a world where public services do not subject women to gender discrimination.
When grilled by sarah ferguson The Construction Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) has disputed a figure reported by Rotting from the Top that estimated systemic corruption and inflated procurement costs have cost Victorian taxpayers $15 billion on criminal infiltration of Victoria’s infrastructure projects, a portfolio Allan directly managed before becoming premier.
But he did not clarify whether he or his department had requested a formal calculation of the actual taxpayer cost; Instead, he said, 88 criminal charges had been laid by Victoria police and nearly 150 construction industry licenses had been canceled by Labor Hire.
kelly burke
Jacinta Allan weighs in on collapse of Labor support
In the ABC’s depressing interview at 7.30 last night, the Victorian premier Jacinta Allan With just five months to go before the state election, he has struggled to answer questions about the collapse in Labor support and allegations of escalating multibillion-dollar union corruption.
A new poll published last week showed Labor in third place in the primary vote, behind the Coalition and emerging One Nation, with just 21%. Allan, whose personal net approval rating is at an all-time low, has raised the government’s bar on working from home, saying it is a human right.
He said a government consultation survey of 37,000 people found “thousands and thousands” of people said their requests to work from home had been rejected by their bosses.
The Prime Minister also touched on the appearance of mobile billboards circulating in Melbourne featuring AI-generated images wearing a black witch’s hat, along with the slogan “Beware the Witch”, a recreation of the phrase used against former prime minister Julia Gillard. The $105,000 campaign was funded by a group of local business owners, including Franco Puleo, owner of the Gotham City brothel in South Melbourne.
Allan linked extreme political rhetoric to the physical safety of female politicians.
“There is absolutely no room for sexist attacks on any woman in any workplace. You have to take a stand. You have to call it out.”
Pauline Hanson will address the National Press Club in Canberra today for the first time in her three decades in politics, AAP reports.
Monash University head of politics Zareh Ghazarian said Hanson’s speech was meant to provide an overview of what his party would be like, as well as its broad policies and goals.
“One Nation is at a transition point from being a small anti-establishment party to being on the verge of a potentially major political breakthrough,” he told AAP.
“There is a lot riding on this conversation. It will be watched closely by the media, as well as many other Australians and political parties.
“Hanson must perform well to convince the undecided that his party and its leadership are something to be left behind.”
Consistent polling has shown One Nation becoming Australia’s most popular political party, holding a significant lead over the coalition in the pre-voting indicator.
Polls also show Senator Hanson is now the preferred prime minister.
US military stockpiles will be kept in Melbourne, then moved to rural Victoria, report says
The Australian stockpile, which is expected to reach full capacity by 2028, will be held in Melbourne before being moved to US warehouses to be built at the Australian military base at Bandiana in rural Victoria next year, according to tender documents, according to AFP.
“Marine Corps activities in Australia support integrated global sustainability by maintaining ready-to-use equipment and supplies for operations and exercises in the Indo-Pacific,” a US Marine Corps spokesman told AFP.
The spokesman declined to comment on contract details or force planning assumptions but said Navy equipment is maintained at a “high level of readiness.”
Contract arrangements and operation of the facility will be carried out in close coordination with the Australian Department of Defence.
“These activities enhance response capability, strengthen interoperability with allies and partners, and support diverse missions in the Indo-Pacific,” the spokesman said, using an alternative definition for the Asia-Pacific region.
In 2023, US army trucks were dropped off at the Bandiana base following an Australian war game in which US troops participate every two years. Sailor stocks in Bandiana, approved last July, are separate.
“Marine Corps and Army equipment programs are designed to support respective service requirements and are managed under separate authorities and processes,” a Marine Corps spokesman said.
US military plans to stockpile combat-ready weapons in Victoria – report
According to Agence France-Presse, bid documents show that the US military plans to build a permanent stockpile of combat-ready weapons for the Marine Corps in Victoria, beyond the range of most Chinese missiles.
Analysts said the development of the stockpile, a first for the Marine Corps in Australia, comes as the United States is keen to take advantage of the continent’s strategic location in the South Pacific to counter China’s rapid military build-up.
During the Cold War, the U.S. Marine Corps began prepositioning military supplies globally, using floating warehouses on ships in Norway and caves that held weapons, ammunition and vehicles to supply thousands of soldiers.
The first land stockpile in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to open this year in the Philippines, close to potential flashpoints in the South China Sea.
Documents released by the US Navy this month show advanced planning for an even larger Australian stockpile, with US$30 million allocated to build warehouses and offices in Victoria for “critical forward supply”.
Welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I Martin Farrer with the best night stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.
According to news this morning, bidding documents show the US military plans to build a permanent stockpile of combat-ready weapons for the Marine Corps in Victoria, beyond the range of most Chinese missiles.
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan came under sharp criticism on the ABC’s 7.30 last night as she struggled to answer questions about the collapse of support for Labor and allegations of union corruption. More is coming.
And One Nation founder Pauline Hanson will address the National Press Club in Canberra today for the first time in her three decades in politics as her party reaches record polls.
