The rhetoric between Australia and China is reaching a fever pitch in the media, with less room for journalists to take a more nuanced, objective viewpoint.
We are seeing a power play which has set Peter Dutton and Julie Bishop at odds.
Glenn Hunt/AAP
The fine distinction between expanding ASD powers but it not collecting intelligence on Australians is where the confusion lies, and that will need to be carefully laid out.
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said the Russians had to leave within a week “for actions inconsistent with their status”.
AAP/Joel Carrett
The closest idea to an actual plan in the white paper seems to be to double-down on the US relationship, and trust that the Trump administration is a blip.
Barnaby Joyce pointed out sharply that the government’s survival in 2016 had been due to the Nationals’ good performance.
Perry Duffin/AAP
A northern New South Wales bookmaker has got it about right on the New England byelection. “Barnaby will be a shorter price than Winx,” he told a National. “And the only one who could beat Barnaby is Winx…
Australia’s campaign for a seat on the Human Rights Council opened it to further scrutiny of its record on such issues.
Reuters/Denis Balibouse
Australia’s Human Rights Council election provides an ideal opportunity for it to show leadership and commitment on issues such as refugee flows and the death penalty.
North Korea has placed the Kim regime’s survival before any other priority.
Reuters/KCNA
With much attention focused on military might and economic sanctions, there has been little focus on calls for a diplomatic solution to the North Korean crisis.
The conservatives’ strategy is to reap what victories they can while Malcolm Turnbull leads.
Dean Lewins/AAP
The lack of moderates in the Liberals’ succession list is notable, given Christopher Pyne’s ill-judged boast to the faction that it was in the ‘winners’ circle’.
Let’s get one point straight. The crisis around Barnaby Joyce has been caused by one simple oversight by one person. Joyce was careless in not properly checking whether he complied with the citizenship…
The government says its position has always been that none of those on Manus Island and Nauru would ever be allowed to come here.
Darren England/AAP
The fracas between the United Nations high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR) and the government over whether Australia agreed to settle a handful of the Manus Island/Nauru boat people with family here…
Peter Dutton’s condemnation of those he terms ‘fake refugees’ is prejudicial.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
As the government sought to fireproof itself in Labor’s areas of strength, the budget produced a new challenge for Bill Shorten.
Yassmin Abdel-Magied has ‘apologised profusely to [Julie Bishop] and the Australian government’ for a controversial Facebook post.
http://www.yassminam.com
Julie Bishop has refused to sack Yassmin Abdel-Magied from the board of the Council for Australian-Arab Relations, resisting pressure from some in government ranks.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson head to a meeting in Moscow.
Reuters/Maxim Shemetov
What vastly complicates Western policy in Syria is how to sanction Assad on one hand and deal with Islamic State on the other, without the country unravelling completely.
Julie Bishop’s comments come ahead of a visit to Australia this month by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
AAP/Lauren Farrow
The US alliance will remain the cornerstone of Australian security, but regional partnerships will become more important and exploitable - sentimental ties aside.