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2 Nov, 4 tweets, 1 min read
Marise Payne heading to Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia (new ASEAN chair) and Vietnam. Top issues on the list: AUKUS and nuclear subs, Myanmar, the Australia-ASEAN CSP and (of course) the pandemic recovery abc.net.au/news/2021-11-0…
Meanwhile, this issue might pop up when Senator Payne is in Cambodia. Hun Sen is demanding Australia send its promised COVID-19 vaccines ASAAP, warning that if we don't deliver he will (wait for it, you'll be shocked) approach China instead
Full article here. The two million vaccines promised are from the UNICEF purchase which we are still trying to line up. But supply issues = delays smh.com.au/world/asia/cam…
(And HT to @ChrisBarrett_ who picked up this story)

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Stephen Dziedzic Profile picture
3 Nov
The French Ambassador to Australia is giving an address to the National Press Club. The speech has been widely described as "highly anticipated" which is a) a terrible cliche and b) entirely true. I'll live tweet excerpts of the speech and the Q+A 1/
The Ambassador begins by describing the future submarine program which was scrapped by Australia. He says the program was "unprecedented" and a hugely significant expression of trust because it involved the sharing of technology which was a "core national defence capability" 2/
The Ambassador now describes the "stab in the back." He says only Australia intentionally deceived France because it wasn't sure the AUKUS submarine deal would come to fruition. He points out only weeks before the 2 + 2 reaffirmed the importance of the program 3/
Read 15 tweets
Stephen Dziedzic Profile picture
27 Oct
Right! I'll be live tweeting @dfat #estimates today. There is a Frances Adamson shaped absence in the room, which is quite strange. The new(ish) @dfat Secretary Kathryn Campbell is making her first appearance in the role. Will be interesting to see how she goes 1/
Payne gives an opening statement. First off she hails the new Australia-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, which he calls a "significant milestone." Here's my story on this from earlier this morning 2/ abc.net.au/news/2021-10-2…
Wong is grilling officials about handling of the AUKUS / nuclear subs announcement. Why were the Indonesians briefed so late? She asks senior official Justin Hayhurst what DFAT's advice was. She says she wants to know if their advice was bad or whether it was ignored (ouch) 3/
Read 35 tweets
Stephen Dziedzic Profile picture
27 Oct
Scott Morrison addressing ASEAN-Australia summit. Announces Australia will "share at least an additional 10 million COVID-19 vaccines from our domestic supply with ASEAN countries by mid next year" (I assume this will be drawn from 60 mil doses already announced, but checking) 1/
Morrison - "ASEAN members growth underpins regional stability and Australia’s prosperity. Your stability is fundamental to our own. Our health security is inextricably tied to yours" 2/
More details on ASEAN support package I flagged yesterday. It's worth $124 million. Will "fund projects jointly identified by ASEAN + Australia to address complex and emerging challenges" including pandemic recovery, terrorism, energy security 3/
Read 5 tweets
Stephen Dziedzic Profile picture
27 Oct
Starting a new thread for those following defence #estimates this afternoon. Wong asks how much Defence is spending on contractors? Officials say they spent $1.873 billion last financial year. That figure has shot up over last few years 1/
Wong raises this study by @ASPI_org which suggests that on average a Defence contractor is being paid a salary of $283,000 - around double the average Defence APS salary of $121,000 2/
Officials say the ASPI calculation is not wrong but it's not entirely fair because it's not a "like for like" comparison. Still they agree that on the whole contractors are more expensive. They give several explanations: for eg, they bring a specialist skillset (eg ICT) 3/
Read 8 tweets
Stephen Dziedzic Profile picture
26 Oct
Defence #estimates on this morning. When will get the first nuclear submarine delivered under AUKUS? By 2040 as the PM has indicated? The head of sub taskforce says that is the "right hand marker" which he wants to "drag left." He wants "at least one boat" in the water by 2040 1/
Are we looking at leasing out US or UK submarines to help fill the gap given the Collins Class subs are coming towards the end of their lives in the 2030s? The head of the Defence Dept Greg Moriarty seems pretty definitive- he says no 2/
Labor's Penny Wong says the Govt is trying to "eke out the last years of an ageing platform" (Collins) in the hope of covering the gap before the nuclear subs theoretically arrive

Wong: "pretty risky don't you reckon?"
Moriarty: "The PM has said this is a high risk program"
3/
Read 10 tweets
Stephen Dziedzic Profile picture
26 Oct
Thread on the Ag Visa and Pacific labour schemes. It's a bit in the weeds, but it's worth digging into the subject because we're talking about - as the Ag Minister David Littleproud says - "the biggest structural reform to the agricultural workforce we have ever seen" 1/
First question. Will the Ag visa provide a pathway to permanent residency? This is what the Agriculture Minister said on Aug 23 - the new visa will "complement" Pacific schemes but "also provide a pathway to permanent residency" 2/ Image
But this is how officials from Home Affairs put it last night at Senate estimates. The Government is "exploring the options" for a pathway to permanent residency. One of these things is not (quite) like the other 3/ Image
Read 15 tweets

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