Australia faces most ‘complex and threatening’ geopolitical situation since second world war, Marles says
The defence minister, Richard Marles, is speaking before the National Press Club in Canberra. He’s speaking about the current geopolitical situation, saying more countries are engaged in conflict today than at anytime since the end of the second world war.
double quotation markAustralia faces its most complex and threatening strategic circumstances since the end of world war two …
In the face of this, the Albanese government is pursuing every avenue of increasing defence capability quickly – mostly through bigger defence appropriations.
He says Australia is seeing the biggest peacetime increase in our defence spending in the country’s history.
Richard Marles addresses the National Press Club in Canberra. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 22.58 EDT
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‘From one heart to the heart of Lebanon’: Sydney community gathers for peace vigil
Ima Caldwell
A candlelight vigil calling for peace in Lebanon took place at Sydney’s Town Hall last night
Organised by the Lebanon Action Group, the vigil was described as a space to “honour those killed in Lebanon and call for peace and justice in Lebanon”.
Attendees were invited to share a few words: “Not a call to political action… just a message from one heart to the heart of Lebanon.”
Mohammed Abbas, from the southern Lebanese village of Aitaroun, gave an impromptu speech about the “guilt” of being away during the current escalation:
double quotation markMy village borders the Israeli occupation… This is a situation that dates back for years…
I had the opportunity in 2019 to come back to Australia and a part of me wishes I never left because I always feel this guilt for leaving my family and friends in the south and in Lebanon.
Words are escaping me. My heart goes to all families who have lost a someone in Lebanon.
The event concluded with attendees laying their candles around a Lebanese flag.
Read more here:
ShareNSW nurses and midwives win landmark pay rise
Nurses and midwives in Australia’s largest health system will benefit from a landmark pay bump after an industrial umpire’s ruling, AAP reports.
The independent Industrial Relations Commission of NSW found the nearly 70,000 employees were entitled to a pay rise over three years, with a significant hike in the first year backdated to July 2025.
Over a three year period, registered nurses and midwives are set to receive 16%, 18% for enrolled nurses, and a whopping 28% for nursing assistants.
Updated at 23.49 EDT
‘Big conflict’ not inevitable, Marles adds
Marles said the increase in defence funding is about meeting the moment and being prepared for any eventuality, but that he was not forecasting a major conflict.
He said:
double quotation markI’m not standing here saying that some big conflict is inevitable. I don’t think that that is the case at all.
We are in a much more contested environment and one we need to be ready for.
And we’re trying to calibrate the defence force that we build and where the Australian people … I guess where government needs to be at in terms of meeting that moment. And I think we are doing that.
‘The world feels less safe’, Marles says
Marles was asked how the world has changed since the war in the Middle East began. He had this to say:
double quotation markThe whole of Australia and the whole of the world is watching what’s unfolding in the Middle East. It greatly complicates the global strategic landscape. But the world feels less safe, and we understand that.
The defence minister maintained that Australia wants to see Iran denied a nuclear weapon, saying the world would be “very much less safe” were it to obtain one.
double quotation markTo the extent that this conflict has made progress in denying Iran’s ability to do that – you know, that is important. But we very much continue to focus on the importance of the Indo-Pacific to Australia’s strategic landscape.
But what this conflict bears out, but Ukraine does as well, is that we live in a really interconnected world.
Richard Marles. Photograph: David Gray/AFP/Getty ImagesShareFire at Geelong refinery fully extinguished
Benita Kolovos
The fire at the Viva Energy oil refinery in Corio has been extinguished. An update on the EmergencyVic website reads:
double quotation markThere has been a factory fire in Refinery Road, Corio. The fire has been extinguished. Fire crews will be remaining in attendance.
Updated at 23.16 EDT
By how much does Labor plan to increase defence spending?
Marles, speaking to reporters at the National Press Club, says semantics around how the government is calculating what percentage of GDP is being allocated to the defence budget are just that, reiterating that Australia will see the biggest peacetime increase in spending in our nation’s history.
He said:
double quotation markSince we came to government, budget on budget, we have been increasing defence spending, up to the point now where we have $117bn additional in the budget relative to what we inherited from the Coalition.
The government is using calculations based on Nato figures to showcase the 3% of GDP by 2033 figure, while Guardian Australia’s calculations put the number closer to 2.3% to 2.4% of GDP by 2033 under the new plans.
Read more here:
Updated at 23.21 EDT
Benita Kolovos
Victoria premier says it’s still ‘too soon’ to know impact of refinery fire
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, has been holding a press conference to announce the start of construction on a new hospital in Melton. She also spoke about the fire at the Corio refinery:
double quotation markIt was obviously a concern for all of us to wake up this morning to the news that there had been a very serious fire overnight at one of Australia’s two oil refineries.
She said it was still “too soon” to know the impact of the blaze as it continues to be an active fire site:
double quotation markIt will take some time to manage this site and then move to assessing the impact it will have. There is a huge amount of work going to get to that point, whilst at the same time, the advice remains in the federal government, and that our overall levels of supply coming into the country continue to support the level of activity that we need.
Victorian premier Jacinta Allan. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAPShareAustralia faces most ‘complex and threatening’ geopolitical situation since second world war, Marles says
The defence minister, Richard Marles, is speaking before the National Press Club in Canberra. He’s speaking about the current geopolitical situation, saying more countries are engaged in conflict today than at anytime since the end of the second world war.
double quotation markAustralia faces its most complex and threatening strategic circumstances since the end of world war two …
In the face of this, the Albanese government is pursuing every avenue of increasing defence capability quickly – mostly through bigger defence appropriations.
He says Australia is seeing the biggest peacetime increase in our defence spending in the country’s history.
Richard Marles addresses the National Press Club in Canberra. Photograph: Lukas Coch/AAPShare
Updated at 22.58 EDT
Benita Kolovos
Environment Victoria blames ageing infrastructure for refinery blaze
Joy Toose, climate campaign manager for Environment Victoria, has blamed ageing infrastructure for the refinery blaze. In a statement, Toose said:
double quotation markIn the midst of a global fuel and worsening climate crisis, this incident gives another clear demonstration of why we need to accelerate the transition to renewable energy that is already well under way in Victoria.
We are again witnessing the impact of the ageing infrastructure of Victoria’s fossil fuel industry, which is still in 2026 posing unacceptable risks to workers, local communities, nature and our climate.
Updated at 22.51 EDT
Andrew Messenger
Brisbane to sign sister city agreement with LA
Brisbane lord mayor Adrian Schrinner and Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass have agreed to become sister cities.
With 3.88 million residents of the city proper, and an estimated 12.9 million in its metropolitan area, Los Angeles is California’s largest city and boasts one of the world’s largest single-city economies.
It will host the Olympics in 2028. Brisbane will host in 2032.
Under the arrangement the two cities will share information and agree to collaborate as Olympics hosts.
An aerial view of the LA skyline. Photograph: Joe Sohm/Visions of America/Universal Images Group/Getty Images
Brisbane already has nine sister cities, including Kobe, signed in 1985, Shenzhen, 1992, Abu Dhabi, 2009. The most recent was Hyderabad, signed in 2010. Brisbane will become Los Angeles’ first Australian sister city.
Schrinner said “learning from other Olympic cities like Los Angeles is absolutely critical”.
Bass said the city is “leading on sustainability, housing, and economic development, setting a standard for how host cities can collaborate and innovate together”.
The mayors signed a preliminary agreement on Wednesday, ahead of the finalisation of a formal agreement.