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Marles says Trump has not made a \u2018specific request\u2019 relating to the strait of Hormuz<\/p>\n
Marles, who is doing the media rounds this morning, has just been interviewed on ABC Radio National, where he said Trump has not made a \u201cspecific request\u201d of Australia regarding the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
Marles said:<\/p>\n
double quotation markWe\u2019ve not received a specific request in relation to the strait of Hormuz, but we\u2019ll work with all partners, our allies, and that very much includes the US in terms of whatever needs to be done in relation to the strait of Hormuz.<\/p>\n
Marles said Australia needed the crucial shipping channel to reopen and suggested it would \u201ccontribute\u201d to an operation to make that happen when the time was right:<\/p>\n
double quotation markWe\u2019ve been working with the US.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve been working with countries like the UK, with France.<\/p>\n
I mean, the planning that is being done in respect of any particular operation there is obviously one which is dependent on when circumstances allow such an operation to happen and that\u2019s not the circumstances we\u2019ve got right now.<\/p>\n
And so, you know, we need to wait for that, but we will be seeking to contribute in whatever is the best way that we can. And we\u2019ve made that clear.<\/p>\n
He also said \u2013 again \u2013 that he would not \u201cget into a running commentary on what the US president says\u201d, when asked if Australia was getting tired of Trump\u2019s repeated criticisms.<\/p>\n
Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.53 EDT<\/p>\n Marles says relationship with US \u2018deeply matters\u2019, dodging questions about Trump<\/p>\n The deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, says Australia\u2019s relationship with the US \u201cdeeply matters\u201d, while avoiding weighing in on Donald Trump\u2019s latest comments.<\/p>\n Marles has just been interviewed on ABC News – after Trump overnight renewed his accusations Australia has not helping the US enough in the Middle East \u2013 where he was asked of the president:<\/p>\n double quotation markWhen he criticises Australia, when he posts AI generated images of himself looking like Jesus. When he picks fights with the Pope. Do you believe that that undermines the trust that Australians have in the relationship?<\/p>\n Marles replied:<\/p>\n double quotation markLook, I\u2019m not going to give a running commentary on the president\u2019s social media posts.<\/p>\n Our relationship with the US deeply matters.<\/p>\n The government has mostly been very careful in sticking to a strategy of not buying into Trump\u2019s comments and social media posts \u2013 which is why you\u2019ll have heard so many Labor ministers say they won\u2019t \u201coffer a running commentary\u201d whenever they\u2019re asked about the president.<\/p>\n The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, responded more directly last week after Trump threatened the widespread bombing of civilian infrastructure <\/a>in Iran if the regime did not surrender, which you can read more about here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.40 EDT<\/p>\n \u2018Not happy\u2019: Trump renews accusations Australia hasn\u2019t done enough in Middle East war<\/p>\n To start things off for your Friday, we have some news from the US overnight, where the president, Donald Trump, has renewed his accusations that Australia has not done enough to help him in the Middle East war.<\/p>\n Trump made the comments while taking questions from reporters, including Australian correspondents, as he left the White House on Thursday (early this morning AEST).<\/p>\n In footage the president said:<\/p>\n double quotation markWell, I\u2019m not happy with Australia because they were not there when we asked them to be there.<\/p>\n Pressed by a journalist on what he had asked Australia for, Trump did not answer directly but said:<\/p>\n double quotation markThey were not there having to do with Hormuz. So I\u2019m not happy, I\u2019m not happy with them.<\/p>\n Despite the reporters on the ground clamouring for more answers, Trump did not respond to their further shouted questions about what he had wanted from Australia and whether he still had a good relationship with the prime minister, Anthony Albanese.<\/p>\n The exchange began when a journalist asked Trump if he was satisfied with Australia\u2019s increased defence expenditure.<\/p>\n As the government announced yesterday, Labor will spend an extra $53bn on defence over the next decade, using the nation\u2019s latest military blueprint to create new special investment programs to fund increases in capability using private capital.<\/p>\n Existing budget settings have Australia\u2019s spending on track to be about 2.03% of GDP, rising to about 2.3 to 2.4% by 2033 under the new plans.<\/p>\n Trump had demanded American allies spend as much as 3.5% of GDP on their own defence, to reduce reliance on the US.<\/p>\n You can read more about Australia\u2019s new defence plan here:<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.24 EDT<\/p>\n Good morning, I\u2019m taking over from Martin Farrer and will be with you on the blog bringing you all the live news until this afternoon.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Government secures 250,000 tonnes of urea for fertiliser An extra 250,000 tonnes of agricultural-grade urea for fertiliser will come to Australia from Indonesia, under a new deal supported by the federal government.<\/p>\n That\u2019s around 20% of the fertiliser needed for the current planting season for Australian farmers, according to the Albanese government.<\/p>\n The arrangement was agreed by Incitec Pivot Fertilisers and PT Pupuk Indonesia, and supported by the Australian and Indonesian governments. The Albanese government has been seeking to support extra fuel and fertiliser supplies to replace those disrupted or cancelled by the Middle East conflict, with the news coming a day after the prime minister announced 100 million extra litres of diesel contracted from South Korea and Brunei.<\/p>\n That amount is little over a day\u2019s worth of the diesel Australia consumes, but Anthony Albanese has foreshadowed more deals coming soon.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a significant outcome for our farmers. We understand how critical fertiliser is for Australian farmers, for our food production system and the food security of our region,\u201d Albanese said of the fertiliser news.<\/p>\n double quotation markThis deal also shows why it\u2019s critically important that we have strong relationships with our regional partners.<\/p>\n Agriculture minister Julie Collins said the government had been \u201cworking day and night\u201d to secure more fertiliser supply.<\/p>\n double quotation markWhile this is a commercial deal, the Australian and Indonesian Governments have been working to support this positive outcome \u2026 This will mean Australia can continue to play an important role supporting food security in Indonesia and our region at a time of global uncertainty.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Albanese flies home early after refinery fire Anthony Albanese cut short his fuel security visit to Malaysia last night after a massive fire at one of Australia\u2019s two remaining fuel refineries.<\/p>\n The prime minister had been scheduled to arrive back in Sydney late tonight, but instead flew through the night to visit Geelong early this morning.<\/p>\n He will visit the Viva Energy site with the energy minister, Chris Bowen, and the defence minister and local MP, Richard Marles.<\/p>\n While the fire only damaged part of the facility, there are fears it could add to fuel shortages from the war in Iran, particularly in parts of Victoria.<\/p>\n An assessment of the fire\u2019s impact on fuel supply is expected in coming days.<\/p>\n![\"Catie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776376755_774_Caite_McLeod.png\")
Catie McLeod<\/p>\n![\"Josh](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776376755_5_Josh_Butler.png\")
Josh Butler<\/p>\n![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776376756_656_Tom_McIlroy.png\")
Tom McIlroy<\/p>\n