China claims RAAF aircraft ‘illegally’ entered its airspace after flares incident
Sarah Basford Canales
China has hit back at Australia for “illegally” entering its airspace over the South China Sea after the acting prime minister, Richard Marles, condemned a Chinese fighter jet for letting off flares “very close” to an Australian surveillance plane on Sunday.
On Monday, Marles said the Chinese jet’s “unsafe and unprofessional” conduct had been dangerous for the Royal Australian Air Force personnel and their large aircraft, known as a P-8A Poseidon.
The incident is the most recent in a spate of similar encounters over recent years between Australian and Chinese defence forces in strategically important and contested areas.
The PLA Southern Theater’s Air Force spokesperson Li Jianjian told Chinese media the Australian aircraft had “illegally” entered its airspace over the Paracel, or Xisha, islands – an island whose sovereignty is disputed between China, Vietnam and Taiwan.
Li said Australia’s actions “seriously violated” China’s sovereignty and could have “easily triggered maritime and aerial accidents”:
We sternly warn the Australian side to immediately stop such provocative moves. The theatre forces remain on high alert at all times and will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and regional peace and stability.
Key events
Chalmers not worried about trade retaliation from China over rare earths deal
The questions move onto an $8.5bn framework agreement on rare earths between the US and Australia. Of the deal, which is not enforceable or legally binding, Chalmers says:
It will deliver tangible results for workers and businesses, communities, mining communities in particular, whether it comes to mining or refining and processing. So whatever legal status you want to apply, it is an extremely good outcome for Australia and its people and our economy. This is an area where we have extraordinary advantages and we intend to maximise those advantages in the framework today which was agreement between the prime minister and the president should be seen in that light.
Asked if he is concerned about potential trade retaliation from China following the agreement, Chalmers says:
I do not believe so. I say the same thing about the Chinese relationship that I said in Washington DC about the US relationship. I think both of those countries understand that Australia engages in good faith with ouit trading partners whether they be in Beijing whether they be in Washington … and we do that consistent with Australia’s National economic interests.
Chalmers says ‘Kevin handled that quite well actually’
The federal treasurer, Jim Chalmers, is speaking on the ABC’s Afternoon Briefing following Anthony Albanese’s first formal visit with President Donald Trump in Washington DC.
Chalmers heralds the meeting as “an outstanding success … by any measure”. Immediately, he is asked to weigh on in Trump’s “I don’t like you either” exchange with the Australian ambassador, Kevin Rudd. He says:
Kevin handled that quite well actually, and I don’t think anyone who has seen the extraordinary amount of work that Kevin has put into this meeting and our engagement with the US and the administration more broadly would conclude anything other than he has been an important force for good for Australia in Washington DC. I have seen that for myself, I work closely with him on the economic partnership, and as I said I spent time with him last week in Washington DC. The government is grateful for his work and personally I think we very are fortunate to have him there.
Salman Rushdie returning to Australia for first time since 2022 US attack
The novelist Salman Rushdie will return to Australia next year for the first time since a 2022 attempt on his life.
Rushdie will speak at Melbourne Town Hall on 17 August in a Wheeler Centre event and deliver the opening address the Festival of Dangerous Ideas (Fodi), which he last headlined in 2014, at Sydney Town Hall on 21 August.
The acclaimed author of Midnight’s Children and The Satanic Verses released the memoir Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder in 2024, after an attack during a literary gathering in western New York state in 2022 left him severely wounded. He lost the use of his right eye.
In a statement today, Rushdie said:
The last time I came to Sydney, I spoke at Fodi about the freedom to write – a freedom that is key to every open society. This time, I return to speak about the price we pay for ideas. Because today, the simple act of expressing a thought – in a book, on a stage, online – is no longer just a matter of liberty. It is, too often, an act of courage. And in that courage, we find both the danger and the necessity of continuing to speak.
The man found guilty of Rushdie’s attempted murder was sentenced to 25 years in prison in May.
Body of a man located after reports of overturned canoe
The body of a man has been located after a search for a missing worker at a dam in western New South Wales this morning.
In a statement, NSW police said about 7.30am today, emergency services were called to Clover Hills, about 42km south of the town of Oberon, following reports a canoe had overturned.
Officers arrived and began searching for two men with assistance from the State Emergency Service. A man believed to be aged in his 30s was able to swim ashore. The body of a 29-year-old man was located in the water about 9.15am.
Police said the incident would be investigated by SafeWork NSW and a report would be for prepared the coroner.
Ariel Bogle
More than 1,000 guns and parts seized in illicit weapon crackdown
Authorities have seized more than 1,000 firearms and gun parts in a crackdown on the spread of illicit weapons in Australia and New Zealand.
The week-long transnational operation led to more than 180 arrests, according to the Australian Border Force, and the seizure of 281 privately manufactured firearms and parts, including those made by 3D printers.
In New South Wales, police located multiple 3D printers alongside Glock-style pistols, magazines and 3D-printed holsters, among other items.
A Guardian investigation in September tracked the growing challenges posed to Australia’s gun control regime, including the trade of stolen firearms and the emergence of 3D-printed firearms across the country.
NSW police said they arrested 45 people and seized 518 firearms and firearm parts as part of the operation. Multiple individuals were charged with offences including the manufacture of prohibited firearms without a licence, importing prohibited goods and possessing a digital blueprint for manufacture of firearms – a crime in some states.
Penry Buckley
Former NSW Coalition government overspent by $1bn on new Blue Mountains trains
A report into the procurement of intercity trains in New South Wales, some of which have only just come into service in the Blue Mountains five years late, has found the government overspent by $1bn because of “foreseeable changes”.
The report by the NSW auditor general, Bola Oyetunji, published today, has found Transport for NSW “did not effectively procure” two new rail fleets in NSW, the New Intercity Fleet (Nif) and the Regional Rail Fleet (RRF).
Originally budgeted at $2.8bn, the Nif’s cost to date is $4.5bn. The report found $1bn of that overspend was due to “foreseeable changes … resultant delays and the cost impacts of avoidable industrial action”.
In one instance, the report found the department decided that seating capacity per carriage on two of the lines could be reduced. But later, amid the risk of potential overcrowding, it procured almost 100 additional carriages at an increased cost of as much as 63%.
The auditor general also found the department did not engage effectively with drivers and guards. After the fleet was initially touted as driver-only operated, the government reached an agreement in November 2022 with the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) to revert to a traditional driver-guard model following a longstanding dispute.
The first Nif or “Mariyung” trains started operating on the Blue Mountains line on Monday last week, following the Central Coast line in December last year. Delays to their introduction in the Blue Mountains were in part due to the need to widen tunnels. The report found the cost of route clearance was $149m, 72% more than initial estimates, even though the department was “fully aware” that the width of the new trains required the work.
Nick Visser
That’s all for me, thanks for sticking with us so far. Penry Buckley will be your shepherd on the blog for the arvo. Take care.
ANZ says all services should be back to normal
ANZ’s online status page says all systems should be operational after a brief service interruption, as we reported earlier this hour.
China claims RAAF aircraft ‘illegally’ entered its airspace after flares incident
Sarah Basford Canales
China has hit back at Australia for “illegally” entering its airspace over the South China Sea after the acting prime minister, Richard Marles, condemned a Chinese fighter jet for letting off flares “very close” to an Australian surveillance plane on Sunday.
On Monday, Marles said the Chinese jet’s “unsafe and unprofessional” conduct had been dangerous for the Royal Australian Air Force personnel and their large aircraft, known as a P-8A Poseidon.
The incident is the most recent in a spate of similar encounters over recent years between Australian and Chinese defence forces in strategically important and contested areas.
The PLA Southern Theater’s Air Force spokesperson Li Jianjian told Chinese media the Australian aircraft had “illegally” entered its airspace over the Paracel, or Xisha, islands – an island whose sovereignty is disputed between China, Vietnam and Taiwan.
Li said Australia’s actions “seriously violated” China’s sovereignty and could have “easily triggered maritime and aerial accidents”:
We sternly warn the Australian side to immediately stop such provocative moves. The theatre forces remain on high alert at all times and will resolutely safeguard national sovereignty, security, and regional peace and stability.
ANZ experiencing banking outage on app and internet service
ANZ is experiencing an outage that has locked many customers out of their mobile app and internet banking services.
The bank said it is experiencing an “issue” affecting its payment processing and intra-day reporting systems.
“Technology teams are currently investigating the issue and will provide further updates when available,” the bank said.
The company noted some payments will appear as “in progress”. The bank also said some account details are “not able to be viewed” at this time.
