Issues of both foreign and domestic policy will be on the agenda for meetings between Albanese, Ardern, Robertson and Chalmers this week, writes Anna Rawhiti-Connell in The Bulletin.
Ardern, Robertson to meet Aussie counterparts
Prime minister Jacinda Ardern will travel to Sydney on Thursday to meet new Labor* party prime minister Anthony Albanese. Ardern referred to him as Albo at the post-cabinet press conference yesterday. A few people around me are trying to make “Ardo” happen but unless we get word that Albo is calling our PM that, you will not see it here. Grant Robertson is also heading over to meet his counterpart, Australian treasurer Jim Chalmers. Robertson will meet with Costco who are in the process of opening a store in Auckland – with reported plans (paywalled) for another in Christchurch – and green energy company, Fortescue Future Industries.
Ardern prepared to confront deportations with Albanese
On Ardern’s last visit to Australia she directly confronted Scott Morrison about the Australian policy of deporting residents with New Zealand citizenship on the grounds of bad character or a criminal record, even if they have lived their entire lives in Australia. Yesterday she said she would absolutely do it again. There was an interesting comment from an expert on gangs in Australia in this piece on Queensland’s gang legislation yesterday. Queensland University of Technology’s Mark Lauchs said “Australia’s exported the Comancheros, Rebels and Banditos to New Zealand, and then New Zealand will export them to the Pacific. Unintended consequences of legislation to protect us means we’re actually creating international networks for the clubs.” New Zealand deported 400 criminals to the Pacific between 2013 to 2018 with one expert saying these deportation policies “are exacerbating crime and addiction within Pacific nations.”
Domestic and foreign policy issues on the agenda
Taking a spin around Australian media yesterday, there will be common ground to discuss on domestic issues too. The reserve bank of Australia lifted the OCR to 0.85% from 0.35% (still a way behind our current rate of 2% but a big jump nonetheless). Liam Dann (paywalled) had a good chat with ANZ Australian chief economist Richard Yetsenga recently about the differences and similarities between the two country’s economies. On the global front, much of what they will discuss has been preempted. Both countries are signatories to the US-initiated Indo-Pacific economic framework (IPEF) and will attend the Pacific Islands forum. There’s been a bit of row among forum members over Micronesian countries feeling excluded which looks to have been sorted. The security pact between Australia, the UK and the US (AUKUS) will also be discussed, as, I imagine, will China.
Australia working to diversify trade relations
Albanese is currently in Indonesia (also a signatory to IPEF) where he’s been focused on expanding trade relationships with the country. Indonesia is the world’s 16th largest economy but projected to be the fifth largest by 2050. The Sydney Morning Herald’s James Massola writes that the bid to diversify Australia’s trade relationships is because of China, though no one will directly say that. Rob Scott is the CEO of Wesfarmers (which owns Bunnings and Kmart) and is on the trip with Albanese, which Massola again puts down to the company wanting to find an alternative to China for production and manufacturing.
*A rare fifth section
I can not be the only one who’s wondered about the missing “u” in Labor. In a very long read on the history of the Australian Labor party, Australian historian Ross McMullin puts it down to “the chap who ended up being in charge of printing the federal conference report”. There was a theory that the American spelling was influenced by American-born Australian politician King O’Malley but the ABC’s language research specialist, Tiger Webb, debunks it here.
