Key events
Dan Jervis-Bardy
Marles remains confident Trump administration won’t sink Aukus
The defence minister, Richard Marles, is speaking on Sky News from Perth ahead of the announcement of a $12bn investment in a Western Australian defence precinct linked to the Aukus submarine project.
The Henderson defence precinct – expected to cost $25bn over the decade – will be used to build surface vessels and to dock and sustain submarines including those to be delivered under the Aukus agreement.
The timing of the announcement is notable given the US is currently reviewing the submarine pact and has made no secret of the fact it wants Australia to raise defence spending to around 3.5% of GDP.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is also hoping to secure a first face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump when he travels to the US later this month.
On Saturday (Australian time), the Washington Post reported the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, had recently assured Marles that the Trump administration would not sink the Aukus deal.
Asked if he could confirm that report, Marles said:
Well, I’ve had numerous conversations with American counterparts, really, since the inauguration of the Trump administration, where there’s been really positive statements made about Aukus. So if you’ve asked me questions about this, as have many others, and I’ve said all along that I’m really confident about the proceeding of Aukus under the Trump administration.
Marles said he was aware when the Pentagon’s Aukus review would be finalised but said it wasn’t his place to reveal those details.
Asked about the prospect of an Albanese-Trump meeting, possibly on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Marles said:
I’m sure that at some point in the not too soon future, you’re going to see a meeting between two leaders
Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles will be appearing on ABC Insiders host this morning.
Marles is doing the rounds this morning with an earlier appearance on Sky News, followed by the Coalition’s Anne Ruston.
We will bring you the latest as it happens.
Good Morning
And welcome to another Sunday morning Guardian live blog.
Australia and Papua New Guinea are expected to sign a defence agreement as the country’s northern neighbour marks half a century of independence. The treaty is part of Canberra’s efforts to bolster its security presence in the region in response to geopolitical competitions with China and would see coordination between the militaries of both countries.
Supermarket chain Aldi will sell solar panel and battery packages making it the latest big box retail store to cash in on the renewables boom. The move means Aldi follows Bunnings and Ikea which have announced the development of their own solar installation arms.
I’m Royce Kurmelovs and I’ll be taking the blog through the day.
With that, let’s get started …