Turnbull Government
Macron says Australian PM lied to him over subs spat
French President Emmanuel Macron on Oct. 31 said Australia's prime minister outright lied to him over a cancelled submarine deal, deepening an already fraught diplomatic crisis.
"I don't think. I know," Macron said when asked by Australian media if Scott Morrison was untruthful in their private dealings.
Australia to ease 18-month-old border closure ’within weeks’
Australia will begin to reopen its borders next month, the country's prime minister said on Oct. 1, 18 months after citizens were banned from traveling overseas without permission.
Scott Morrison said vaccinated Australians would be able to return home and travel overseas "within weeks" as 80 percent vaccination targets are met.
Australia rejects French accusations of lying over subs deal
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sept. 19 rejected France's accusations Canberra lied about plans to cancel a contract to buy French submarines, saying he had raised concerns over the deal "some months ago".
An emergency meeting was held, the delta strain is spreading
Australian authorities have been forced to introduce a lockdown in Sydney due to the new epidemic wave and reintroduce restrictive measures in other parts of the country.
Reuters report states that 18 out of a total of 25 million Australians, or 70 percent of the population, are under some form of anti-epidemic restrictions in almost all parts of Australia.
Facebook to restore Australia news pages after deal on media law
Facebook said on Feb. 23 it will lift a contentious ban on Australian news pages, after the government agreed to amend a world-first law requiring tech giants to pay media companies.
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg and Facebook said a compromise had been reached on key aspects of the law, which was fiercely opposed by the tech companies.
In shock move, Facebook blocks news access in Australia
In a shocking act of retaliation on Feb. 18, Facebook blocked Australians from sharing news, a milestone in the increasingly frantic jockeying between governments, media and powerful tech companies that one Australian minister called "an assault on a sovereign nation" and abuse of power.
Australia's PM defends climate stance amid wildfire disaster
Australia's embattled Prime Minister defended his government's climate policy on Dec. 23, as authorities warned the wildfires crisis ravaging the country's most populous state could fester for months.
Around 200 wildfires were burning in four states, with New South Wales accounting for more than half of them, including 60 fires not contained.
Australian PM urges unity after surviving leadership challenge
Embattled Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull pleaded for unity Tuesday after narrowly surviving a leadership challenge as discontent with his rule boiled over less than a year before national elections.
Australia’s scandal-hit deputy PM quits
Australia’s scandal-hit deputy leader Barnaby Joyce announced Feb. 23 he was quitting and moving to the backbench amid claims of sexual harassment and controversy over an affair with a now-pregnant former aide.
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Sex scandal exposes faultline in Australia
A major rift opened up in Australia’s fragile ruling coalition on Feb. 16 as Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce refused to quit over an affair with a staff member and derided Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s condemnation of his behaviour as “inept.”
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