Category Archives: Dan Tehan

Morrison and Modi witness trade deal signing; Australia records 25 Covid deaths – as it happened

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Australian states and territories report 25 Covid deaths; damaging winds hit parts of NSW along with hazardous surf and abnormally high tides. This blog is now closed

Some more on the refugees who have been released. AAP reports 20 refugees were released from detention on Friday night, including ten from Melbourne’s Park Hotel:

It comes three weeks after 13 refugees were released from detention centres in Melbourne and Brisbane.

At the time, advocates said nine men were released from the Park Hotel, along with one other in Broadmeadows and three men in Brisbane.

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‘Someone lied’: French foreign minister accuses Australia of submarine betrayal in latest broadside

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Jean-Yves Le Drian says Australia reassured France everything was fine right up to the day the Aukus pact was announced

France has accused Australia of lying shortly before Canberra cancelled a major submarine contract, with the French foreign minister declaring “someone lied”.

With no sign of any imminent easing of tensions between the two countries, Jean-Yves Le Drian told a parliamentary hearing that Australia had never expressed doubts about the €56bn (A$90bn) submarine contract or the strategic Indo-Pacific pact before breaking the contract.

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Dan Tehan says EU free-trade negotiations are ‘business as usual’ despite tensions with France

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Trade minister says Australia has a strong relationship with Europe and it is sometimes necessary to have ‘difficult conversations’

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The federal trade minister, Dan Tehan, insists Australia’s free-trade agreement negotiations with the European Union are “business as usual”, despite growing unease over Australia’s treatment of France during the finalisation of the Aukus deal.

Tehan’s trip to Europe early next month will now be partly spent trying to smooth over tensions with the European Commission which has asked for a “please explain” over Australia’s dealings with its key member state France, in both cancelling a $90bn submarine contract, and entering into a strategic Indo-Pacific agreement which excludes Europe.

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UK expected to offer post-Brexit trade deal to Australia

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Gradual tariff-free deal will be victory for free-trade Brexiters but will likely alarm UK farmers

UK ministers are expected to offer Australia a trade deal which will gradually eliminate all tariffs and quotas, one seen as a victory for free-trade Brexiters in the cabinet but likely to prompt alarm among UK farmers.

Downing Street did not deny reports on Friday that the likely offer to Australia would be a transition to zero quotas and tariffs over 15 years, although insisted discussions were still taking place.

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