Anthony Albanese to attend Pacific Islands Forum; countries urged to turn to each other, over China, for support; federal flood relief payments top $340m. Follow updates here.
Pacific Minister Pat Conroy has hit back at reports the Solomon Islands government blocked a handful of Australian aid workers from entering the country.
“The Pacific region should look to our security needs first within the Pacific, of which Australia is a member, and only go to outside partners when they have security needs that cannot be met,” he told ABC RN Breakfast.that aid workers from Australia had been blocked from entering Solomon Islands, while Chinese advisers are let in.
“There’s just a delay in processing these specific five visa applications, but there are many Australian aid workers in the Solomon Islands right now and many visas that have been processed over the last few months for entry.” Instead, Conroy said it showed the need to improve how the PIF worked and ensure it was representative of all regions involved.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Access to COVID-19 anti-viral medication expandedCheap tablets to treat COVID-19 are now available over the counter to people aged over 70.
Read more »
More Australians eligible for COVID-19 antiviral treatmentMillions more Australians will have access to life-saving antiviral COVID-19 treatment from tomorrow in a move to stem hospital admissions. 9News
Read more »
New COVID-19 jab rules to affect millions of AustraliansAn additional 7.5 million Australians are eligible for the fourth COVID-19 jab from today, sparking a surge in demand.
Read more »
Is North Korea hiding a bigger problem behind its COVID-19 outbreak?As with past outbreaks of disease in North Korea, one of the biggest concerns surrounding the country's COVID-19 outbreak is that Pyongyang's penchant for secrecy makes it hard to accurately gauge its severity. 9News
Read more »
Access to COVID-19 anti-viral medication expandedAccess to cheap antiviral medicine to fight COVID-19 is now available for all Australians aged over 70, after the federal government expanded eligibility. | micksfoley
Read more »
More Australians eligible for COVID-19 antiviral treatmentThe drugs will be available to everyone aged over 70 and those over 50 who have health conditions such as obesity or diabetes. 9News
Read more »