Chinese ships now heading around WA coastline, Anthony Albanese reveals

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******** ships now heading around WA coastline, Anthony Albanese reveals

The trio of ******** warships circling Australia are now off the WA coast, in line with Esperance, as Anthony Albanese insists the ADF is keeping a close eye on their movements.

But the Prime Minister has refused to say whether reports that Papua New Guinea had a two-week heads-up about the Peoples Liberation Army-Navy movements were correct or passed on to Australia.

Defence said the three ships — a frigate, a cruiser and a replenishment vessel — were about 1055km southeast of Perth on Sunday morning.

The task group has been heading steadily west for the past week, after conducting surprise live-fire exercises in the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand.

Camera IconRoyal *********** Navy sailors on HMAS Arunta keeping watch on People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLA-N) Fuchi-class replenishment vessel Weishanhu and Jiangkai-class frigate Hengyang in the Tasman Sea. Credit: ADF/Royal *********** Navy

Mr Albanese originally said Australia had been given notice of the live firing in line with usual practice, but it emerged in estimates hearings last week that Defence in fact found out from Airservices Australia, after it was alerted by a Virgin Australia pilot who had to divert their plane upon hearing a broadcast from the ******** ships.

PNG Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko was reportedly briefed about the ships’ movements by the ******** ambassador in his country at least two weeks ahead of time.

Mr Albanese wouldn’t comment on whether PNG has passed the intelligence on.

“Well, what we don’t do at press conferences is relay what intelligence information the *********** government receives,” he told reporters in Sydney.

Shadow home affairs minister James Paterson said the ******** had clearly sent warships to the region “to make a diplomatic point” and Australia would be unwise if it didn’t heed the message.

“It’s absolutely remarkable that after a quote-unquote stabilised relationship between Australia and China, our comprehensive strategic partner, that they are giving weeks’ heads up to the PNG government of these exercises, but no notice at all to the *********** Government, despite the Prime Minister’s claims to the contrary,” he told ABC’s Insiders.

“We need to use all the tools available in our diplomatic arsenal to push back on this.”

Shadow defence minister Andrew Hastie said the overt signal of China’s military strength should remind Australians we couldn’t take anything for granted.

He and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton announced on Sunday the Coalition would put aside at least $3 billion to purchase another 28 F-35s, restoring a planned fourth squadron of the fighter planes that the Government cancelled in its budget last year and burning the total number up to 100.

“We are geographically isolated. We have very vulnerable lines of trade and communication – they need to be protected,” Mr Hastie told Sky News.

“The only way you can do that is by investing in your Defence Force.”

However, he said details of any extra funding needed to build more hangars or retain extra flight crew would be negotiated and detailed once the Coalition won office.

Mr Albanese said the ******** task group had been monitored by *********** or New Zealand ships and surveillance aircraft throughout their journey.

Currently the frigate HMAS Stuart – which is capable of air defence and surface and undersea strikes as well as surveillance – is tracking the ships.

“The Liberal Party must think people are goldfish here,” Mr Albanese said.

“In 2019 on Scott Morrison’s watch, there were ******** warships not around the coast, in Sydney Harbor, pulled up to Garden Island there given the welcome mat under the former Coalition government. In 2022 there were surveillance ships from China off the coast of Western Australia.

“There was no monitoring at that time, no monitoring whatsoever by the former government.”

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