00:00Well, first, I don't disclose confidential discussions, but I make a couple of broad points.
00:05One, we don't engage in hypotheticals, we don't discuss hypotheticals, but secondly,
00:10the decision to commit Australian troops to a conflict will be made by the government of the day.
00:16Not in advance, but by the government of the day, and that's our position and it's been long established.
00:21Well, again, I'm not going to foreshadow everything that the Prime Minister will or won't say,
00:25but the conversation with his counterparts will cover economic security and human rights issues.
00:31We've been very clear about that, but we are being very clear that we want a balanced region
00:36where no one is dominated and no one dominates.
00:39We're seeing in my portfolio of the Pacific, China seeking to secure a military base in the region,
00:45and we're working very hard to be the primary security partner of choice for the region
00:49because we don't think that's a particularly optimal thing for Australia.
00:53Yeah, well, I'm happy to say that my most up-to-date information is that they are not observing
00:59the exercise, but the exercise hasn't started yet.
01:02It starts today.
01:03Have they?
01:03But I'm being very frank with you that it would be unusual for them not to observe it,
01:10and we'll adjust accordingly.
01:11Well, it means that we will obviously observe their activities and monitor their presence
01:16around Australia, but we'll also adjust how we conduct those exercises.
01:21People observe these exercises to collect intelligence around procedures,
01:28around the electronic spectrum and the use of communications,
01:33and we'll adjust accordingly so that we manage that leakage.
01:38Well, I think it'll be a two-way process, but when we conduct these exercises,
01:42we're always cognizant that they're being observed by people who want to collect information
01:46about how we work with our allies, how we communicate with our allies and partners,
01:52and you manage that accordingly in a sensitive way.
01:54That's what the Australian people would expect our Australian Defence Force to do,
01:58and we'll continue to do that.
01:59But again, I'll say that the Chinese military have observed these exercises since 2017,
02:05and it'd be very unusual if they didn't do that this time.
02:35So, let's go.
02:36So, let me know.
02:37Let's go.
02:38You
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