00:00We're starting to see both sides of the call.
00:05So the Australian side confirmed that it happened overnight, and a lot of the usual elements
00:09that we're hearing from Anthony Albanese about this conflict here.
00:12So pushing for the aid to be getting into Gaza, wanting the release of the hostages,
00:19and then committing Australia's broader pursuit in support of a two-state solution.
00:24The Mahmoud Abbas side of it, so that's the president of the Palestinian Authority, based
00:28in the West Bank, it was interesting seeing some of his remarks being reported, suggesting
00:33that he viewed the role that Australia could have in helping to deliver peace and stability
00:38throughout the region, in that he viewed that via Australia recognising a Palestinian state.
00:43And the quote that was attributed there was saying it was positive that Australia was
00:47heading in the direction that it was heading in.
00:49It's sort of an interesting timing where you've got Australia inching ever towards this recognition
00:55of a Palestinian state.
00:57At times, Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong have talked about not wanting to do anything
01:02via symbolism and limiting Australia's ability to influence what's happening in the Middle
01:06East.
01:07So notable that Mahmoud Abbas would point to the role that Australia could have in joining
01:11that chorus of calls from world leaders like Canada, like the UK and France in pushing
01:17for recognition.
01:18It was just also notable that the Prime Minister confirmed that he would be meeting with Mahmoud
01:23Abbas on the sidelines of the United Nations meeting in September.
01:27Now that's the meeting at which France, UK and Canada will be recognising a Palestinian state.
01:33And you get the suspicion that if the government hasn't recognised by then, it will obviously
01:39be a question put to the Prime Minister in New York in September.
01:42But while you're having this meeting on the sidelines, it would be interesting to see what
01:45the framing of that is, if it is that Australia hadn't got to the point of recognition.
01:48Yeah.
01:49And inching towards it, as you say, is there any firmer sense of when Australia will recognise
01:54the state of Palestine?
01:55Yeah, I guess the difficulty for the government is this idea of it's a matter of when not if.
02:01It draws a contrast immediately with what are you as the Australian leader seeing that the
02:05leaders of France, the UK and Canada are not seeing.
02:09Penny Wong, when asked this morning about whether or not she would support sanctions being imposed
02:14on people like Benjamin Netanyahu or other elements of the Israeli government, talked about wanting
02:20to do things with allies and having greater impact when you do so.
02:23So the contrast there is that Australia isn't stepping out in this immediate moment with
02:28three of the closest allies that the Prime Minister has liked to respond to.
02:32And he's liked to be within the warm embrace of other allies in stepping out, in responding
02:37to this conflict.
02:38So no clear sense, but you also get that feeling that the government is very much laying the terrains
02:44with which it won't be a surprise when the moment comes that Australia does formally recognise
02:50the Palestinian state because of all of this foreshadowing that you've seen the Foreign
02:53Minister doing, the Prime Minister doing.
02:55Again, though, time and time again, they are repeating that as a sovereign nation, Australia
02:59will take that decision in its own time and not be dictated to by other nations as to when
03:04that recognition would happen.
03:05Brett, do we know when Anthony Albanese will speak with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu?
03:11Yeah, the latest we heard from Penny Wong this morning was that nothing has been formally
03:15locked in.
03:16You start to get the sense that this could be like the Donald Trump meeting, Gemma, where
03:20it's going to be a question that the Prime Minister will get day in, day out until it happens.
03:25There is clear tension that has existed in this relationship.
03:29When we saw the death of Zomir Frankum, Anthony Albanese was quite keen to come out afterwards
03:34and say that he had raised Australia's concerns direct with Benjamin Netanyahu.
03:38Benjamin Netanyahu has been a fierce critic of the Australian government, notably in recent
03:43months and the last year or so, particularly about the ways in which anti-Semitism has
03:47become a broader problem within the community.
03:49Benjamin Netanyahu has really taken aim at Anthony Albanese and saying the government has not
03:54done enough to keep Jewish people within Australia safe.
03:57So it also sits in that broader environment where we're hearing that Benjamin Netanyahu is
04:02bringing together his National Security Committee to work out what the next military steps are
04:06here. So as much as we don't know the firm timing, it does edge you towards the idea
04:12of Anthony Albanese has talked a lot about maintaining relationships with world leaders.
04:17He likes to think that he's a decent leader that has fair and frank conversations.
04:22And if you get the sense that Australia is edging towards this declaration of a Palestinian
04:25state, the kind of sense is that the Prime Minister is keen to talk to Benjamin Netanyahu
04:29before that happens. But, you know, the way these things move, anything could happen.
04:33And Brett, we've also seen the government confirm Japan will receive a $10 billion contract
04:38to build a new warship fleet. Can you tell us what we know about that so far?
04:44Yeah, it was an interesting one where this frigate contract is $10 billion. It was down
04:50to Germany and Japan to work out who would get it. We understand, via our colleague Stephen
04:56Jedgetts, that the National Security Committee of Cabinet signed off on it last night. Now,
05:00this Japanese bid is more expensive and some are saying it is a riskier element because
05:05the ship that Australia is getting here, as much as it is currently in the water in Japan,
05:10the upgraded version isn't. The government insists that in getting the more expensive ship,
05:16it is about capability as well as the best use of taxpayer money. And the Defence Minister,
05:21Richard Marles, when he was talking about it this morning, made a point of really comparing
05:24it to the ageing fleet that Australia currently has. So, these new ships will require fewer
05:30staff. It's just around half the number of people to crew it, and yet it's a bigger ship.
05:34And it's got greater firepower than what the German equivalent had as well. But sourcing again
05:40from Stephen Jedgetts has said that the United States was backing this push. The Japanese really
05:44leaned into the closer defence and strategic ties that we're seeing Australia and Japan having,
05:50and it will be a huge contract and hopefully ships in the water by, by 2029.
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