Australia Live News Update: Scott Morrison And South Korean President Moon Jae-In Sign $1bn Defence Deal; Queensland Border Reopens – The Guardian Australia

A group of male koalas from Victoria’s Strzelecki Ranges will be brought to Adelaide as part of a new breeding program aimed at securing the survival of the species.

The koalas are expected to arrive in coming weeks to join a group of disease-free male and female koalas at the Cleland Wildlife Park in the Adelaide Hills.

The Cleland population, including some koalas rescued from the 2020 Kangaroo Island bushfires, is considered to be the only sanctuary-managed colony free from both chlamydia and koala retrovirus in Australia.

Environment minister David Speirs says the transfer of the koalas is part of a bold conservation initiative that will help secure the survival of the species.

Catastrophic events like last year’s bushfires across Australia significantly reduced koala numbers…

That’s why this unique breeding program, which will include the addition of the Strzelecki koalas, will help to safeguard populations and provide opportunities for research as a priority for the species’ long-term survival.

The Victorian koalas are being taken from a private forest plantation after assurances from wildlife authorities their removal was in the interests of conservation.

Koala Life, an independent not-for-profit organisation set up for the conservation and research of koala diseases, said the relocation would increase the number of disease-free genetically diverse animals, which would ultimately help to protect the species from future challenges.

Chief executive Chris Daniels:

It’s also an important step in our scientific breeding program and significantly assists our research into the species…

These koalas will form part of a breeding program that can support the long-term conservation of the species, particularly in response to natural disasters.

Thousands of Queenslanders will be enjoying dinner in their own homes on Monday at last after spending months trapped across the border in New South Wales.

The border between the two states reopened at 1am Queensland time.

Queensland’s police commissioner, Katarina Carroll, estimated that 50,000 vehicles would be crossing in the early hours of Monday morning, with long delays expected.

All vehicles were required to present a border pass that was only made available to those travelling from hotspots one hour before the border opened, leaving many already anxious travellers more worried about getting home.

You can read the full report below:

On the day borders reopen, Queensland has recorded one new locally acquired case, as well as two overseas-acquired cases and seven interstate-acquired cases, detected in hotel quarantine.

Moon’s response, to paraphrase, was basically: “Dude, we have a rogue nation with a bunch of nukes right above us that we are technically still at war with – yeah we are going to try and be friends with as many people as possible, mate.”

Moon:

With regard to the question on the relationship with China, that was your question: Korea and Australia uphold the same values and our position in terms of the geopolitical situation, we are like-minded.

First of all, in terms of our alliance with the US, it’s the basis of our diplomacy as well as security affairs and in terms of the economic relationship, of course, the relationship with China is important.

However, Korea has another factor to take into account and that has to do with the peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and also denuclearisation of DPRK. We need the constructive efforts of China to enable the denuclearisation of [the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea].

Therefore, Korea is focused on the steadfast alliance with the US and also with China; we want a harmonised relationship. And we want to maintain such a relationship and we will be putting in the efforts to make this happen.

And, of course, with regard to the relationship with China, there may be certain conflicts and there may be some issues of competition. However, if you look at climate change and the supply chain issue, and also in terms of pandemic and infectious diseases, there are global challenges and these are domains where we do need cooperation and collaboration.

Morrison:

I have absolutely no doubt that our only ambition between Australia and Korea is to ensure a peaceful and safe and free and open Indo-Pacific.

Where all nations in the region can trade openly and well and positively, free from any coercion and have their own choices about how they move forward.

Reporter:

President Moon, Australia, like South Korea, has faced billions of dollars in Chinese trade sanctions as punishment for domestic policy decisions. How should countries respond to Chinese economic coercion? And to Scott Morrison: how can Australia and Korea work together to counter Chinese economic coercion?

Morrison jumped in to answer first (perhaps as the question was being translated?).

I might start – the question has come from the Australian side. I would say this.

Australia and Korea are like-minded liberal democracies and we work together to ensure there are economic choices in the region. There is a strengthening of our capabilities both from defence security point of view and not just in the traditional, but also in the new areas of cyber and new technologies that occurs in a security space, but also occurs in an economic space.

The fact that we’re working together on critical minerals supply chains and rare earths, these are the critical minerals and rare earths that power and support a new energy economy. And so ensuring that there are trusted supply chains between like-minded countries is incredibly important for our region. It brings stability, it brings balance.

Moon says that this trip has nothing to do with China and Morrison immediately added:

When you are engaging with other countries in these types of contracts, it is an objective to be doing so with those countries who are like-minded in their outlook, and I think between Korea and Australia we share a very similar view and a similar aspiration for the Indo-Pacific.

Moon Jae-in has been asked by reporters if visiting Australia just days after the government decided on a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics was likely to upset South Korea’s relationship with China (which is always fairly strained anyway, given the issue of North Korea).

He was also asked if South Korea intend to issue a similar boycott.

Moon:

With regards to the Beijing Olympics on the diplomatic boycott, we have not received a request from any other country, including the United States, to participate in the diplomatic boycott. We are not considering a boycott measure.

With regards to AUKUS, we respect the decision made by the sovereign state, Australia, and this is the decision made by Australia as a sovereign nation and we respect that. And Australia is making efforts for peace and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region and within the region. Australia does not desire dispute arising in the region and, for peace, we will continue to cooperate with Australia.

And the state visit I make at this time has nothing to do with our position over China and we believe that between Korea and Australia it is very important that we cooperate over the core minerals and for the hydrogen economy and for the low-carbon emissions technology.

Moon:

Third, we agree to strengthen supply chain cooperation. Australia, the world’s richest country in mineral resources, and Korea, a major producer of batteries and electric vehicles, play an important role in the global supply chain.

Our two countries share the view that establishing a stable mineral supply chain is important not only for the two countries but also for the global economy, and we have signed the MoU on cooperation in the critical mineral supply chain.

We will systematically cooperate throughout the entire resource development cycle including mineral exploration, development, production and mining disaster management, further strengthening human exchange and technical cooperation.

Today, the two countries have set a new milestone in cooperation based on the solid friendship and trust we have built over the past 60 years. We will, together, prepare for a new era.

South Korea and Australia are also apparently great space buddies now!

Moon:

Second, we have agreed to nurture our key future industries together. The two countries declared to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and are focusing on a transition to a low-carbon economy.

Today, the prime minister and I signed the plan for low- and zero-emissions technology partnership by broadening the ecofriendly technologies such as hydrogen economy, solar power and carbon capture mechanisms. We will turn it into an opportunity to create new jobs and industries.

We have also decided to strengthen space cooperation. Australia established a space agency in 2018 and is spurring efforts to foster its space industry.

Korea has also set a new turning point for space development, with the launch of the new rocket this year. I hope that the MoU regarding space cooperation will enhance exchange and foster cooperation in fields from space exploration in the launch vehicle industry to satellite navigation, and I hope the agreement becomes a stepping stone for the two countries.

If you were wondering whether this is all a thinly veiled front to send a message to China about who really has power in the Indo-Pacific, here is Moon:

The prime minister actively supported the Korean people and the peace process and two countries continue working to the towards the lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula, and also peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region.

Moon is now delivering his speech in Korean. Luckily I’m fluent! (I’m not, I shall be using the ABC translation.)

Your excellency, prime minister Morrison, thank you very much for the warm hospitality. You have invited me as Australia’s first [leader] since the Covid-19 outbreak and today our two countries have formed a close cooperative relationship. I think this will be a great gift for the people of two countries to celebrate the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties …

Today the prime minister and I advanced our bilateral relations and elevated to a comprehensive Australian partnership. Together our two countries will leap forward as global leaders and look forward to moving towards a future of shared prosperity.

First, we agree to strengthen … strategic cooperation for fostering regional prosperity.

Morrison:

Australia and Korea have some of the highest vaccination rates double-dose of anywhere in the world, and so that is enabling our economies to open up and we see that today here in Australia as the borders come tumbling down there in – between Queensland and the rest of the country – and Australians are being reunited because of their effort to get vaccinated and to see families reunited, to see Australians coming together as we get to the end of this year.

This is encouraging, but I know the more than 123,000 Australians of Korean ancestry will be looking forward to seeing their friends, their family and them being able to join together. This has been made possible because of the outstanding achievements in Korea in managing Covid and I congratulate the president on their achievements.

We look to proceeding with the many agreements that we have announced today, whether in defence, defence materiel, the memorandum of understanding to establish an implementation plan for Australia and Korea’s low zero-emissions technology partnership that the president and I agreed we would proceed with when we met together in the UK at Carbis Bay at the G7.