Scott Morrison asks Washington embassy to investigate attack on Australian TV crew

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

This was published 3 years ago

Scott Morrison asks Washington embassy to investigate attack on Australian TV crew

By Anthony Galloway
Updated

Australia's relationship with the United States is being tested by the escalating chaos raging across the country and Donald Trump's invitation to join an expanded G7 group of nations alongside Russia.

In a blow to the US president's plan to expand the G7 without the inclusion of China, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday said inviting Russia back to the word's most exclusive group of nations would be unacceptable because it was a place "for frank conversations among allies and friends".

Mr Morrison accepted Mr Trump's invitation to attend a September G7 meeting in a phone call on Tuesday morning shortly after an Australian reporter and her cameraman were attacked by police while covering riots in Washington.

According to senior government sources, Mr Morrison was not aware of the attack on the Channel 7 crew at the time of the phone call. The Prime Minister later asked the Australian embassy in Washington to investigate and report back on how Australia should register its "strong concerns" with local authorities in Washington.

The Morrison government does not want to pass up the opportunity to participate in the G7, but is also hesitant to back the push to welcome Russia back into the group and sideline China.

Russia was kicked out of the then-G8 over its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

President Donald Trump threatened to deploy federal troops if state and local government leaders don't succeed in stamping out acts of violence and looting.

President Donald Trump threatened to deploy federal troops if state and local government leaders don't succeed in stamping out acts of violence and looting.Credit: AP

A federal government spokesperson said "membership is a matter for the existing G7 countries to decide".

"Australia's position and views on Russia are well known and won't change at all due to their involvement in G7+. It is in Australia's interests to participate regardless and we will continue to provide our views consistent with our values," the spokesperson said.

Advertisement
Loading

Senior government sources were on Tuesday emphasising that Mr Morrison's acceptance of the offer was no different to when he agreed to attend a G7 meeting last year on the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.

The hosts of G7 meetings have always been able to invite leaders who are not a part of the group, but Mr Trump's comments over the weekend went beyond this suggesting the world's most exclusive political club was "outdated" and calling for new additions including Australia, Russia, India and South Korea.

Herve Lemahieu, director of the power and diplomacy program at the Lowy Institute, said the Australian government knew it had to be cautious in responding to Mr Trump's invitation.

In the absence of bipartisan consensus in the US and agreement within the G7, Mr Lemahieu said Australia would look to downplay the significance of the invitation.

Loading

"We can't have Australia join at the expense of Russia being allowed back into the club," he said.

"Ultimately you don't want to alienate the Trump administration, you want to be seen to be reciprocating to what is a friendly gesture from the White House, so the best thing to do is portray this as a one-off."

In their phone call, Mr Morrison told Mr Trump he was pleased to take up the invitation as he had done last year when he was invited to the G7 meeting in France by Mr Macron.

Both leaders discussed the riots and unrest in the US and efforts to ensure it would be resolved peacefully, according to a readout of the phone call.

In his speech on Monday, Mr Trump threatened to deploy federal troops if state and local government leaders didn't succeed in stamping out the acts of violence and looting, which have been sparked by protests over the police killing of African-American man George Floyd in Minneapolis.

As tensions between the US and China rise, the Five Eyes foreign ministers discussed plans on Tuesday morning to develop new critical technologies and supply chains for key products.

In a key departure for the intelligence sharing arrangement which usually focuses on matters of security, Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne said the virtual meeting focused on "global challenges" including "critical tech and supply chains".

Most Viewed in Politics

Loading