>>24334245

Middle powers must unite or be ‘on the menu’, Canada’s leader tells Australia

BEN PACKHAM and SARAH ISON - 4 March 2026

Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has urged Anthony Albanese to embrace his push for middle powers to band together to avoid being dominated and ­coerced by great powers like the United States, amid a “rupture” in the global order.

Mr Carney, who will deliver a historic address to the Australian parliament on Thursday, told the Lowy Institute that Canada and Australia needed to work together across artificial intelligence, critical minerals, space-based communications and semiconductors to safeguard their sovereignty in a world without clear, accepted rules.

Echoing his widely acclaimed speech at Davos in January, which was viewed as a major pushback against Donald Trump, he warned negotiating bilaterally with a “hegemon” meant negotiating from a point of weakness, and there were “enormous ­opportunities” for countries that worked in concert.

“Middle powers like Canada and, I would suggest, Australia should recognise that the rupture in the international system represents just that,” Mr Carney said.

“What that word means is a clear break from the past, and we need to act decisively to secure our shared future.”

His comments came ahead of the expected signing of a range of agreements, including on critical minerals and defence co-operation, and a deal for the countries’ retirement funds to work together to unlock investment opportunities.

Mr Carney said Canada’s strategic imperative was to build sovereign capabilities and resilience in critical sectors “with trusted partners like Australia”, declaring “anything is on the table”.

He said if countries like Canada and Australia worked together they could limit risk and build prosperity, rather than accepting the terms of the world’s great powers. “Great powers have been using economic integration as weapons, tariffs as leverage, ­financial infrastructure as ­coercion and supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited,” he said. “Countries cannot live within the lie of mutual benefit through integration, when integration ­becomes their source of subordination.

“Geostrategically, hegemons are increasingly acting without constraint or respect for international norms or laws, while others bear the consequences.”

In Mr Carney’s speech at Davos, he warned: “Middle powers must act together, because if we’re not at the table, we’re on the menu.”

The address has become a template for many nations on how to frame their relationships in the Trump era.

At the same time, Mr Carney said he looked to Australia for inspiration on how to deal with China, including on the need for clear guardrails in the relationship. “We take, from Australia, a number of lessons, in terms of how to engage with China … which is to be very clear about where we’re looking to co-operate and where we’re not,” he said.

Mr Carney will be given a full ceremonial welcome at Parliament House on Thursday before his address to MPs and senators in the House of Representatives.

He will also sit down for bilateral talks with Mr Albanese, call on Governor-General Sam Mostyn, and meet with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, who he knows from their time together at Oxford University.

Mr Carney’s visit to Australia follows a stop in India, where he and counterpart Narendra Modi pledged a “new partnership” with multi-billion-dollar deals and a commitment to strike a new free-trade agreement. Mr Carney told reporters in Sydney the trip was part of his reshaping of Canada’s international relationships.

“It is that mission that brings us to Australia for the first bilateral visit in this country in 20 years,” he said. “In investments, defence, security, critical minerals and artificial intelligence, Australia is a natural partner in these areas and many more.”

Australian Institute of International Affairs chief executive Bryce Wakefield said Mr Carney’s take on the breakdown of the rules-based order “may be a bitter pill for some in Canberra to swallow”.

But he said that the practical relations between small and middle powers that Mr Carney was calling for was already the reality in much of the rest of the world, including Australia’s immediate region.

“There are clear differences in alliance relations between Australia and Canada. While Carney has emerged as a critic of the Trump administration, we will not see Australia follow his lead in that direction,” Dr Wakefield said.

“Australia can – and probably will – get by while avoiding the attention of the Trump administration. That’s not an option for America’s nextdoor neighbour.”

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/middle-powers-must-unite-or-be-on-the-menu-canadas-leader-tells-australia/news-story/6c38e6aef68cdf10ba633a06b8ba7882

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ht4V7qFSWs

>>24334245

>>24343279

‘The world needs us’: Carney pushes Australia and Canada to deepen trade, defence ties

Matthew Knott and Peter Hartcher - March 4, 2026

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Australian and Canadian troops would move easily between each other’s military facilities under a new treaty-style agreement being pushed by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney as part of his campaign for middle powers to unite against coercion from global superpowers.

Carney – who electrified fellow world leaders in Davos, Switzerland with a dramatic speech about the end of the global rules-based order – will unveil his vision for a major deepening of defence and economic ties with Australia in a speech to a rare joint sitting of parliament on Thursday and in a formal meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

“Middle powers like Canada, and I would suggest Australia, should recognise that the rupture in the international system represents just that,” Carney told the Lowy Institute think tank on Wednesday evening, echoing his Davos speech.

“When we only negotiate bilaterally with a hegemon, we negotiate from weakness, we accept what’s offered, we compete with each other to be the most accommodating. And this isn’t sovereignty, it’s the performance of sovereignty.

“In a world of great power rivalry, countries like ours have a choice: compete with each other for favour, or combine to create a third path with impact.”

Carney said Canada was pursuing a “dense web of connections” with like-minded countries such as Australia to ensure they could not be subordinated by major powers.

“Middle powers have more power than many realise,” he said.

While both Canada and Australia backed the US and Israel’s initial strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Carney called for a “rapid de-escalation of hostilities” and a political solution to avoid the devastating consequences of a prolonged conflict in the Middle East.

Two of Carney’s most senior ministers – National Defence Minister David McGuinty and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne – foreshadowed Carney’s speech to parliament by telling this masthead they believed the Canada-Australia relationship, while strong, had been undervalued and needed to be lifted to a new level.

Reflecting previous remarks from his leader, Champagne said in an interview: “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu. If we don’t want to be on the menu, let’s organise a table where we have a seat.”

He called for Canada and Australia, which have two of the world’s reserves of critical minerals, to boost their economic resilience by working together on processing and refining so countries such as China could not turn off the supply of these essential resources, as it recently did to Japan.

“The world needs Canada and Australia,” Champagne said, arguing that “critical minerals will be akin to oil in the 21st century” in terms of their importance to the economy.

He said the fact that it had been 20 years since a Canadian prime minister visited Australia “tells you everything you need to know” about how the nations had failed to prioritise the relationship as they focused on courting Washington.

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>>24343285

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McGuinty said Canada wanted to pursue a “more direct and overt presence in the Indo-Pacific”, even as its closest neighbour and ally becomes increasingly assertive and self-interested under US President Donald Trump, who menacingly refers to Canada as the “51st state” of America.

“The prime minister’s speech in Davos really indicated clearly that things have changed,” McGuinty said.

“There will be hegemonic powers. They’re going to continue, and we’re all going to manage our relationship with them.

“But there’s another way, which is mid-powers come together; like-minded, values-driven democracies can come together and share on intelligence, security and defence. That’s what this mission here is about.”

Carney and his delegation’s visit to Australia comes between stops in India and Japan, as he seeks to diversify Canada’s trade and security ties away from a narrow focus on the US.

Arguing that both Canada and Australia had taken the relationship “for granted for a while”, McGuinty said that “its time has come”.

Asked how Australia and Canada should co-operate on defence, McGuinty said he would like the nations to formalise their partnership by striking what is known as a visiting forces agreement.

Visiting forces agreements, usually formalised by treaty, provide a legal framework for countries’ military personnel to operate in each other’s territories. Australia currently has such agreements with countries such as Japan, Fiji and the Philippines.

McGuinty said that “there’s an opportunity here for our military to have a further approachment, and this involves the exchange of officers, of personnel coming in and coming out, the use of different locations, bases … the sharing of personnel on our vessels, working together on air force matters, working together in Central Command”.

Australia and Canada, he said, should also conduct more joint military training exercises and pursue “mutual planning and execution of responsibilities in the Indo-Pacific”.

McGuinty said the Canadian and Australian defence ministers should also hold annual, or biannual, meetings to bed down the relationship, while seizing an “enormous opportunity” to partner on military technology.

Australia last year sold a new, long-range, over-the-horizon military radar system to Canada for $6.5 billion in the nation’s biggest defence export deal.

“Australia has a lot to teach Canada,” he said. “This is your backyard. We are a Pacific nation, but your scope, your reach, your experience in this region, is second to none. So we would very much like to co-operate and work and build on it.”

Champagne said the “name of the game” for critical minerals was refining and processing as he urged the nations to work together on this endeavour.

“That’s what we’re not scaled,” he said. “I mean, we’re good at exploration and extraction. But I would say … where we have not stepped up in the way we need to is on the refining and processing.”

https://www.theage.com.au/politics/federal/the-world-needs-us-carney-pushes-australia-and-canada-to-deepen-trade-defence-ties-20260304-p5o7a7.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF2s3TW61jw

>>24334245

Canadian PM Mark Carney urges new ‘trusted coalitions’ across critical minerals, defence, AI

BEN PACKHAM - 5 March 2026

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Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney has called for a new alliance-like relationship between his country and Australia across defence, critical minerals and technology, to avoid being dictated to by “hegemons” like the US and China.

In a rare address to both houses of Australia’s parliament on Thursday, Mr Carney said the geographically distant nations were “strategic cousins” and needed to work together to build resilience and autonomy amid a “rupture” in the global order.

Reprising his speech at Davos in January which saw him shoot to global acclaim, the centre-left leader and former banker urged Anthony Albanese to embrace his vision for middle powers to band together to build sovereign capabilities and shape the global order.

“In a post-rupture world, the nations that are trusted and can work together will be quicker to the punch, more effective in their responses, more proactive in shaping outcomes, and ultimately more secure and prosperous,” he said.

“Middle powers like Australia and Canada hold this rare convening power. Because others know we mean what we say and we will match our values with our actions.”

Mr Carney opened his speech by paying tribute to Australian firefighters who helped defend his home province of Alberta from record bushfires last summer.

“This is just one of the many testaments to the profound friendship between our two nations,” he said.

Mr Carney said Canada was developing a “dense web of connections to build our resilience and strategic autonomy”, urging Australia to join its coalitions of like-minded partners across a range of critical areas.

He said Australia and Canada, as mining giants and “critical mineral superpowers”, could inject trust into the vital strategic market.

“In the old world and even to a degree today, the temptation has been to see ourselves as competitors,” Mr Carney said.

“In this new world, we should be strategic collaborators. To boost investments, accelerate technical co-operation, enhance supply chain resilience, expand our domestic processing abilities, while boosting our strategic autonomy.”

In defence, he called for closer co-operation on space technology, on top of the countries’ historic deal for Canada to purchase $6bn worth of Australian radar technology.

“As we have seen in Ukraine, turning off these networks can cripple a nation fighting for its existence. Middle powers must have choices – and Canada does,” he said.

“A Canadian-based constellation of LEO satellites will launch next year to provide reliable and secure global communications. We are working with other like-minded partners who possess similar capabilities to build out a deep and resilient system we can all share and control in our own territories.”

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Mr Carney said the middle powers also needed to work together on artificial intelligence, “so we are not caught between hyper-scalers and hegemons”.

He said closer trade and capital ties would anchor the partnership, helping to deliver good jobs in both countries.

“The world will always be shaped by great powers. But it can also be shaped by middle powers that trust each other enough to act with speed and purpose,” Mr Carney said.

“Canada and Australia have demonstrated that trust again this week.”

Prime MInister Albanese welcomed his counterpart to the parliament noting it was a Canadian, Henry Ross, who first raised the Southern Cross at the Eureka Stockade on the Ballarat goldfields.

“In other words, Prime Minister, Canadian rebels with bold ideas have always been welcome here in Australia. That is because our countries have always recognized something of ourselves in each other,” he said.

Quoting Labor wartime prime minister John Curtin, Mr Albanese said that in a world where no nation could stand alone, “we shall discover how and by what means we can best stand with and for each other”.

“More than eight decades, even in a new world order, that old test endures. Technology is changing the nature of conflict and heightening the risk and cost of escalation, and if ever nations such as ours had the luxury of imagining that distance alone kept us safe, those days are certainly gone,” he said.

Mr Carney was given a full ceremonial welcome at Parliament House before his address to MPs and senators in the House of Representatives.

He sat down for bilateral talks with Mr Albanese and senior cabinet ministers, was due to call on Governor-General Sam Mostyn, and meet with Opposition Leader Angus Taylor, who he knows from their time together at Oxford University.

Mr Carney’s visit to Australia follows a stop in India where he and counterpart Narendra Modi pledged a “new partnership” with multibillion-dollar deals and a commitment to strike a new free-trade agreement.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/carney-urges-new-trusted-coalitions-across-critical-minerals-defence-ai/news-story/85e69ddc7298480380b3861cb62ce3b9

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cjxO0s9SEI

>>24318774

>>24334245

Canadian PM Mark Carney and Anthony Albanese brush off calls for Middle East ceasefire

Stephen Dziedzic - 5 March 2026

Anthony Albanese and Mark Carney have brushed off calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East as the war widens, with Iran launching missiles at Türkiye and a United States submarine sinking an Iranian navy vessel off Sri Lanka.

The prime ministers of Australia and Canada both fielded questions on the conflict at a joint press conference in the wake of Mr Carney's high-profile address to federal parliament today, where he again called for middle powers to band together in the face of coercion from superpowers.

Mr Carney yesterday called for a de-escalation in the Iran war, and Mr Albanese echoed that today saying "the world wants to see a de-escalation and wants to see Iran cease to spread the destinations of its attacks".

But Mr Albanese said Australia also wanted "objectives achieved" from the war, saying the "possibility of Iran getting a nuclear weapon" had to be "removed once and for all".

"I also want to see a removal of the ongoing threat that has been there for such a long period of time, of Iran endangering peace and security and stability, not just in its own region, but here in Australia," he told reporters in Canberra.

Mr Carney also declared that while he wanted to see a broader de-escalation of hostilities, "that cannot be achieved unless we're in a position that Iran's ability to acquire a nuclear weapon, develop a nuclear weapon and to export terrorism is ended."

"So, that process must lead to those outcomes," he said.

While Canada's defence minister earlier this week called for a ceasefire in the Middle East, Mr Carney today said that call was premature.

"Before there can be a ceasefire, there needs to be a de-escalation of hostilities. Right now we have a spreading of hostilities," he told reporters.

"And before we get there, there needs to be the ending of targeting civilians, civilian infrastructure. Those are necessary conditions before ceasefire can exist."

Mr Carney said he could never "categorically rule out participation" in the conflict by the Canadian military, although he stressed again that Canada had played no role in the initial strikes.

Carney address well-received

The two leaders were speaking in the wake of Mr Carney's address to federal parliament, during which he called Australia and Canada "strategic cousins" and once again declared that the post-World War II order had dissolved.

Senators and MPs from across the political spectrum gathered in the lower house to hear his speech, which was greeted with warm and sustained applause across the aisle.

Mr Carney said the existing order was breaking down due to consecutive crises, and both Australia and Canada had to form new coalitions with fellow middle powers and help shape global rules.

"In the post-rupture world, the nations that are trusted and can work together will be quicker to the punch, more effective in their responses, and more proactive in shaping outcomes," he said.

"It is my fundamental belief — the result of an optimism I may have picked up from this great country — that from this rupture we can build something better, more prosperous, more resilient, more just."

The two leaders also unveiled a host of fresh agreements between the two countries, including a new pact on clean energy, a biennial defence ministers' meeting, an annual economic ministers' meeting, and agreements to strengthen collaboration on space and emergency management.

They also promised to pursue "common positions on key critical minerals issues", with Australia joining Canada's G7 Critical Minerals Production Alliance.

Both countries promised to align the work being done between their strategic reserves of critical minerals.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-05/mark-carney-and-albanese-brush-off-middle-east-ceasefire-calls/106419916

>>24318774

>>24338592

‘Military assets’ deployed to Middle East, Anthony Albanese says

Anthony Albanese confirmed the detail during question time, while giving an update on the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Jack Nivison - March 5, 2026

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Australian “military assets” have been deployed in the Middle East, Anthony Albanese says, as part of the nation’s contingency response to the thousands of Australians stranded in the conflict zone.

The Prime Minister made the comment during Question Time on Thursday while providing an update on the second flight departing from the region to Australia.

“I confirm right now another flight, EK414 is in the air with over 200 Australians on board,” he said.

“It departed Dubai at 9.16am today Canberra time, bound for Sydney and we are hopeful of more flights in the air today which is what we want to see,” he said.

“The most recent advice is another two flights are scheduled to depart to Australia today.”

Mr Albanese said he knew there were still “many Australians” who were waiting for an opportunity to get home.

He described the situation in the region as “volatile”, “dangerous” and “fast-moving.”

Mr Albanese then referenced the deployment of six crisis teams to the Middle East, as well as “military assets as part of our contingency planning earlier this week”.

The deployment of military assets in the Middle East has yet to be confirmed by the Foreign Minister, who has repeatedly ducked questions around the involvement of military personnel in the conflict zone.

It is understood a Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster heavy transport aircraft and KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker Transport had been deployed as part of planning to assist Australians seeking to leave the Middle East under Operation Beach.

Repatriation via commercial flights remained the government's focus, however, having been deemed the “fastest way to get Australians out quickly and at scale”.

Neighbouring New Zealand announced on Thursday it would send two defence planes alongside consular staff to assist citizens to get home.

Liberal Senator James Paterson earlier said the Coalition was seeking “urgent clarification” about what assets had been deployed and to which countries.

“For what purpose was this deployment conducted? And, if there are Australian military assets in the region, when will they take Australians on board and bring them home?” He said.

“It’s up to the Prime Minister to explain what’s happening, because there are 115,000 Australians waiting for answers, but they’ve got none from their government.”

Deputy Opposition Leader Ted O’Brien said the government had been “at least one day behind” since conflict broke out.

Asked if all 115,000 Australians should be entitled to a repatriations flight, Mr O’Brien said his “point is even in the lead up to the strikes beginning, the Australian government has found it wanting”.

“It’s a mystery from the Australian government about what their contingency plan is. We’re calling on the government to clarify that plan,” he said.

Speaking during question time, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said: “We have already deployed military assets as part of our contingency planning earlier this week.

“We will continue looking at all options we have available to us, engaging partners and taking action to support efforts to keep Australians safe.”

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First group of Aussies return home

On Wednesday, more than 200 weary Australians have touched down on home soil on the first flight out of the Middle East since conflict erupted in the region, abruptly closing the airspace.

The first of four confirmed repatriation flights from the UAE landed in Sydney where friends and family were seen waiting anxiously in the arrivals terminal at Kingsford Smith International Airport for their loved ones.

The progress of the Dubai-Sydney Emirates flight was being closely monitored by about 39,000 people on Flightradar24, making it the most watched plane in the world, as reported by travel publication Karryon.

Emotional scenes unfolded at the airport as hundreds of Australians streamed out to reunite with their family and friends.

A Port Stephens mother, Sheree, told 9 News she was eagerly awaiting the arrival of her son, who had been making his way to Rome before he became stranded in Dubai following reports of explosions from Iranian rockets being fired at the city.

“It has been quite nerve-racking, quite stressful and very worrying. It was very scary on the ground for him, they weren’t allowed out of their motels because of falling shrapnel from the intercepted drones and bombs, and he was just quite stressed out,” she said.

While video-calling her son, Sheree said her son was forced to hang up as bombs exploded nearby.

Speaking on Thursday morning, Foreign Minister Penny Wong told Today she was “on the edge of (her) seat” watching footage of the flight touch down, and that she hoped more Australians would be returning home soon.

“Can I just say how wonderful it was to see that footage of people at the airport and to see people coming home and being greeted,” Senator Wong said.

“Yesterday, we knew the plane was scheduled to take off and I think we were all on the edge of our seats hoping it would, because there was always a possibility if there had been a strike or if it wasn’t safe that it would be cancelled,” she said.

Senator Wong confirmed another three repatriation flights were scheduled to depart from the UAE on Thursday morning, with the next one scheduled to leave for Sydney at 2am local time (9am AEDT) and a second due to leave for Melbourne at 10am local time (5am AEDT).

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is currently advising Australians not to travel into or through Dubai because of the potential for “retaliatory strikes” launched by Iran in the aftermath of US-Israeli attacks on Tehran.

Four staff members at Dubai Airport were injured on Sunday when an explosion tore through a concourse, and the Burj Al Arab received “minor damage” when local authorities intercepted a drone laden with explosives, with no injuries reported.

https://www.news.com.au/world/middle-east/first-stranded-aussies-touch-down-in-sydney-as-iran-crisis-worsens/news-story/6d82db930ffdccf77f3558bfbd74e8a2

>>23978158

>>24318774

Iran regime removal will cut global antisemitism, Ryvchin says

JOE KELLY - 5 March 2026

Alex Ryvchin, co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, says the removal of the Iranian regime will result in a “curtailment in antisemitic activity” across the globe – including in Australia – and foster greater engagement between Israel and the Arab world.

Speaking in Washington DC, where he is meeting White House officials and members of the US congress to discuss the experience of the Jewish community in Australia, Mr Ryvchin said he hoped the Iranian people could “return to modernity and not be dragged into this medievalism that the Islamic Revolution brought”.

In America at the invitation of the World Jewish Congress, Mr Ryvchin said Australian Jews had “experienced the single sharpest decline in physical security of any community in the world”.

“As an Australian, I’m still astounded to be saying those words,” he said. “Over the past couple of days, I have had meetings and engagements at the United Nations.”

“We’ve met with officials from the White House and the State Department, and members of congress, to talk about what happened in Australia, to remind them of the stories of the dead (and) the victims who suffered so cruelly on that day.”

Referencing the Bondi Beach terror attack in December, Mr Ryvchin said there was a “lesson to be learned from the Australian experience”.

“We see clearly the path to a massacre – the progression from words chanted on city streets and in national landmarks, the way that destabilised and divided our society, which created an opportunity for foreign actors and even organised crime in Australia to carry out devastating firebombings,” he said.

“We saw a terrorist cell embed itself within our country, acquire weapons lawfully, train, carry out reconnaissance and ultimately carry out a horrific, barbaric terrorist attack, leaving 15 people dead. Virtually undetected, the attack was carried out.”

Mr Ryvchin said Australian Jews still did not feel safe, and the “process towards restoring our way of life … will be a long one”.

However, he expressed gratitude to Donald Trump for “joining with Israel to take decisive action against the Iranian regime”, noting it had extended its reach all the way to Australia, where it was “able to carry out at least two devastating terrorist attacks on our soil”.

He said the removal of the Iranian regime would “make the world a safer place” and “open up enormous opportunities for greater regional engagement with Israel and the Arab world”.

Mr Ryvchin said that prior to the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran enjoyed cordial relations with Israel, and he hoped the military campaign would ultimately lead to greater “integration and harmony in the Middle East that will have an effect on global relations between Muslims and Jews”.

“And I think we’ll see curtailment in antisemitic activity. I really feel that,” he said.

Noting the strong support of Anthony Albanese for the military operation against Iran, Mr Ryvchin said the Prime Minister’s comments were “well received by the Jewish world and heard here in the United States as well”.

“I’m very glad that Prime Minister Albanese was supportive of the action taken and sees the merit in preventing such an aggressive violator of international norms from acquiring nuclear weapons,” he said.

Mr Ryvchin was hopeful that the action against Iran would lead to a fresh start for the Iranian people, saying they needed to be able to “chart their own course, choose their own leaders”.

This meant a “system of government that respects the rights of the people and also poses no threat abroad”.

“We need to see the Iranian people be able to live in freedom and dignity, and when they have a government that respects that, I think we’ll see a great benefit to countries around the world as well,” Mr Ryvchin said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/iran-regime-removal-will-cut-global-antisemitism-ryvchin-says/news-story/be40327db2eadb3b107ffd41ea50abd3