Australia news live updates: Julia Gillard says republic debate inevitable after Queen’s death but there’s no rush

Spike in Aussie drownings linked to Covid

The number of drowning deaths in Australia has reached its highest point in 25 years, according to figures released today by the Royal Life Saving Society and Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA).

Covid-19 has been blamed for helping to push up the tally as beachgoers are urged to know their limits, AAP reports.

There were 339 drownings nationwide in the 12 months to June 30, up from 295 the previous year and the highest reported tally since 1996. More than a third occurred in coastal locations.

The increase in drownings to its highest point since 1996 has been linked to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, such as travel bans, although the annual tally also includes 39 flood-related deaths.

Almost half of coastal fatalities happened more than 5km from a surf lifesaving service as Australians sought out secluded and unfamiliar beaches.

SLSA chief executive Adam Weir said:

“With many of these tragedies unfolding at remote and isolated locations, SLSA is appealing for the public to consider where they are recreating and understand their limitations.

Royal Life Saving Society Australia chief executive Justin Scarr said:

Increased drowning deaths in school-aged children is tragic and may be a sign of generational impacts of lessons missed due to COVID‐19.

Swimming and water safety lessons are critical to child safety.

The report predicted the temporary closure of pools and swim schools during the pandemic could impact Australians for years to come, with the industry struggling to recruit instructors and lifeguards.

‘We have to deal with’ growing relationship between Russia and China: Marles

The acting prime minister, Richard Marles, is asked about the comments that have come from Andrew Hastie, the shadow defence minister, who described President Xi and Putin’s meeting in Uzbekistan as a “monster relationship”.

Q: Is that a description you’d endorse?

Marles:

It’s not the language I would use, but we are seeing greater engagement between China and Russia.

We saw that in the meeting that occurred after the Winter Olympics. We’re seeing joint exercises undertaken by China and Russia in the North Pacific. This is a relationship which is growing and obviously it’s something that effects the strategic circumstances that we have to deal with and the complexity of those circumstances.

The world in which we are living is now a world in which the global rules-based order, which has been the basis of peace and prosperity, is being put under great strain and we’re seeing that in eastern Europe with Russia’s appalling invasion of Ukraine. But we’re seeing it in the Indo-Pacific as well. And rules around freedom of navigation in places like the South China Sea, that’s fundamentally important to Australia’s national interest. All of this is what we have to be dealing with.

Marles says it would be beneficial to operate submarines ‘operated elsewhere as well’

Q: Is the preferred option… a new design of boat able to be used by all three partner nations?

Marles says he’s “not in a position to go into that detail” but what he can say is that:

This is very much a collaborative trilateral process. You know, the UK and the US are working together with us to see Australia acquire this capability and it is very much a partnership between all three countries. And it’s very important that as we go forward the submarine capability that we have is one which is being operated by at least one other country so that we have a shared sustainment base and we have a shared experience of that platform.

Marles is asked if he meant submarines currently operated by one other country, the ABC asks “because there are these suggestions that all three nations might partner around the future version of the next fleet of nuclear submarines, SSNX in the United States”.

Marles responds to whether that is being entertained:

Well, you know, both the UK and the US are going through an evolution in respect of their own submarine capabilities and that forms part of the landscape, against which this process is happening and these decisions are being made.

All I would say at the moment is that as I said there is very much a collaborative effort, all three countries are working on this and we are starting to see where this is going and in thinking about what is the best option for Australia, we are very mindful that it would be advantageous to be operating a submarine which has been operated elsewhere as well.

Former government’s submarine bungle part of wasted decade, Marles says

It’s been a year since Australia pulled the plug on its submarine contract with France and announced a three-way deal with the US and the UK, but there are still questions over Australia’s nuclear submarine future fleet.

Richard Marles, the defence minister and acting prime minister (as Albanese is in London for the Queen’s funeral), just spoke to ABC Breakfast News from Geelong.

Marles was asked about whether reporting from ABC’s Laura Tingle of 7.30 that defence officials were kept in the dark about the switch from French to Aukus submarines surprised him:

Well, there was a lot about what occurred a year ago that surprised us at the time and, you know, the way in which we saw the former government enter into the arrangement with France and then the terms on which they – they exited that arrangement.

I mean, all of that really spoke to a wasted decade, actually, in terms of being in and out of various arrangements at a time when we really needed to be focusing on what the future capability would be when the Collins Class came to the end of its life and there were lots of very significant questions, I think about the process that occurred in the lead-up to last year, but obviously where we’re at now is we’re a year into the Aukus arrangements and we’re focused on moving forward and acquiring for Australia the next generation of submarine capability that the nation needs.

‘Measured discussion’ will take us in direction of a republic: Gillard

Former prime minister Julia Gillard spoke to the ABC’s James Glenday, sharing her thoughts about the political ripples of the Queen’s death.

I always thought that when the Queen did leave us, that it would cause a period of reflection. I thought that here in the UK and there are many issues about national identity that the UK is grappling with – the future of Scotland, the future of Northern Ireland, what it means to be the nation in the world without the contact with the European Union that they had, the post-Brexit world in which they now live.

And I always thought in Australia too it would unleash a new set of reflections about our own constitutional arrangements. But there’s no rush and I certainly endorse what the prime minister has said. There’s time for measured discussion. It’s certainly too soon for that now. The things that people want to do to honour the Queen, the prime minister, our prime minister, being at the funeral on Monday.

All of those things need to be worked through. And then I think we can have a measured, steady discussion, which will ultimately take us, I think, in the direction of a republic. But it won’t be quick.

Gillard also shared her personal memories of the Queen:

I do remember in terms of her stoicism, we were there backstage at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting opening and what was happening at the opening towards the end of was that each leader of the 54 countries was going to come out on stage, be announced, be applauded and then I would come out second last and she would come out last. So we were in this big queue waiting to go on stage, moving very slowly.

So I said to her, “Can I get someone to get you a chair?” And she was like, “No, I’m fine to stand.”

And I’m like, that’s really a pity because if someone had got you a chair, someone might have brought me a chair.

Good morning