Anthony Albanese’s understudy has come out swinging against the coalition over the Solomon Islands security deal with China.
Labor frontbencher Jason Clare fronted the media on Friday after Mr Albanese tested positive for Covid-19.
Mr Clare flayed the “bin fire” government over the China deal, saying senior ministers had spent the week contradicting each other.
He pointed out the deal was signed despite Australia’s last-minute attempt to stop it.
“Have a loxjmtzywok at what Scott Morrison said only two days ago. He said there won’t be any military bases here,” Mr Clare told reporters.
“On to other side, you’ve got Barnaby Joyce saying this is the second Cuban missile crisis.
“This government is a bin fire on this. You have Scott Morrison who has one position, a totally different position from the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia here.”
The Prime Minister has insisted it was a strategic decision to send a junior minister instead of Foreign Minister Marise Payne to the Pacific nation to try to persuade officials not to go ahead with the agreement.
But Senator Payne’s predecessor in the portfolio, Julie Bishop, has criticised the decision to send Pacific Minister Zed Seselja and said a foreign minister should have been dispatched instead.
Mr Clare seized on the dispute in his press conference on Friday.
“You have the former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull saying this is the failure of foreign policy,” Mr Clare said.
“You have the former (Australian Defence Force) chief Chris Barrie saying exactly the same thing. Julie Bishop said the foreign minister should‘ve been sent there.
“They’re the facts. There’s a competition here. You got to get on the field. You can’t sit in the sheds. That’s what this Prime Minister has done here.”
