Australia and New Zealand are forging a stronger defense partnership, promising to address any “sufficiently severe” cyberattack on either nation with coordinated military action under the ANZUS Treaty.
During talks in Canberra on Friday, Prime Ministers Anthony Albanese and Chris Luxon acknowledged the dynamic nature of modern warfare and the importance of cybersecurity in safeguarding national security, 9 News reported.
The leaders also vowed to maintain a coordinated approach in many areas, including exchanging senior military officials to enhance the efficacy of their forces. The prime ministers said what the countries share isn’t a working partnership, but a family bond. The talks also included some ongoing challenges like deportation policies, climate action, and the potential for New Zealand to join the AUKUS Pillar Two.
Albanese likened the cybersecurity threats to traditional attacks, stating that the latter leaves a deep impact.
Albanese was questioned about deporting Australian-raised criminals, known as “501s”, to New Zealand, leading to an upsurge of gang violence and crime in the latter, rather than facing consequences in Australia.
Saying he did not like the “provocative nature” of the “tone in the question,” Albanese stressed that “whilst we have common purpose, we don’t have uniform position, but we respect each other’s position,” and urged New Zealand to join the AUKUS pillar.
“What we’re talking about here is technology and its application… it makes sense to engage like-minded countries,” RNZ reported.
“New Zealand and Australia continue to share the load… and do that heavy-lifting together,” Albanese said.
Together, the two prime ministers expressed solidarity with Turkey in its fight against wildfires that pose a threat to the ancient Gallipoli peninsula, which is home to the ANZAC troops’ graves.
