Kirsty Needham

There was no discussion on the motion in parliament on Monday.

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te arrived on an official visit to the Marshall Islands on Tuesday, which he said was the first country he had visited since taking office in May, as part of a Pacific tour of diplomatic allies.

The Pacific island nation of Nauru is in talks with Australia on a migration and economic deal, a Nauru official said on Wednesday, as the world's third-smallest country also weighs offers from China.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pivoted to election mode, hoping to win back voter confidence that his government can tackle high living costs, particularly housing, after clearing the decks with a torrent of legislation.

Australia's Northern Territory government said on Wednesday it has written to Chinese company Landbridge, operator of Darwin Port, about its financial obligations and will discuss the future of the port with the federal government.

Australia's Indian Ocean territory of Christmas Island will be connected by subsea cable to the northern garrison city of Darwin, a project backed by Alphabet's Google that Australia says will boost its digital resilience.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said he hoped the incoming Trump administration would work with allies Australia and New Zealand in the Pacific, amid "acute strategic competition" with China and not withdraw from the region.

China has regained its place as the second-biggest bilateral donor to the Pacific Islands, displacing the United States and targeting its spending to win influence, a Lowy Institute report on aid to the region found.

Australia will partner with India to boost investment in renewable energy, including solar manufacturing, battery and mineral processing, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in a meeting with his Indian counterpart on the G20 sidelines.

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met China's President Xi Jinping in Brazil on Monday, as Beijing seeks to promote Australia as a model for trading with China in a Trump era, even as Canberra draws closer defence ties with Washington.