Scott Morrison said he was confident well-paid senior government bureaucrats could make cuts from a departmental budget of $327billion under a new plan to improve the bottom line.
Australia Is Sick, Says Chinese Official in Latest War of Words
On 4/29/21 at 7:18 AM EDT
Beijing s year-long war of words with Canberra continued this week after Chinese diplomats described Australia as sick and accused its officials of trying to stir up confrontation.
The Chinese government s relations with Australia remain at an all-time low after Prime Minister Scott Morrison called for an independent inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus last April and Beijing responded with punitive trade restrictions on Australian goods.
The cementing of Australia s involvement in the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, with the United States, Japan and India described by China as a clique has further strained relations with Beijing, as has Canberra s decision to cancel the state of Victoria s infrastructure deals, as part of China s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).