PM IN SE ASIAN FUEL DRIVE; NEW ADF CHIEF

PM seeks help in SE Asia on fuel, fertiliser supply

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has travelled to Singapore in a bid to shore up energy supplies with the leaders of the city-state. The PM said Singapore was one of Australia’s leading suppliers of refined petroleum products, and Australia was a top supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Singapore. Mr Albanese and Singaporean PM Lawrence Wong said they were determined to make maximum efforts to meet each other’s energy security needs in the context of current global disruptions. In particular, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to support the flow of essential goods including petroleum oils such as diesel, and LNG; they agreed to greater cooperation to facilitate the timely movement of goods and essential services, such as through efficient border and port processes. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister is due to return to Southeast Asia from April 14-17, for discussions in Brunei and Malaysia on energy security and fertiliser supply. The PM said Brunei supplied nine per cent of Australia’s diesel imports and 11 per cent of fertiliser-grade urea imports. Malaysia was Australia’s third-largest source of refined fuel and supplied 10 per cent of Australian imports of fertiliser-grade urea, while Australia supplied 95 per cent of Malaysia’s imported natural gas.

Naval Chief appointed to lead Australian Defence Force

Australia’s Chief of Navy, Vice-Admiral Mark Hammond, will be the next Chief of the Defence Force, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced. The PM and Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles said that Vice-Admiral Hammond, a 40-year Navy veteran, would replace retiring Admiral David Johnston in July. Rear Admiral Matthew Buckley will be appointed on promotion as the new Head of Navy, while 39-year Army veteran Lieutenant General Susan Coyle will be the new Chief of Army, replacing the retiring Lieutenant General Simon Stuart. Lieutenant General Coyle, presently the Chief of Joint Capabilities, will be the first woman in the nation’s history to command the Australian Army. The PM said the incoming ADF Chief would bring valuable insights into his new role, during the implementation of the AUKUS submarine program and the delivery of Navy’s future surface combatant fleet.

ASIC’s record raid on investment scam websites

Australia’s corporate regulator has removed record numbers of harmful social media phishing and investment scam websites, warning that artificial intelligence (AI) is supercharging online scam threats. New data shows that in 2025, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) coordinated the removal of almost 12,000 phishing (stealing sensitive information) and investment scam websites – a 90 per cent increase on the previous year. ASIC said it had knocked out more than 25,000 of the offending websites since 2023. It said that scammers were increasingly using AI in social media advertisements to lure respondents into providing personal details. Australians lost $2.18 billion to scams in 2025, with investment scams alone costing $837.7 million, according to the National Anti‑Scam Centre’s latest Targeting Scams Report.

US, Australia $5 billion nod for critical minerals, rare earths projects

Australia and the United States have formally settled on the priority critical minerals and rare earths projects under the bilateral framework agreement signed in the White House last year. Resources Minister Madeleine King said she had agreed on the key projects, supported by more than A$5 billion, with US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. Ms King said the projects in Australia supported production of rare earths and critical minerals including nickel, cobalt, gallium, magnesium, vanadium and graphite. These materials were crucial to defence systems, advanced manufacturing and clean energy technologies, she said. Trade Minister Don Farrell said Export Finance Australia was providing funding support for Australian projects, along with the US Export-Import Bank.

Foreign residents face tighter rules on CGT regime

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is moving to tighten the foreign resident capital gains tax (CGT) regime to clarify the treatment of property and other assets. The Federal Government has released draft legislation to clarify on which assets foreign residents would pay CGT and to clarify the scope of “real property” such as land and natural resources. In addition, the draft legislation released by Treasury provides transitional relief until 2030 for the sale of renewable assets as a 50 per cent CGT discount. Dr Chalmers said the time-limited, targeted CGT concession for foreign residents would help to support clean energy objectives.