Also in that press conference, Peter Dutton was asked about Donald Trump.

Now Malcolm Turnbull raised an interesting point about the wedge Dutton is in when it comes to Trump. As alternative prime minister, and especially as prime minister, Dutton’s job is to represent Australia and Australia’s interests.

But his biggest supporters, his network some would say, of billionaires – like Gina Rinehart and Rupert Murdoch, have wholeheartedly embraced Trump and what he is overseeing in America. They don’t just support it, they are cheer leading from within Trump’s inner tent.

So how does Dutton then stand up for Australia, when it means alienating the support network he has cultivated during his decades in politics?

Dutton hasn’t really been tested there, because so far, he hasn’t had to be. He can blame others and spit out platitudes like ‘standing up for Australia’.

But on Aukus, he did say this:

…we negotiated with president Biden into the AUKUS submarine delt we drove a very hard deal.

We’ll let the director of the International & Security Affairs Program, Emma Shortis take that one:

I mean, sure. It’s a really hard deal that involves Australia handing over upwards of $368 billion dollars with no guarantee of return on anything. Including the very hard negotiating tactic of indemnifying the United Kingdom and the United States for anything they do give us, so if it doesn’t work, too bad. Oh, and we’re talking the nuclear waste too. And now dealing with an administration that doesn’t even care about US laws, let alone agreements with its allies.

Great result.