8 Oct 2025

Australia: PNG Treaty, Triple Zero Custodian, and more

From Nine To Noon, 9:45 am on 8 October 2025
Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (centre R) and Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape (2nd L) pose with Papua New Guinea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Justin Tkatchenko (L), Australia's Minister of Defence Richard Marles (2nd R) and Australian Minister of Defence Industry and Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy (R) after the signing of the Pukpuk treaty at Parliament House in Canberra on October 6, 2025. Australia and Papua New Guinea are to sign a long-awaited mutual defence treaty, as Canberra seeks to deepen ties with Pacific nations and counter Beijing's rising influence. (Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP)

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, centre right, and Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape, second left, pose with Papua New Guinea's Minister of Foreign Affairs Justin Tkatchenko, left, Australia's Minister of Defence Richard Marles, second right, and Australian Minister of Defence Industry and Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy, right, after the signing of the Pukpuk treaty at Parliament House in Canberra on 6 October 2025. Photo: AFP / David Gray

Australia correspondent Karen Middleton joins Kathryn to talk about Australia and PNG signing a landmark security treaty to become formal allies, the formation of a Triple Zero Custodian to oversee the emergency call network after two big outages that cost lives and mushroom murderer Erin Patterson indicating she will lodge appeals against her conviction and sentence.

Karen Middleton is a political journalist based in Canberra