If I remember correctly, Albo and Wong were very critical of how the previous government dealt with China, and said something along the lines of watch how we do it....
Can we keep the at least Australian internal politics out? I don't think it is helpful in this situation anyway. What are the alternatives? Don't deploy to UN missions? Go in weapons hot, and light up any plane? I don't think that is the RoE the UN is running for that mission. So maybe Australia should leave the UN entirely? Attack the UN? Oppositions are always critical, that is pretty much their job. Oppositions are going to, oppose? They aren't called the Agreers.
That fact that both sides have experience the same issues with China, seems to point to China being the problem, and perhaps, there is no way around these difficulties.
The whole thing with China is what they are doing is provocation. They continually conduct provocative acts to get a response so they can play the aggrieved party and sprout their propaganda.
Its also not uncommon, that when progress with China is being made, then some incident happens. Which then quickly unravels everything.
Again, China could change its behavior, or how it approaches countries like Australia, who has no territorial claims in the SCS, is not a global hyperpower, is absolutely no threat economically or military or diplomatically to China, have no historical grievances, and we have a huge a profitable trade relationship, and are 10,000km away from each other.. If any relationship should all be Panada's and Koalas, wine and cheap cars, its Australia and China.. It also signals to countries like Japan, SK, US, Philippines, that if AU and CN can't get along, there is absolutely not point in appeasement with CN on any level.
That we are all, destined for conflict. No more point in hiding that fact. No point in avoiding long range weapons, or systems that might upset them, no point in hoping for diplomatic solutions to solve everything and risking our preparedness under that hope.. That our trade relationship with them, is unlikely to ever be restored to good terms, that is essentially lost. That we can expect increasing frequency and intensity of events over the next 24-36 months, with no intention of ever seeking resolution, and for no reason that it is the paths we are locked into.
That is when we look at how well we have prepared for this situation and realize, holey crap, we are in more trouble than the early settlers. We are very poorly prepared and it will take some absolutely amazing feats to even meet the challenges half way.