The statement by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China on 15 May regarding Australian parliamentarians visiting Taiwan for the inauguration of Dr Lai Ching-te contains some incorrect assertions.

The article of 17 December published in the Herald Sun and other News Corp mastheads concerning the Australian High Commission in London contains a number of errors and misrepresentations, which we correct. DFAT has asked the Herald Sun and its partner journals correct the record to reflect the facts provided to it by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on 15 December, and to reflect the additional facts DFAT has provided to it below in response to the article.

The reference to a contractor in the Canberra Times article of 30 May 2022 incorrectly states that the individual was employed by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and had access to sensitive information from within the department.

The Australian Government is in bilateral discussions with a small number of countries in Southeast Asia about the Agriculture Visa program. Advanced discussions are being held with Indonesia with details to be finalised soon.

An article in the Sydney Morning Herald of 26 January, “DFAT staff told how to act more inclusively on Australia Day”, also reported by other outlets, reports on the contents of an internal email from an acting manager to DFAT staff working on Pacific issues. This was not an official or authorised document of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and should not have been distributed.

The Department wishes to clarify the headline and opening paragraph in the Australian Financial Review’s article titled “China’s coercion is a bigger threat than another 9/11: Sinodinos” published on 1 September AEST / 31 August EDT.

DFAT seeks to clarify information in the article ‘Empty embassies: Overseas diplomatic posts run virtually after 370 staff COVID-19 infections’, which was published in Nine papers and online on 2 May.