Australia news LIVE: ADF sounds alarm on Chinese warships operating close to Australia; Albanese heckled at press conference

After the Australian Defence Force sounded the alarm about Chinese warships operating close to Australia, Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley has taken aim at the government for its response.

Education Minister Jason Clare called on Ley not to politicise national security.

Both ministers condemned China’s incursion in a joint interview on Seven’s Sunrise, making similar remarks about the need for safe naval interactions and the unacceptable risk to Australians posed by the release of flares and other aerial incidents.

But Ley took the commentary one step further, criticising the government for its handling of the announcement of the incident.

“My question is, where was the prime minister on this? This happened on Tuesday. No statement was made to parliament which we have just risen from. No statement at all,” Ley said.

“Parliament finished and something was said by the defence minister. With this weak prime minister and this part-time defence minister, we are not having a sufficient show of strength,” Ley continued, before directly questioning Clare on whether the cabinet was briefed.

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Clare responded with disappointment.

“On all of the topics where they expect the Labor Party and the Liberal Party to rise above the pettiness of politics, surely this is one of them, Sussan? C’mon, you are better than that, at least I thought you were,” Clare said.

“This is a time when we come together and send a message to China. We don’t have a fight on Sunrise at 7 o’clock in the morning.”

Clare clarified that he did not think the prime minister needed to make a statement when Richard Marles, the deputy prime minister and defence minister, had made a statement.

“We make statements in accordance with advice from the Defence officials who help to keep this country safe, and we shouldn’t be having a political fight about this.”