Caroline Kennedy praises Australia’s bipartisan foreign policy despite PM’s claims on Labor and China

Nominee as US ambassador says there's a lot more to the Aukus deal than just submarines as she faces US Senate foreign relations committee hearing

Caroline Kennedy, the nominee for US ambassador to Australia, has said the Aukus security deal will provide a lot of deterrence" in the Indo-Pacific even before the nuclear-powered submarines are ready.

With Australia set to enter a federal election campaign within days, Kennedy praised the country for standing firm with a bipartisan foreign policy" in the face of Chinese economic coercion".