Despite similar economies, extreme climates and thin populations, there are startling differences in how Canada and Australia are tackling security challenges, Matthew Fisher says.

Australia also made a pitch for international financial services, consulting and media businesses with regional headquarters in Hong Kong to relocate to Australia.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday that events in Hong Kong were concerning and the Australian government was "prepared to step up and provide support."

Prime Minister Scott Morrison warned that the post-pandemic world will become more dangerous and announced a renewed focus on Australia's immediate region.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said there were not a lot of state actors that could launch this sort of attack, but Australia will not identify which country was responsible.

International students have been Australia's most lucrative industry after mining, with China the largest source of foreign students.

Organizers expect thousands of people to attend rallies in Sydney, Melbourne and other cities to not only protest the death of George Floyd in the U.S., but also the treatment of Australia's Indigenous people by police.

Australia has been one of the most successful countries in fighting the coronavirus pandemic, recording just 83 deaths and 6,700 cases.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the new measures after a meeting with a newly formed national cabinet, dubbed the coronavirus 'war cabinet'.

Bega Valley Mayor Kristy McBain said damage in her region 240 kilometers south of Canberra had yet to be assessed by the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.