Australia news live: US marines plan permanent weapons stockpile in Victoria; Pauline Hanson to address National Press Club

Key events US military plans war-ready weapons stockpile in Victoria – report The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps in Victoria beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, tender documents show according to Agence France-Presse. The development of the stockpile, a first for the Marine Corps in Australia, comes as the United States is keen to leverage the continent’s strategic location in the South Pacific to counter China’s rapid military build-up, analysts said. The US Marine Corps began global prepositioning of military supplies during the Cold War – using floating stores on ships and caves in Norway where weapons, ammunition and vehicles to sustain thousands of troops are kept. The first land stockpile in the Asia-Pacific region is expected to open this year in the Philippines, close to potential flashpoints in the South China Sea. Documents published by the US Navy this month show advanced planning for an even larger Australian stockpile, with US$30m allocated to build warehouses and offices in Victoria for “critical forward provisioning”. Good morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it’ll be Nick Visser with the main action. The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps in Victoria beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, tender documents show according to reports this morning. …