Analysis The Australian government has called into question the federal opposition’s “track record” on China declaring Labor has not announced any policy positions relating to the communist regime, even as the federal election nears. Speaking at a Senate Estimates hearing on Feb. 17, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said there was a big difference between the two major political parties, Labor and the Coalition, both on China and other issues. He noted Labor had slashed defence funding when last in government while the Coalition increased it considerably under current Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Birmingham’s comments come as Labor and their supporters decry allegations, led by Morrison and Defence Minister Peter Dutton, that if elected, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese would be soft on Beijing and more likely to appease the increasingly belligerent communist regime. Australia’s former ambassador to the United States, Dennis Richardson, who was also head of Australia’s spy agency, ASIO, …