It suggests a growing gulf in the traditionally bipartisan areas of foreign and security affairs between the two major parties and goes further than Opposition Leader Bill Shorten and former foreign affairs spokeswoman Tanya Plibersek,who in July emphasised the need to de-escalate tensions and respect the decision ofa July court ruling in the Hague that found China had no claim to large tracts of the South China Sea within the so-called nine-dash line and had violated The Philippines'sovereignty by building artificial islands.
Mr Marles said it was up to politicians and governments to authorise Australia's military to conduct a freedom of navigation exercise,or FONOP,in the South China Sea.
"Our view is very clearly that the ADF,the navy should be fully authorised to engage in freedom of navigation operations. It's important that we are asserting our rights to navigate the high seas under international law,"he said.
"The significance of the Court of Arbitration is very real,and it's important that in supporting the rule of law internationally and the rules-based order that we do everything we can to assert that,that's what a freedom of navigation operation would mean."