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The partisan debate over the government’s response to Chinese navy live-fire exercises off Australia’s coast has been inflamed by reports the ADF initially refused to share the location of the Chinese flotilla with commercial airlines on Saturday before Defence Minister Richard Marles intervened.

On Seven’s Sunrise, Education Minister Jason Clare was keen to put the issue to bed.

“With the Chinese, what they did was unsafe. We’ve called that out before on air, we’re monitoring them,” he said. “We’re legally allowed to be up there. We’re up there more than they’re down here,” Clare said, referring to Australia’s operations in international waters near China.

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Asked if it was “a bit weird” that the Chinese were tracking around the country, Clare said they had done that before and Australia was “keeping a close eye on them”.

Also on the panel was Deputy Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, who said we needed “strong condemnation” from the prime minister.

“You have the prime minister just kind of muddling through his explanations and answers. No condemnation. No clear leadership,” she said.

Clare said that was “rubbish”. “We have condemned it. We’ve said that and called it out to the Chinese leadership directly,” he said.

“Three years ago the Chinese moved into the Solomon Islands and the former Liberal government under Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton didn’t do a thing. Peter Dutton is good at screaming and yelling but not very good at doing anything real.”