Police are still on the lookout for multiple people who participated in the brazen but blundering daylight robbery of a central Auckland jewellery store yesterday afternoon during which an off-duty police officer was allegedly attacked….

A Qantas flight due to depart Sydney International Airport on Sunday morning came to an abrupt halt on the runway after passengers and crew reportedly saw flames shoot from an engine.

The pilot of flight QF91 to Noumea, New Caledonia, was preparing for takeoff at 7.40am when the flames broke out.

The pilot sent an urgent 'pan-pan' alert – a low-level risk alert not posing an immediate danger to life – to Air Traffic Control, asking for assistance from aviation fire and rescue crews.

READ MORE: 'Reversing right from wrong': China hits out at Australia for response to military drills near Taiwan

"The pilots followed procedure and shut down the engine as a precaution after being alerted by the control tower while taxiing," a Qantas spokesperson said.

"There was no warning light in the cockpit and no sign of fire when the engine was shut down.

"Engineers have inspected the aircraft and cleared it to return to service.

"Passengers were reaccommodated on another flight this morning."

It is believed there may have been up to 174 passengers on board at the time.

The aircraft was escorted to the terminal under guard of a number of fire trucks.

A Qantas spokesperson later said there was no fire during the incident.

China has accused Australia of making "unfair judgments" after both the foreign minister and defence minister criticised it for launching live-fire military drills in retaliation to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan.

The Chinese Embassy in Australia released a statement saying Foreign Minister Penny Wong, as well her counterparts from the USA and Japan, was "reversing right from wrong" in her response to China's military drills in the Taiwan Strait.

A statement released by the three countries' foreign ministers on Friday said China's recent actions "gravely affect international peace and security".

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"Instead of expressing sympathy and support to the victim, the Australian side has condemned the victim along with the perpetrators," the Chinese Embassy statement said.

"This is completely putting the cart before the horse and reversing the right from the wrong."

The Embassy also warned Australia was at risk of creating "new troubles" in its relationship with China.

"The one-China principle is a solemn commitment by successive Australian governments. It should be strictly abided by and fully honoured," it said.

"It should not be misinterpreted or compromised in practice. We hope the Australian side should view China-Australia relations with serious attitude, respect facts, uphold justice and abandon wrong standing.

"We also hope that the Australian side could treat the Taiwan question with caution, does not follow certain countries' strategy of containing China with Taiwan, and does not create new troubles and disturbances in China-Australia relations."

The foreign ministers' statement, however, said "there is no change in the respective one China policies, where applicable, and basic positions on Taiwan of Australia, Japan, or the United States".

In addition to the foreign ministers' statement, Defence Minister Richard Marles on Saturday said China's drills were in breach of international law.

Speaking on Today on Sunday, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen said China's statement was "over the top".

"This action by China is disproportionate and it is destabilising," he said.

"Under the Albanese government, we're going to say what we believe, we're going to call it as we see it and we're going to act in Australia's national interests and in accordance with our values."

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Bowen said Australia will make statements "calmly" and "carefully", even if other nations do not agree.

"China is entitled to their views and we're entitled to ours," he said.

The federal opposition has backed the approach, with Deputy Opposition Leader David Littleproud telling Today the government is doing the right thing.

"They're carrying on from exactly what we were doing in government," he said.

"I think it is important that we don't overreact but it's proportionate and I think Penny Wong has done that with our partners, particularly the Japanese."

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Australian General Practitioners are calling for action as the nation's bulk-billing system nears collapse amid rising costs and stagnant wages.

GPs are choosing to phase out bulk-billing payment methods and are concerned vulnerable Australians will be left without access to affordable basic health care.

"Over the past few decades the government hasn't been really paying much attention to general practice," Sydney doctor Brad McKay told Today.

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"Our wages for general practitioners haven't been escalating, or increasing for a long time, our wages were frozen for many many years under Medicare as well, so this gap has developed."

McKay said GPs are sick of handling the gap and being paid "at half the wage" they should be.

"We've been asking for support for many, many decades and it's really got to breaking point at the moment," McKay said.

With the average out-of-pocket expense for GPs having risen by 60 per cent in the last decade, hundreds of clinics across the nation are struggling to make ends meet.

The Medicare Benefits Schedule rebate for a standard consultation recently rose by 65 cents to $39.75.

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More and more GPs are advising their patients they can no longer provide bulk billing as a service.

"It's very, very hard to find a bulk billing doctor these days and it's going to get harder," said McKay.

The result, McKay says, is more people ending up in hospital.

"People don't see the doctor and they get worse and they end up in the emergency department," he said.

"So it costs the government a lot more when that happens. It's like $1000 for you to go to the emergency department."

A shortage of GPs is adding to the stress, with many choosing to leave the profession.

"Lots of GPs aren't coming in from medical students, they're not deciding to do general practice," McKay said.

"We're getting really thin on the ground as well."

In May, the Albanese government announced a $970m investment in primary health care to boost GP practices.

The policy includes a $750m "Strengthening Medicare" fund to roll out from 2023-24 and a $220m grants program for upgrades in local practices.

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