Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

The member for Griffith has served this nation as Minister for Foreign Affairs with distinction, following many of the initiatives in foreign policy that he entered into for this nation when Prime Minister. Amongst those major achievements include the creation of the G20—because of how important it was for our nation to be at the top table when the world came together to manage the global financial crisis—and include the work he did to see the creation of the East Asia Summit, so that we have in the one body all the right players around the one table that has a broad mandate, and enables us within our region to talk about security questions, political and strategic questions, as well as economic matters. These are important developments.

Of course, as Minister for Foreign Affairs he has been advocating around the world our claim to be on the United Nations Security Council. He has also been centrally involved in events arising from what has happened in Egypt, Libya and Syria, as the world has come together both to make its voice heard on those events and to provide practical support. That answers the member's question. He has served with distinction as foreign minister. In all of that time, as he so served, of course the only thing that the opposition ever questioned him about in this parliament was when they were looking for cheap political advantage rather than engaging in the serious questions of foreign policy that are so important to our nation's future.

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