Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I acknowledge the service and commitment of my friend, the member for Canning, to his country through his service in the SAS. And I acknowledge him for bringing this motion today.

Australia's historic and continuing links with the United States are well known to many of us. It was the United States, not Great Britain, that came to our aid in World War II when our country was under grave threat of invasion by the imperial Japanese forces in 1942. That brave decision of the then Labor Prime Minister John Curtin was the turning point in our relationship with the United States—a relationship that has since stood the test of time. Make no mistake about it, but for the intervention of the United States in defending the Pacific and northern Australia the war may have taken a very different turn.

As this motion rightly points out, the links between our nations in defence, intelligence, trade and investment continue to be strong. Our relationship with the United States is central to our security and prosperity now and into the future. The Turnbull government should be commended for recognising the importance of this relationship and for taking action to keep it strong. As has been widely reported, the Prime Minister took the initiative following last year's presidential election and was among the very first world leaders to speak to the new US President.

The actions of Prime Minister Curtin and, more recently, Prime Minister Turnbull are in stark contrast to the reckless and irresponsible attitude of the Leader of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition called the policies of the US President 'barking mad' and declared him 'entirely unsuitable' for the office which he now holds. Though we respectfully and constructively disagree with some of the President's views, hurling abuse at the democratically elected leader of our nation's most important ally can only be damaging for the interests of our country. And it further demonstrates just how unfit he is to lead this nation.

Last month, a matter of weeks into the new US presidency, our foreign minister visited Washington to meet with the Vice-President, Mike Pence, and the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. I understand that the foreign minister reinforced Australia's commitment to the alliance and our ongoing cooperation in responding to the regional and global challenges, including on the vital coalition to defeat Daesh. That is the responsible course. We must have constructive, frank and forthright dialogue with our closest ally, face to face. When we disagree, just as much as when we agree, we must work together in a mature and calm manner. That is what friends do. What we must not do is behave like the Leader of the Opposition, sniping from the sidelines and throwing insults at democratically elected world leaders in the name of cheap, political point scoring.

Mature discussion and concrete results are what we need, and they are what the coalition government has delivered. In defence, 2017 has seen the beginning of enhanced aircraft cooperation, with the arrival of the F-22 Raptor aircraft at RAAF Base Tindal. Fighter aircraft are an important area of cooperation, with real benefits for Australia in not only improved defence capacity but economic outcomes. The Joint Strike Fighter program alone will generate up to $4 billion in exports for Australia, benefiting Australian companies who have won Defence contracts to supply specialist equipment and logistics for the JSF project worldwide.

In innovation, the government has renewed our science and technology cooperation agreement with the US. Recognising that innovation will be vital to jobs and growth for the foreseeable future, we have negotiated to extend the agreement indefinitely for the first time. This program will facilitate ongoing partnerships between Australian and US research institutions. Partnerships such as that between the Australian Institute of Marine Science and Boeing, and between the Australian National Fabrication Facility and the US Air Force, are delivering important progress in areas like environmental monitoring and energy supply.

In immigration, the government is delivering on the resettlement of refugees from Nauru and PNG through a unique agreement with the United States. Many refugees have already been interviewed by US authorities. The ongoing arrangement shows the value of this government's positive and consistent engagement with our North American ally. This government's stance on immigration is, of course, in stark contrast to the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd era, when they left our borders in chaos and left many thousands trapped in indefinite detention.

Our historic, cultural, economic and military links with the United States are deep and strong. In the future, our security and prosperity will be greatly enhanced by the continuing friendship between our nations.

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