Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

It is a great privilege to speak on this important motion and pick up where the previous speaker began by highlight the importance of the messages and signals that we send, not just to our allies but to the general community, about how the enduring and important relationship between Australia and the United States not only provides the bedrock of our security in the region but also plays an important part in bringing together countries of like mind and like aspiration, now and into the future. One of my great concerns when we are dealing with the challenges of people who constantly test or question this relationship is that they do not see the commonality between our two great nations. When you think about Australia and the United States, there are very few countries that share the same degree of heritage where the influence has been an extremely positive one, but also has helped shape the foundations of our democracy itself.

When you think about the origins or foundations of Australia, many of the framers of our Constitution actually look to the United States as the foundation for our Constitution, understanding the importance of having government closest to the people it serves, through a system of federalism, but also making sure that you have elected checks and balances on the operations of our democracy, as we do through an elected House as well as an elected Senate. Each one of those principles is very important in shaping Australia as the liberal democracy that it is, because together we stand for the rule of law, together we stand for foundational freedoms. I was very glad to read in the press today that we are continuing to prosecute the case for foundational freedoms, like freedom of expression and the freedom of enterprise and economic opportunity.

It is not just our institutions, though, that bind our great nations together. There is of course an enduring relationship around security. It is our alliance that underpins our military capability and our general deterrent, to ensure we keep Australians safe and secure. Against ISIS, the coalition is helping to eradicate jihadism, misogyny, temporary forced marriage, polygamy and patriarchal coercion in the Middle East, as well as trying to keep people free across the world. Our special forces personnel are advising and assisting Iraqi services, alongside the forces of the United States, as well as training the Iraqi army and the Afghanistan security forces.

Our military alliance compliments the huge economic relationship that we also have with the United States. I think this is particularly important for one of the countries that consistently has been one of the greatest destinations of inward foreign direct investment into Australia. The United States has often been Australia's largest foreign investor, and continues to have that important relationship. It contributes so much to our economy. In 2015 it amounted to $173.5 billion. The stock of inward foreign direct investment from the United States was a substantial sum. It enables investment to come into this country to create jobs for Australians. But, more than create jobs for Australians, it also supports economic opportunities for Australians and builds the future of this country. If anybody is under any illusions about the human consequences of what happens when we do not have foreign direct investment, they just need to look around the world at places where that opportunity is denied.

The United States plays an incredibly important role in not just protecting our security but in helping to build its future. That is the critical point. We have other political parties in this nation, such as the Greens, questioning the enduring role of our relationship with United States. They are not just criticising or undermining our national security, they are also undermining the opportunity to build this country's future, because we need the enduring economic relationship we have with the United States. While we witness different political parties and activist groups, including the Greens, regularly critiquing the Trump administration in order to advance their long-held belief that the alliance should be scrapped—and it has been a long-held belief—in pandering to their ideological pursuits they ignore the human reality and the consequences of doing so. The danger of these views is both economic and strategic, not just for our nation but for every citizen. When we look around the world we know full well that we operate and exist in a region where there are differences of opinion, where strategic alliances are being redrawn, and we are going to face continuing challenges into the future. If we are not economically strong and we are not security strong, with the support and the assistance of the United States, we as a country will be more vulnerable into the future.

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