Melissa McIntosh (Lindsay, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges that this year marks the 80th anniversary of the establishment of formal diplomatic relations between the Commonwealth of Australia and the United States of America;

(2) recognises the diplomatic relationship is the foundation of the broader strategic, defence and economic partnerships between Australia and the United States;

(3) acknowledges the:

  (a) significance of the recent state dinner between President Trump and Prime Minister Morrison on 20 September 2019; and

  (b) appointment of United States Ambassador to Australia, Mr Arthur Culvahouse Jnr, on 19 February 2019;

(4) encourages that the anniversary be a reaffirmation of our shared commitment to promote and uphold democratic values, freedoms and the rule of law at home and abroad;

(5) further acknowledges that a strong, bilateral relationship is vital for our continued shared economic prosperity and national security, as Australia and the United States:

  (a) face increasingly complex and frequent threats that aim to undermine the integrity of democratic institutions and national sovereignty; and

  (b) share the benefits of a robust trade and investment relationship valued at US $1.1 trillion that creates and sustains jobs; and

(6) commemorates the bravery, service and sacrifice of United States firefighters Captain Ian H McBeth, First Officer Paul Clyde Hudson, and Flight Engineer Rick A DeMorgan Jr who tragically lost their lives while fighting bushfires in the Snowy Monaro area, New South Wales, on 23 January 2020.

Former President Theodore Roosevelt said that the greatest prize in life is a chance to work hard at work worth doing. This year marks the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and the United States. It is worth acknowledging and celebrating, because, for 80 years, Australians and Americans have been working hard at work worth doing: creating, maintaining, strengthening and deepening the diplomatic relationship between our two nations.

While our shared history dates back more than 80 years, it is important that we recognise the significance of the diplomatic ties that bind us and provide the foundation upon which to build the great successes of our bilateral relationship. I speak a great deal in this place about aspiration—the aspiration I see each and every day in my electorate of Lindsay. People in our community are driven to create a better life for themselves and their families, driven to support each other and driven to make Western Sydney a great place to live, work and stay. We share this aspiration with our American friends—it's what makes our relationship thrive.

In so many of our nations' successes we have been at each other's sides, from the great Australian general Sir John Monash, who commanded 50,000 US soldiers as they scored a decisive victory breaching the Hindenburg Line in World War I, to the station at Honeysuckle Creek in New South Wales as the world held its breath, broadcasting Neil Armstrong taking his historic first steps on the moon.

Our relationship is not just one for those great achievements but also for our darkest days. In September of 2001, I was meant to be heading to New York for a business trip, booked in to stay at the Twin Towers. My trip was cancelled merely days in advance of 11 September. Instead of being in those towers, I watched on in horror from an office in Sydney, wondering what might have been. Wounded and torn, the United States could then and could always rely on Australia. The challenges we face today with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, as difficult as they have been from a health perspective, have also helped us identify both our countries' keen interest in strengthening our supply chains. We have a shared focus on advanced manufacturing. I think there is so much we can do to learn together and to boost capacity for both our countries. I'm doing this in my electorate of Lindsay, with a Lindsay Jobs of the Future Forum and an advancing manufacturing task force. I think educating our kids in both our countries and sharing our experiences is key to success in the future.

This is exactly what my former workplace, the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney, was tasked to do by my former boss Prime Minister John Howard back in 2006—to deepen Australia's understanding and relationship with the United States, particularly through education. This is why I established at the centre a think tank program on women's economic empowerment and leadership and worked with world-leading academics from the US on projects. Today it is women that have been hit hardest economically by the coronavirus pandemic.

While our two countries still have quite a lot to achieve in this space, I would like to acknowledge my friend and senator for Western Sydney, Minister for Foreign Affairs and also Minister for Women, Marise Payne, for the outstanding work she's doing in this space during these challenging times for both our countries. I would also like to acknowledge the US Ambassador to Australia, Arthur B Culvahouse Jr, who shares our commitment to the 'unbreakable alliance' and who in his words understands that his position is 'not a diplomatic assignment but a sacred trust'. I know the ambassador and I share a strong interest in supply chains, and we have discussed the importance of backing our manufacturing through advanced manufacturing opportunities.

While it is important to acknowledge our strengths and aspirations for the future, we must also not shy away from our challenges and our past. The last few weeks have been very difficult for many Americans and Australians. I want to echo the sentiment of the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Ken Wyatt, who said:

… through genuine partnerships we can continue to protect and enhance culture, unlock opportunity and build a brighter, more prosperous future for Indigenous Australians.

(Time expired)

See this speech in context