James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Government Waste Reduction) Share this | Hansard source

The relationship between Australia and the United States is vitally important to both nations. Australia is the only nation that has fought in all the major conflicts that the US has been involved in since the First World War, so the Second World War, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. No other nation has been in all those conflicts alongside the United States. Indeed, we were so vitally grateful to have the United States with us in some of the darkest days of this nation in the Second World War, when there was a very real prospect and chance that mainland Australia would be invaded by the Imperial Japanese Army.

That was, in many ways, an epochal moment for this nation, and it was the great Labor leader John Curtin who was really the father of that close relationship with the US that we've had ever since that point. So it is important that, as the people of the United States have chosen a new administration, we reconfirm and recognise in this place the important relationship between the elected government of the United States and this government, remember why the relationship is so important and make sure that we do all we can for it to endure into the future. In many ways, the future of our relationship with the United States is something to be greatly excited about.

The AUKUS agreement that will lead to the construction of nuclear submarines in my home city of Adelaide is particularly exciting, not only because of the capability that will be acquired for our Royal Australian Navy but because of the industrial and economic outcome for the city of Adelaide. We've heard, as recently as in question time today, the Greens political party attack that alliance and attack that great opportunity for my city of Adelaide. The Greens leader wants us to pull out of AUKUS and to scrap the nuclear submarine program for South Australia. Not to be outdone at just scrapping one program, I'll reconfirm, on the record, that the Greens want to scrap the Hunter class frigate program as well. So, if the Greens have their way and get their balance of power in some kind of power-sharing agreement with the Labor Party after the next election, there'll be no naval shipbuilding in Australia. That's the position of the Greens.

They want to scrap the AUKUS agreement. They don't want to work with the Americans on acquiring that transformative technology that would give our Royal Australian Navy the absolute best capability that they absolutely deserve and that we should all be working together to give to them. They want to get rid of all naval shipbuilding, which means losing more than 10,000 jobs in my home state of South Australia. So, at the upcoming election, when the people of my seat of Sturt and the member for Adelaide's seat are holding the pen or the pencil over the ballot paper, if they are thinking about putting a high number in the box for the Greens, then they're voting to get rid of 10,000 jobs from the South Australian economy, and that will be absolutely devastating for the people of Sturt, the people of Adelaide and the people of South Australia.

We in the coalition have a very consistent and proud record of engagement with the United States. Some of us have taken it to an extreme level—the member for Banks married an American, so he really doubled down on ties between our two great nations, and I thank you for that! But, with the incoming Trump administration, there are great opportunities for us to do so many things to deepen the relationship between Australia and the United States. The defence and national security one is vital, obviously. The economic one is extremely exciting, and the cultural one as well. Being from an electorate that has very significant film and screen industry infrastructure, I'd love to see greater ties between some of those big American content creators and the South Australian Film Corporation, located in my electorate of Sturt. And there are so many other opportunities for us to leverage the great history of our relationship with the United States for great prosperity for both of us into the future.

Thank you to the member for Bradfield for bringing this matter of public importance before us today. I very much appreciate the chance to reconfirm, as a member of this great chamber, how important it is for all of us to recognise, remember and continue to invest in the relationship between Australia and the United States.

See this speech in context