Malcolm Turnbull (Wentworth, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This morning I spoke with President-elect Donald Trump and offered the Australian government's congratulations on his election victory. Mr Trump spoke warmly and admiringly of Australia and reaffirmed that the Australia-America alliance is one of enormous importance to the United States and would always remain so. We also offer our best wishes to Secretary Hillary Clinton for her participation in a very hard-fought campaign. As many Australians have observed over the last 18 months, this was a long and gruelling campaign, certainly by our standards. As President Obama said overnight, campaigns are hard, and sometimes contentious and noisy. He added:

A lot of our fellow Americans are exultant today. A lot of Americans are less so. But that's the nature of campaigns. That's the nature of democracy.

It shows the enduring strength of the democratic system, where the power to choose the government resides with the people. There has been perhaps no greater demonstration of that process than in the United States. More people voted in this United States election than in 2012, with voter turnout up nearly five per cent. That is a very good thing for democracy. It was noticeable that, despite an intense and at times very confronting campaign, President-elect Trump immediately reached out to bring Americans together in his victory speech, and in doing so praised and thanked Secretary Clinton for her public service.

I can assure the House and the Australian people that my government will continue to work closely with the administration of the United States when it is installed in January to advance Australia's national interest, for this is the ultimate role of national leaders, of prime ministers and, indeed, of presidents. I will ensure that we work effectively and constructively with America's 45th President. It is in our nations' mutual interests to maintain the strongest and closest ties between the United States's and Australia's defence forces—a relationship that has seen American and Australian troops fight side by side in every major conflict in the last century. Indeed, tomorrow, Remembrance Day, we will commemorate the day 98 years ago when the guns fell silent on the Great War—a victory won in no small measure by the brilliance of Australia's General John Monash and the courage of the Australian, British and American troops that he led into battle.

Australia has close, indeed intimate, security arrangements with other friends and allies, but our alliance with the United States is unquestionably our single most important security relationship, underpinned by our mutual security pact, the ANZUS Treaty, concluded between Australia, New Zealand and the United States in 1951. The ties that bind Australia and the United States are strong and profound. They are based on the experience, on the engagement, of millions of Australians and Americans; but, above all, they are based on our enduring national interests. Americans know they have no better ally, no better friend, than Australia. Above all, our relations are underpinned by the values that we share: a dedication to democracy, freedom and the rule of law. As I have said before, the United States has, for decades, been the bedrock of regional prosperity and security so vital to Australia and its partners. The Pax Americana of the last 40 years and beyond has been the basis on which we have seen the most remarkable transformation in economic growth and living standards, raising billions of people out of poverty in our own region. That is why my government—and, I believe, every Australian government—will continue to advocate for a strong, ongoing role for the United States in the Asia-Pacific.

Australia will always be America's constructive, solid and committed partner in peace and stability in our region. We will continue to work together to confront the global challenges that face us, whether they be combatting Daesh, ISIL and terrorism; supporting the maintenance of peace and security in Afghanistan; standing in solidarity against North Korea's missile testing; or upholding respect for the rule of law in international affairs. We will also cooperate closely on trade and investment, with our own free trade agreement with the United States delivering significant benefits to both our nations. I remind the House that, in 2015, two-way trade was worth $70.2 billion, up 68 per cent since the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement commenced, while two-way investment was $1.45 trillion. For all these reasons, our nations will continue to be united in our objectives of global stability, security and prosperity.

Let me take just a moment to acknowledge President Obama and his team, including Vice President Biden, Secretary of State Kerry and Secretary of Defence Carter. We have had a very good relationship with the current administration, one that has seen the strength of the Australia-US alliance—our partnership—continue to grow and to deepen in every respect. President Obama has served the world well as the leader of the United States and he has advanced the common interests of both our nations. We will continue to work closely with the Obama administration in the transition period between now and 20 January.

The decision in the United States election has been a great and momentous one, and we wish President-elect Trump and his administration all the best in their work in the future. The fate of the world, the future of the world, depend on strong American global leadership. America has been the bedrock of global stability, of peace in the world, and we look forward to a strong America, a committed America. Australia will be—as it has been in the past—a strong and committed ally, as America stands for peace in the world today.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister for the address he has just given. One of the longest and most divisive US election campaigns in living memory has come to a close. I want to briefly say to the Prime Minister and to all members of this place that, as fierce and as hard as we fought this year's election, I believe we can be proud of the standards and the relative civility which we held ourselves to.

Now, the American people have spoken. They have made their choice. As common believers in democracy and as servants of the people ourselves, we respect their decision. On behalf of the Australian Labor Party, I congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on his victory. Seasoned pundits and pollsters underestimated his electoral appeal and the resonance of his message.

I offer my commiserations to Hillary Clinton. As Secretary of State, as a senator, as First Lady and as an advocate for equality, she served her country with honour. In this campaign and throughout her public life, she has fought with dauntless courage, and the example she set, particularly for women and girls, will live long in the memory of the world. I hope this House will set aside another time to congratulate President Barack Obama on his dignity, his moral courage and the policy leadership of his administration these past eight years.

Every time the people of the United States choose their new president, it has most significant consequences for the world and for Australia. But the partnership that John Curtin and Labor forged with President Roosevelt in the United States in the darkest days of the Second World War was never about personalities. Even then, it was bigger than those two giants who occupied the White House and the Lodge. It is, and always will be, more than a coalescing of common interests. Ours is a friendship built on shared sacrifice, as the Prime Minister has observed. From the mud of the Western Front to our fight for freedom in the Pacific, from the jungles of Vietnam to the skies and sands of Iraq and Afghanistan, ours is a partnership between two nations which look at each other and see something of themselves—the frontier and the bush, spacious skies and boundless plains, the fair go and the American dream.

The abiding friendship between our nations is strong enough for honesty; in fact, true friendship demands nothing less. It is never acceptable to mock people for their disability. It is never acceptable to ridicule prisoners of war for their service. When this parliament sees women being disrespected, we have an obligation to speak up. When this parliament sees people being discriminated against because of the colour of their skin or because of their religion, we have an obligation to speak up. The US alliance does not mean trading away our shared values; it means standing up for them. It does not mean changing who we are or what we believe. It does not mean selling ourselves short or settling for less. It is our responsibility to be the ally that America needs, not just the ally it wants. We owe that to the United States, and, more to the point, we owe it to ourselves, to our character and to our qualities as Australians.

Last night the new President-elect promised 'to bind up the nation's wounds'. Those words, of course, come from Lincoln's second inaugural address. So too does Lincoln's famous healing promise to govern 'with malice towards none, with charity for all.' 'Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray,' for that spirit, for that wisdom, for an America that can heal itself and lead the world.