Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Donald Trump has repeatedly said that immigrants are 'poisoning the blood of America', a phrase with a very dark history, and that 'they're not humans; they're animals'. He wants to wreck climate action, and last week he also said that the judge who convicted him was corrupt. Prime Minister, isn't it clear that this man is a danger to democracy, to Australia and to the world? Will you join us in condemning Donald Trump and commit to a full review of Australia's relationship with the US if this dangerous man is elected President?

Government Members:

Government members interjecting—

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Members on my right. I'll hear from the Leader of the House before I deal with that question.

Mr Tony Burke (Watson, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, the starting point for everything in question time is for ministers to be asked about ministerial responsibility. I suggest that, if we go down the path of this question, then the whole premise for question time falls over. I'd suggest moving to the next question as an option.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is an option, but I try to be fair and I try to allow every member to ask their question. Obviously, when a statement is made by another person or world leader, the Prime Minister or any other minister cannot be responsible for it. You can't ask an opinion under the standing orders. I'm going to allow the Leader of the Australian Greens, as I've done with other members, to rephrase the question to ensure that any question he asks is relevant to the Prime Minister or minister's responsibilities.

Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Prime Minister—

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Talk about your own antisemitism while you're there.

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Leader of the Opposition will cease interjecting! The Leader of the Australian Greens has the call.

Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Prime Minister, will you join us in condemning Donald Trump and commit to a full review of Australia's relationship with the United States if this dangerous man is elected President?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I still have difficulties with the question because you're asking for an opinion, not about government policy or outcomes.

Government members interjecting—

Order! Members on my right will cease interjecting. I'll give the Leader of the Australian Greens one more chance to relate the question to responsibility. Question time, under the standing orders, is about responsibilities, not opinions or hypothetical questions.

Adam Bandt (Melbourne, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As Prime Minister, will you commit to a full review of Australia's relationship with the United States if candidate Donald Trump is elected president?

Milton Dick (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's barely within the standing orders but, because it is so broad, the Prime Minister will be able to answer it in a very broad way.

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As Prime Minister of this great nation of Australia, I regard the relationships that we have as being very important and an important part of my undertaking as having the great honour of having been sworn in as Australia's 31st Prime Minister. One of my priorities upon being sworn in was to repair and improve relations internationally, right around the globe. That is something that I have done. If you look at the relationship with the United States and the United Kingdom, they are two historic relationships that have been important for us—the United Kingdom of course for a long period of time, given our history, and the United States particularly in the wake of John Curtin's correct and courageous decision to put the national defence of Australia first during World War II and the important alliance we have had with the United States of America since then. That relationship is a relationship not between leaders; it's a relationship between people and between nations. It's one that is very important and enduring and will continue to be into the future.

At the same time, we've repaired our relationships with countries like France and with other countries in Europe. We've got as good a relationship as we have ever had with the ASEAN nations; a priority has been our region. Hosting the ASEAN-Australia Forum in Melbourne in March and seeing the leader of every ASEAN nation come personally and participate fully in that forum was very positive. Similarly, our relationship with the Pacific Islands Forum has been so important as well.

I note that, coming up, we will have CHOGM, hosted in Samoa. That will be an important time for us to renew our relationship with Commonwealth nations. In addition to that, in a short period of time we will welcome the Premier of China to Australia. We'll make announcements at appropriate times about that. That will be a positive thing, given that China is our major trading partner and given the important regional relationships. We do have strategic competition. We are attempting to manage that competition in Australia's national interest, always speaking up for our national interest. We'll continue to do that in a mature way that represents our nation's interests. (Time expired)