Gerard Rennick (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The coronavirus global pandemic has changed the world like no other event this century. When the story of the early 21st century is written, only the tragic events of 9/11 will feature as prominently in discussions of how events shaped world affairs. In my maiden speech I remarked that 21st century foreign affairs have been characterised by belligerent rhetoric and unwillingness to resolve differences through diplomatic channels. As leaders we must use sound diplomacy to resolve our issues, not belligerent rhetoric that in the end only hurts the people we are meant to protect.

When we examine recent tensions between our own nation and China, it is worth revisiting the words of previous US presidents in the second half of the 20th century. These presidents were shaped by the horrors of earlier world wars and by their desire to build a positive, peaceful and cooperative global order. We owe a debt of gratitude to the leadership shown by these presidents, who laid the groundwork for a final 20 years of the 20th century that was relatively peaceful. Because of that peace, I was fortunate enough to spend almost seven years living and working in many countries. During the final two years, I travelled around the world, including to China, where I enjoyed the hospitality of many people and places secured by the hard-earned peace of our forefathers.

In his 'Chance for peace' speech, Eisenhower stated:

No people on earth can be held, as a people, to be an enemy, for all humanity shares the common hunger for peace and fellowship and justice.

Whilst Eisenhower was discussing the impending arms race with the Soviet Union, there can be no doubt that commonalities with our inhuman enemy, the virus, are equally worthy of mention. This should remind us of all the things we share as human beings. We all have aspirations and a desire to have a meaningful life with strong social relationships and economic opportunity. In Australia, we take our freedom, prosperity and health for granted, but we shouldn't. The coronavirus has shown us how quickly disease can cause poverty, and history has shown us how easily poverty can lead to lawlessness and despair. Our real enemies are the same as they have always been: disease, poverty and the loss of self-belief.

In the same speech, Eisenhower said:

No nation's security and well-being can be lastingly achieved in isolation but only in effective cooperation with fellow nations.

There is no greater example of this than when Reagan and Gorbachev ended the Cold War. As President Reagan said in his address to the nation on Soviet-American relations, which started the Cold War detente with the Soviet Union:

People want to raise their children in a world without fear … They want to have some of the good things … that make life worth living. They want to work at some … profession that gives them satisfaction and a sense of worth. Their common interests cross all borders.

He then went on to say, quoting President Kennedy:

'So let us not be blind to our differences,' … 'but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved.'

The common interests have to do with the things of everyday life for people everywhere. Just suppose for a moment that an Ivan and an Anya found themselves in a waiting room or sharing a shelter from the rain or a storm with a Jim and a Sally and there was no language barrier to keep them from getting acquainted. Would they debate the differences between their respective governments, or would they find themselves comparing notes about their children and what they each did for a living? In my travels I've spent many hours in waiting rooms, talking to people from many countries while waiting for buses and trains, so I feel I can answer that question: people would be comparing notes about their children and discussing their daily lives.

As for differences in government structure and philosophy, I'm not sure I ever met anyone, regardless of which country I was in, who had a high opinion of their government or bureaucracy. A universal contempt for politicians is perhaps the greatest common interest of all. The man on the street doesn't really give a rat's pyjamas about other governments' structures or philosophies. They just want their government to not waste taxes, to provide essential services and to go easy on regulation. The undeniable truth I learnt from my travels is that we are all the same. We all want a roof over our heads, food in our stomachs and better lives for our children. Our common interests cross all borders and are the bedrock of sound diplomacy. There is only one race, and that is the human race. Mankind will only ever be as strong as we are united and as weak as we are divided.

It is not in the interest of Australia or China for tensions to continue. The urbanisation of China has been built from Australian iron ore and powered by Australian coal, and the new middle-class that inhabits it enjoys dining on our high-quality agricultural produce. It's been a mutually beneficial economic relationship. The Chinese system of government is vastly different to ours, as is their economic system. This does not make the Chinese any less human for us, nor does it make trade in a collegial relationship with China any less important. As Australians, we will always stand up for our values and have these values inform our system of government and our way of life, none more so than the pursuit of individual liberty and free thought. However, we must also recognise China for the great country that it is. Its civilisation and culture dates back over 4,000 years. It has the world's largest population, has the world's second largest economy and has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty in recent decades. It deserves our respect and appreciation of its complexities.

This crisis is global and the economic fall-out is immense for all nations. Belligerence and inflammatory rhetoric between countries is counterproductive. It will not develop a vaccine, save lives or restore our economies. There will be an independent inquiry into the pandemic, as any major global event like this would dictate. The Morrison government and the global community are right to inquire into the origins of the coronavirus. However, needless tension is counterproductive to this goal. To again quote Eisenhower, a solution will only likely be found 'upon just relations and honest understanding with all other nations'. The goal should be to prevent such a catastrophe from happening again through an impartial and independent examination of the causes so that appropriate measures may be taken to prevent another catastrophe like this in the future. It is my hope that the invisible enemy of the virus can provide a lightning rod for better relations and greater cooperation. It is in the shared interest of all mankind to see appropriate medical treatment become a reality.

Australia should use the harsh economic lessons learned from this pandemic to improve our own sovereign economic capacity, especially in the area of manufacturing. It should serve as an important reminder of our need to be economically self-reliant, to be resilient and to seek outcomes based on sound diplomacy and cooperation. In the time of COVID, where an inhuman enemy has targeted us all, the need for countries to work together has never been greater.