Prime Minister Anthony Albanese loves it when he gets a chance to talk with US President Donald Trump. Photo: PMO.
Anthony Albanese is in Palau this week for the Pacific Islands Forum, Richard Marles is flitting between the United States and the United Kingdom, and Penny Wong is holding the fort at home as the Acting Prime Minister.
Together, the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister have issued a joint statement to mark the 75th anniversary of the Anzus Treaty.
The 1 September 1951 collective security agreement bound Australia, New Zealand, and the United States to cooperate on military and defence matters in the Pacific region.
While the journey since then between the US and New Zealand has been interesting (to say the least) due to disputes over nuclear power, the treaty remains intact today and very much in Australia’s interests.
For Australia, the relationship with the United States has entered its own phase of ‘interesting’.
Here is the statement in full from Mr Albanese, Mr Marles and Senator Wong – and while the language used is clear, it also contains subtle messaging of hope in the face of an uncertain future.
“Today marks the 75th anniversary of the Anzus Treaty, a cornerstone of Australia’s defence and security, and a foundation of our enduring cooperation with the United States and New Zealand.
“The signing of the Anzus Treaty in 1951 formalised the Australia-US Alliance, which was forged on the battlefields of two world wars.
“For more than seven decades, the Alliance has underpinned peace, stability and prosperity in our region and continues to contribute to the region’s strategic balance.
“Today the United States remains our closest ally and principal strategic partner.
“As we look to the future, we work closely with the United States to deliver for the Australian and American people, deepening the bonds of friendship and goodwill that have connected our nations for generations.
“The Alliance between Australia and New Zealand remains closer than ever, tightly bound by our shared history. Our security partnership was founded in the days of the first Anzacs, with this spirit continuing to enliven our modern Alliance.
“Today, our Alliance continues to evolve, including efforts to operate as an increasingly integrated, combat-capable Anzac force. Our Alliance has a critical role in safeguarding national security and supporting stability in the Indo-Pacific as we work to shape a region where sovereignty is respected.
“As we mark this milestone amidst an increasingly complex strategic environment, we reaffirm the enduring value of Anzus.”
As reassuring as that statement reads, the US Administration of Donald Trump has increasingly made it clear that nothing is guaranteed.
Trump’s tariff tantrums, his attacks on friendly neighbours and allies, and his willingness to invade foreign territories have plunged the world into a new and unsettling era.
His contempt for convention, disregard of his own country’s constitution and of other nations’ sovereignty, and his bully-boy ‘US first’ mantra breach new territory.
The President’s erratic antics are increasingly being met with stronger rebuffs from leaders in Europe, the UK and Canada (not to mention China).
Even here in Australia, the PM has had cause to publicly express frustration over unfriend-like moves from the US.
So when Albanese et al use terms like “the United States remains our closest ally and principal strategic partner” and “as we look to the future”; “deepening the bonds of friendship and goodwill that have connected our nations for generations”; “today, our Alliance continues to evolve”; “critical role in safeguarding national security and supporting stability”; “as we work to shape a region where sovereignty is respected”; and “ increasingly complex strategic environment”, there is more than a tad of wishful thinking involved.
The Federal Government is doing its best to keep Australia’s interest paramount while also keeping the US onside.
Albo loves it when he gets a call from Trump – it shows the level of ‘friendship’ and ‘respect’ between the two nations.
But in reality, nothing is the same as it was. Australia is on the same tightrope the rest of the world has been forced to walk since Trump returned to the White House.
Meanwhile, the government is getting on with the job as best it can.
The PM is throwing money around the Pacific and hailing Australia as a good neighbour in the region, while the Deputy PM is talking Aukus in Washington and London and stressing that “Australia and the United States are the strongest of allies”.
The Foreign Minister/Acting PM is leading the national response to the flooding tragedy in Nepal (can someone in Labor please find Penny Wong a safe Lower House seat so she can have a shot at becoming the actual PM one day?)
Perhaps the best thing Australia could do right now to shore up another 75 years of Anzus is to feed the US President’s massive ego and offer to rename the agreement the Trump Treaty.
Original Article published by Chris Johnson on Region Canberra.
