Address to the House of Representatives, Matters of Public Importance

Thursday 7 November 2024

At the beginning of this week at the National Prayer Breakfast, Max Jeganathan from the Centre for Public Christianity gave a powerful and personal address about the importance of finding grace and bringing fractured communities together in a world full of many challenging conflicts. He equally emphasised the eroding nature of anger. These are lessons that we can still learn more here—a little more grace and a little less anger would not go astray.

I agree that Australia's role in the world and our own national security relies heavily on nurturing and sustaining strong relationships with allies, particularly those that share our democratic values. I have devoted much of my time here to developing and strengthening those ties at a parliamentary level as the chair of the country groups of the United Kingdom, Bhutan, Croatia, Paraguay, Chile and Egypt and as an active member of other groups, including the US country group.

Australia is a great nation and we have enviable capacity on a number of scores, but the reality is that we are a middle-power nation. Australia will always want to make a positive contribution to world affairs and maximise peace and stability across all nations. We want to work to address the global challenges of climate change and economic stability with our global allies. We are blessed with our own enormous landmass and lengthy sea lanes to protect. On that basis, Australia needs to have relationships with like-minded nations that ensure that these tasks are achievable. Working with our allies, Australia will continue to contribute positively to world affairs and to be a free and prosperous nation that can support freedom and prosperity across our region.

Of central importance to meeting this challenge is sustaining strong links with the United States, links that have been strong across our shared histories. Maintaining these links falls on a host of participants, but, in particular, it is incumbent on all of us parliamentarians to contribute. Noting the events of the last 24 hours and the outcome of the United States election, I believe these links and efforts must continue regardless of the twists and turns of political life in both nations, and I have confidence that they will do so. I endorse the strong statements by the Prime Minister on this matter yesterday during question time when he said that our government will seek to build a strong partnership with whoever the American people choose as their president. The alliance between Australia and the United States has always been bigger than individuals. It has stood tall through generations of governments from both sides of the aisle. The Prime Minister followed through on these comments with his phone call to President-elect Trump today.

I was pleased yesterday that the opposition leader endorsed the Prime Minister's words on this score. I also endorse the foreign minister's comments today that underpin that Australia's desire to maintain strong links with United States will not chop and change but will continue as it has done so over many decades through successive governments.

So let us with good grace continue to work together for the common good, regardless of the outcomes of elections which we might not all be satisfied with but which were conducted in a civil and peaceful manner.