SUSSAN LEY: Government must step up efforts to build relationship with the US

We want Australia to succeed on the world stage and to see our national interest promoted and protected.

As an Opposition we will be constructive where we can but critical where we must.

Whilst the deteriorating situation in the Middle East makes it understandable, President Donald Trump’s decision to leave the G7 before meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was to the detriment of Australia.

It meant we went without the opportunity to seek assurances from the President on AUKUS and make the case to protect Australia from tariffs.

To be clear, I do not blame Mr Albanese for failing to secure this specific meeting.

But the President was elected more than 220 days ago. Given the global volatility we are seeing, Mr Albanese should never have relied on meeting the President, for the first time, on the sidelines of an international summit – months after his inauguration.

Despite our history of punching above our weight, the truth is Australia will never be able to control the time of the President of the United States.

But our Prime Minister is able to control his. Just as the leaders of Germany, South Africa, Canada, El Salvador, Italy, Ireland, France, UK, India and Japan sought specific visits to meet with President Trump, so too should our Prime Minister have.

There is now a clear consensus that the Prime Minister could have, and should have, gone to Washington sooner to make the case for Australia’s interests.

This is not just about a meeting or a photo op.

It is about showing up and driving Australia’s national interest at the highest level. It is about building a direct relationship with the President in a dangerous environment.

To make our way in this new multipolar world Australia must be proactive on the world stage.

We have to be willing to push ourselves forward and secure the assurances we need to keep Australians safe and increase the economic opportunities for our people.

This is not about politics. Both Labor and Liberal governments have done exactly that throughout our history.

Whether it was Julia Gillard establishing the United States Force Posture Initiatives with President Barack Obama or Scott Morrison securing AUKUS with President Biden — Labor and Liberal leaders have stepped up to advance this relationship.

So I cannot overstate enough that I want the Prime Minister to get this right.

Despite deep disagreements with Mr Albanese on matters of public policy, I am the first to say that his success in this relationship is in the interests of all Australians.

If he gets this right, all Australians will benefit.

But despite a century of mateship, today there is a growing list of issues in the Australia-United States relationship and clear turbulence ahead.

Australian businesses face tariffs as other countries are securing exemptions.

Our defence spending has been publicly criticised by the US Secretary of Defence and we have been publicly rebuked by the US Secretary of State for our statements on the Middle East.

AUKUS is under review. We refused to send naval assets to the US-led efforts to stabilise global trade in the Red Sea.

Australia should always make decisions on our terms and in our national interest. But this is our most consequential relationship.

We cannot take a “she’ll be right” approach.

We can and must make smarter decisions that better position us to succeed.

That starts with showing up and controlling what we can control.

Australia does not have a vote in who occupies the White House but we do have a stake in their success.

Our prosperity and stability has been underpinned by the prosperity and stability of the US-led order.

Australians need this relationship to work and want it to work.

A strong Australia-United States relationship is critical for our national security and economic prosperity.

As a Federal Opposition we will do everything we can to support the Government to get this right.

That is a genuine offer and an open door to Mr Albanese to help advance our national interest together.

However, we will not stand idly by and watch diplomatic drift take hold.

We expect to see a step up of engagement to secure Australia’s national interests.

In fact we want the Albanese Government to not just maintain a strong relationship with the United States, but to build on it.

There is scope to take AUKUS further with very sound suggestions for it to include new dedicated space efforts too.

As space takes on an ever-increasing role in geopolitical competition Australia can be a key global player and AUKUS provides a platform for deeper cooperation with our most trusted allies.

Australia has much to offer and much to gain by redoubling our efforts in our relationship with the United States.

We hope the Government is able to meet this moment and are here to support them in doing so.

Sussan Ley is Federal Opposition Leader