Latest news with #JohnCurtin
South China Morning Post
12-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
In US-China tug of war, Australia puts itself first
For much of its history, Australia 's identity has been defined by distance – geographical, political, psychological. Now, with global tensions rising, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is testing whether that distance might yet be a source of strength. Advertisement The answer, he seems to believe, lies in recalibrating Australia's relationships to friends and rivals alike. As both critics from the political left and independent observers assail the cost and risks of Aukus – and the right demands ever-greater defence spending – Albanese has chosen his moment to assert a new doctrine: not America first, nor China first, but Australia first. In doing so, he has looked to the past for inspiration. At last weekend's commemoration of wartime leader John Curtin, Albanese delivered a speech that signalled this new direction, just days before his arrival in Beijing for a state visit He lauded Curtin as the 'father' of the US-Australian alliance – now 'a pillar of our foreign policy' – not only for turning to Washington following Britain 's disastrous surrender of Singapore to invading Japanese forces during World War II, but for insisting that Australia's foreign and defence posture must be rooted in strategic reality, not tradition. A sculpture of John Curtin, Australia's wartime prime minister from 1941 to 1945, is seen in Fremantle near Perth, Australia. Photo: AFP 'Curtin restored in Labor what he revived in Australia: unity and purpose in times of crisis and uncertainty; ambition and cooperation in pursuit of opportunity, and above all, the confidence and determination to think and act for ourselves – to follow our own course and shape our own future,' Albanese said last Saturday of his long-ago predecessor as Labor party leader. Advertisement
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Albanese accused of neglecting the US
By Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been accused of sidelining Australia's alliance with the United States ahead of his upcoming trip to China. Albanese acknowledged Australia's pivot towards the United States during World War II during a speech at an event commemorating former Labor leader John Curtin. 'John Curtin is rightly honored as the founder of Australia's alliance with the United States, a pillar of our foreign policy that commands bipartisan support, respect and affection,' he told the crowd on Saturday. 'But our alliance with the US ought to be remembered as a product of Curtin's leadership in defense and foreign policy, not the extent of it. The comments, framed as Albanese's 'progressive patriotism', have drawn criticism for downplaying Australia's alliance with the US at a critical time. The address came just weeks after US President Donald Trump cancelled his scheduled face-to-face meeting with Albanese at the G7 Summit in Canada, to deal with escalations in the Middle East. It also follows Australia rejecting calls from Washington to raise defense spending from around two to five percent of GDP. At the same time, key NATO allies have agreed to ramp up their military budgets to the 5 per cent target, following a summit in The Hague and pressure from the US. Sky News host Paul Murray said Albanese's attempt to draw similarities between present day and the Curtin-era was 'taking the piss'. 'What I did find offensive about the suggestion from the speech on Saturday was, "Oh, well, this is just like John Curtin. We know how to balance things",' he said. 'The only reason we need to build up our military is because of China, not because of America.' Meanwhile, Nationals Senator Matt Canavan called on Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong to be more transparent about their foreign policy strategy. 'I think the Australian people deserve to know, does the Albanese government view America as the most important friend and ally to our country... which has been the case since John Curtin made that shift ,' he told Sky News. 'Or do they think we should replace the United States with the likes of a dictatorial communist regime in Beijing?' Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also criticized the Curtin speech, saying Albanese needed to do more to build on the alliance in the United States. 'At a time of global uncertainty, growing conflict and a growing list of issues in the Australia-United States relationship, now is a time to build our influence in Washington, not diminish it,' Ley said in a statement. 'Many Australians will wonder whether this speech at this time was in our national interest, given so many things crucial to Australia's future are currently being considered by the US administration.' It is understood that artificial intelligence, healthcare and a revised trade agreement will be top of the agenda when Albanese meets with his Chinese counterpart.
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Anthony Albanese accused of getting 'cozy' with China and neglecting US
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has been accused of sidelining Australia's alliance with the United States ahead of his upcoming trip to China. Albanese acknowledged Australia's pivot towards the United States during World War II during a speech at an event commemorating former Labor leader John Curtin. 'John Curtin is rightly honoured as the founder of Australia's alliance with the United States, a pillar of our foreign policy that commands bipartisan support, respect and affection,' he told the crowd on Saturday. 'But our alliance with the US ought to be remembered as a product of Curtin's leadership in defence and foreign policy, not the extent of it. In an allusion to ongoing tensions in the AUKUS agreement, Albanese said Australia should be not be 'shackled to our past'. 'So we remember Curtin not just because he looked to America. We honour him because he spoke for Australia, he said. The comments, framed as Albanese's 'progressive patriotism', have drawn criticism for downplaying Australia's alliance with the US at a critical time. The address came just weeks after US President Donald Trump cancelled his scheduled face-to-face meeting with Albanese at the G7 Summit in Canada, to deal with escalations in the Middle East. It also follows Australia rejecting calls from Washington to raise defence spending from around two to five per cent of GDP. At the same time, key NATO allies have agreed to ramp up their military budgets to the 5 per cent target, following a summit in The Hague and pressure from the US. Sky News host Paul Murray said Albanese's attempt to draw similarities between present day and the Curtin-era was 'taking the piss'. 'What I did find offensive about the suggestion from the speech on Saturday was, "Oh, well, this is just like John Curtin. We know how to balance things",' he said. 'The only reason we need to build up our military is because of China, not because of America.' Meanwhile, Nationals Senator Matt Canavan called on Albanese and Foreign Minister Penny Wong to be more transparent about their foreign policy strategy. 'I think the Australian people deserve to know, does the Albanese government view America as the most important friend and ally to our country... which has been the case since John Curtin made that shift,' he told Sky News. 'Or do they think we should replace the United States with the likes of a dictatorial communist regime in Beijing?' Opposition Leader Sussan Ley also criticised the Curtin speech, saying Albanese needed to do more to build on the alliance in the United States. 'At a time of global uncertainty, growing conflict and a growing list of issues in the Australia-United States relationship, now is a time to build our influence in Washington, not diminish it,' Ley said in a statement. 'Many Australians will wonder whether this speech at this time was in our national interest, given so many things crucial to Australia's future are currently being considered by the US administration.' It is understood that artificial intelligence, healthcare and a revised trade agreement will be top of the agenda when Albanese meets with his Chinese counterpart. It has also been reported the PM will address the potential sale of Darwin Port. In 2015, Chinese company Landbridge secured a 99-year lease over Darwin Port in a deal struck by the Northern Territory's then-Country Liberal Government, at a time when Anthony Albanese was serving as the federal infrastructure minister.
News.com.au
06-07-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Albanese declares Australia ‘not shackled to the past' in pointed speech on US alliance
Anthony Albanese has hinted at a growing disconnect with the United States in a landmark speech observers say will annoy the Trump administration at a critical time in the strategic partnership. The Prime Minister delivered a keynote speech in Sydney on Saturday night paying homage John Curtin on the 80th anniversary of the former Labor PM's death, pointedly declaring that Australia would pursue its interests as a 'sovereign nation' and not be 'shackled to the past'. 'The great creative tension of Australian Labor is that while we love our history, we are not hostages to it,' Mr Albanese told the audience at the John Curtin Research Centre. 'We are links in a long chain — but we are not shackled to our past. We draw from it, we build on it and we learn from it.' Mr Albanese described Mr Curtin as not just the leader who founded Australia's long-held alliance with the US, but one who stood up against allied super powers, in pointed comments amid concerns over Australia's relationship with America. 'Undoubtedly, Albanese is sending a message to Washington and the Trump administration that Australia is ultimately in control of its own destiny,' Professor James Curran of University of Sydney told 9News. 'Here we are talking about the opportunity to run a more independent course from Washington. I'd say this will ruffle feathers of Uncle Sam.' Prof Curran previously noted it was 'easily the most significant' speech Mr Albanese had delivered in office. The Australian 's foreign editor Greg Sheridan wrote in a Sunday op-ed that Mr Albanese had 'achieved something astonishing for an Australian Prime Minister, only ever accomplished once before'. 'He now knows, relates to and benefits from the leadership of the People's Republic of China much better than he knows the leadership of the United States of America,' he wrote. 'The Prime Minister is about to embark on an extended trip to China, where he will have his fourth meeting with President Xi Jinping. 'By contrast, he has never met Donald Trump, who served as president for four years from 2016 and who was elected president again more than eight months ago. 'Albanese finds political comfort in Beijing and apparently political terror in Washington.' In his speech, the PM noted Mr Curtin's decision to stand up to the US and the United Kingdom, then led by Franklin Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, in his decision not to send Australian troops to then Burma, now Myanmar, in what would have been days before it fell to the Japanese. 'Hundreds if not thousands of Australians would have been killed, or taken prisoner,' Mr Albanese said. 'It would have been a disaster every bit as crushing to national morale as the fall of Singapore.' Mr Curtin's leadership from 1941 to 1945 lasted during the Pacific War and the bombing of Darwin and Broome by the Japanese. He died while in office, before peace was declared. 'John Curtin is rightly honoured as the founder of Australia's alliance with the United States,' Mr Albanese said. 'A pillar of our foreign policy. Our most important defence and security partnership. And a relationship that commands bipartisan support, respect and affection in both our nations.' But Mr Albanese said the Australian-US alliance 'ought to be remembered as a product of Curtin's leadership in defence and foreign policy, not the extent of it'. Instead, Mr Curtin had the 'confidence and determination to think and act for ourselves'. 'Because Curtin's famous statement that Australia 'looked to America' was much more than the idea of trading one strategic guarantor for another,' he said. 'Or swapping an alliance with the old world for one with the new. It was a recognition that Australia's fate would be decided in our region. It followed the decision Curtin had made in 1941 that Australia would issue its own declaration of war with Japan. Speaking for ourselves, as a sovereign nation.' Mr Albanese added 'we remember Curtin not just because he looked to America … we honour him because he spoke for Australia'. 'For Australia and for Labor, that independence has never meant isolationism,' he said. 'Choosing our own way, doesn't mean going it alone.' Mr Albanese highlighted the 'rights and the role of middle powers and smaller nations' and spoke of the importance of collective responsibility in the Indo-Pacific, despite fears of China's increasing aggression in the area. Ensuring that the 'sovereignty of every nation is respected and the dignity of every individual is upheld' was another priority, he said. The PM said his government would continue to rebuild Australia 'standing as a leader and partner in the Pacific', deepen economic engagement in South East Asia, while 'patiently and deliberately working to stabilise our relationship with China'. Despite touting initiatives to enhance co-operation with Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and India, Mr Albanese made no mention of the AUKUS agreement. His remarks come as the Albanese government is under pressure by the Trump administration to amp up defence spending to 3.5 per cent, comes amid concerns of fragile global stability and claims from US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that China would imminently invade Taiwan. Mr Albanese has frequently rejected US pressure to amp up defence spending, stating that investment will be calculated according to Australia's needs. Labor is also under pressure to negotiate a tariff carveout, however on Friday he said he believed the levy applied to non steel and aluminium imports would remain at 10 per cent after President Trump's July 9 deadline. Hudson Institute senior fellow John Lee told The Australian that Mr Albanese 'calling for a more independent foreign policy would be understandable and credible if we are prepared to spend more to meet our defence needs rather than rely as much on American capacity, technology and presence as we currently do'. 'It does not appear that the Albanese government is prepared to do that,' Dr Lee said. 'Therefore, if Albanese is really serious about a strategic divergence away from the US, this will leave Australia more isolated and vulnerable.' Dr Lee added that if Mr Albanese's speech was intended more for domestic political consumption it would 'nevertheless add further weight to the suspicion in the White House that the Albanese government is not taking its own agreed strategic assessments about a worsening environment seriously'. The Pentagon is currently undertaking a snap 30-day review of AUKUS, the trilateral security partnership between the US, UK and Australia announced in September 2021. Dr Lee said Mr Albanese's speech would be 'likely to affect how the White House responds to the findings of the AUKUS review' and the White House response would be more 'influenced by assessments of Australian intent and willingness to pull its weight'. 'Bear in mind that Australia has become an outlier,' he said. 'The NATO countries (with the exception of Spain), and the Asian allies have all increased spending on defence and put more emphasis on the importance of their alliance with the US.'
Daily Mail
06-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Anthony Albanese sends a very unsubtle message to Trump in incendiary speech: 'The Australian way'
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has played up Australia's independence from countries such as the US while paying tribute to wartime Labor leader John Curtin. Speaking in Sydney on Saturday night to mark 80 years since Curtin's death, Albanese said Labor would pursue Australia's interests, even where they differ from those of the US. The PM drew on Curtin's resistance to British and American pressure to deploy troops to Burma, now Myanmar, following the fall of Singapore during World War II. Curtin at the time said the region's security could not be 'outsourced to London ', demanding foreign strategy be 'anchored in strategic reality, not bound by tradition'. 'Curtin's famous statement that Australia "looked to America" was much more than the idea of trading one strategic guarantor for another. It was a recognition that Australia's fate would be decided in our region,' Albanese said on Saturday night. 'Yet our alliance with the US ought to be remembered as a product of Curtin's leadership in defence and foreign policy, not the extent of it,' he said. 'Then, and now, we championed the rights and the role of middle powers and smaller nations. Then, and now, we recognised that our region's security depends on collective responsibility. 'Then, and now, we strive for a world where the sovereignty of every nation is respected and the dignity of every individual is upheld. Then, and now, Australia backs our words with deeds.' Albanese said the government was rebuilding Australia's position as a leader in the Pacific region and working to stabilise its relationship with China. Albanese is due to visit China this month for his fourth meeting with President Xi Jinping and used the Curtin anniversary to reaffirm Australia's broader foreign policy direction. The 'Australian way', Albanese said, required support for strong multilateralism and adherence to a rules-based order. It also included support for smaller and mid-sized regional powers and the rejection of 'great power peace' for the basis of Pacific stability. He said Australia was currently involved in rejuvenating the region's leadership, stabilising ties with China, and deepening the nation's economic engagement in the Asia-Pacific. Albanese took the chance to promote initiatives strengthening co-operation with local powers including Indonesia, India and Papua New Guinea. 'While the nature of global uncertainty evolves, this fundamental truth remains: Australia cannot predict, or control the challenges we will face,' he said. 'But we can determine how we respond. We can choose the way we engage with our region and deal with the world. 'The stability and prosperity we build and defend with our partners, the peace and security we seek for ourselves. Above all, we can choose the nation we strive to build here at home.' Albanese said Australia's alliance with the US was regarded as 'a pillar of our foreign policy' and the nation's 'most important defence and security partnership'. The comments come as Albanese faces growing calls to strengthen ties with Trump's administration, which is pressuring allies to boost defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP. Albanese has spoken with the US President three times by phone, but is yet to meet him in person after talks scheduled at last month's G7 summit were cancelled amid tensions in the Middle East. Critics have taken the speech to imply a divide between Canberra and Washington's strategy and interests. Hudson Institute senior fellow Dr John Lee told the Australian Albanese's speech would be more credible if it was matched with more investment in national defence. 'Calling for a more independent foreign policy would be understandable and credible if we are prepared to spend more to meet our defence needs rather than rely as much on American capacity, technology and presence as we currently do,' he said. 'It does not appear that the Albanese government is prepared to do that. 'Therefore, if Albanese is really serious about a strategic divergence away from the US, this will leave Australia more isolated and vulnerable.' He said the comments were unlikely to influence the outcome of the US's 30-day AUKUS review but could shape how Washington responds to its findings. The White House response, he said, would be swayed by their own assessments of Australian intent and readiness to carry its own weight. He said Australia has become an outlier internationally, with NATO countries – bar Spain – and Asian allies all increasing spending on defence.
