Episode six of a podcast focused on Northeast Wisconsin A NEW Look at Australia with Andrew Hastie Last week on the NEW Look podcast, Rep. Gallagher was joined by British MP Tom Tugendhat to discuss a growing recognition – both in the United States and the United Kingdom – that security threats posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) will force us to re-evaluate our relationships with China. But years before we came to this realization in the U.S. and U.K., our allies in Australia had not only been sounding the alarm about the malevolence of the CCP, but had been living through these threats to their security. What caused Australia to identify these threats early on, and how did they respond at the national level? How did escalating tensions from the CCP impact their response to the Coronavirus pandemic, and what are they doing to address the crisis? To explore these questions, Rep. Gallagher is joined by Andrew Hastie, the pride of Perth and an Australian Federal MP. As Chair of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, Andrew is a leading voice on Australian foreign policy, particularly when it comes to relations with China. But the two talk about much more than geopolitics and the measures Australia is taking to counter CCP influence. Andrew also teaches Mike about Anzac Day and the accompanying “Gunfire Breakfast,” ways Western Australia is similar to Northeast Wisconsin, offers and some book suggestions along the way. Click HERE to watch the full conversation or read some highlights below. On the Consensus to Address Threats from China Rep. Gallagher: "My own view is that Australia was not only the canary in the coal mine for the expansion of Chinese influence and just the way in which they sort of ruthlessly wage economic and ideological warfare, but also was really the leader of the free world in terms of the first country to take massive steps to counter that. And in many ways, our own response has mirrored yours in very interesting ways...Since President Trump has been elected, although he is a divisive figure for many, the fundamental premise of his foreign policy -- which is to say China is the pacing threat, Indo-PACOM is our priority theater, and everything else must plan around that -- there's actually no disagreement about that. That's the new bipartisan consensus. Is there a similar sort of bipartisan consensus in Australia around these issues? Or is there still kind of a strong accommodationist view of China among your colleagues?" MP Hastie: "I think the same shift that's happened in Washington DC is also happening in Canberra. Just last weekend, we did some media as a group of MPs. We had people represented from both major parties and the two sort of factions in the Labour Party -- so the left and the right faction -- on the same ticket with us suggesting we need to rethink our relationship, we need to make sure that we're never so vulnerable again. So I think that media hit over the weekend indicates that yes, we've had the same sort of bipartisan shift and there is consensus on this issue. It's taken a while. It hasn't been easy. But I think we're definitely there. And for some people, you know, it's questions of sovereignty. For others, it's around questions of human rights when we talk about the Uyghars in Xinjiang province. So different aspects resonate with different people, but certainly there is a consensus that China is a challenge for us all going ahead." On Decoupling from China's Economy Rep. Gallagher: "We're having this debate about decoupling right now -- to what extent can you decouple from China? And it gets to a lot of what you talked about before about this failed bet on economic integration leading to democratization and it not working...While, we can't decouple entirely, can you build moats around key industries, you know, whether it's 5G, whether it's pharmaceuticals, and how do you bring that manufacturing if not back to the United States domestically to countries that we trust, right? MP Hastie: "I think rather than talking about free trade, we need to talk about preferential trade. And, you know, establishing relationships of preference around strategic industries. So for example, rather than being reliant upon China for our pharmaceuticals, I'd rather be reliant upon the US. In an ideal situation we would do all of our own pharmaceuticals, but that may not be possible. So these are the sorts of conversations that we need to have in the future. And that's why, you know, the US and Australia really need to think about these things at our level. What do you guys do best? What do we do best? How can we share information? How can we trade more effectively across these strategic industries?" On Australia's Coronavirus Response Rep. Gallagher: "What is the current social distancing policy in Australia? How locked down is everything right now? What's the kind of spread you're seeing where you are?" MP Hastie: "It's pretty much like the United States. You know, it's one person per four square meters. Essential workers can go and do work, and there's a definition of what is essential. But my kids have not been at school. All those schools are open for essential workers who need to go out there and do their job, you know, emergency workers, police, what have you. Schools are open and care for their children. Movement is restricted only for essential things like shopping and whatnot. In the state of Western Australia, we have a hard border in place now. So you can't come from South Australia or New South Wales to Western Australia. We have an inter-regional lockdown, so we've divided the state into regions. So I can go up to Perth but I can't head down to the Margaret River for a cheeky wine over the weekend as many like to do. So yeah, we're pretty static but actually in the last two days, we're starting to see a drop in the number of new cases." Advice for Students in Northeast Wisconsin MP Hastie: "Oh, it's absolutely a good thing to want to serve your country. And in your twenties, serve your country in roles that are more about service in the quieter sense. Seek responsibility, seek to take decisions, and put yourself under pressure because if you do go into public service in -- especially in politics where it's a much bigger stage -- you want to be able to draw on the experiences from your twenties and some of the lessons you've acquired there. And so if you live kind of a soft twenties, you won't be prepared for what's next in your thirties particularly if it's politics. And service in the military is a great way to learn hands on leadership. To get all the edges knocked off you by soldiers, sailors or airmen, who, you know, follow a leader but not straightaway -- you've got to earn their respect. And that's what I tell most young people who come to me: Do something tough in your twenties and don't be afraid to take risks." SUBSCRIBE and give a FIVE STAR RATING to the NEW Look podcast on your platform of choice below: YouTube Apple Spotify Google Breaker Pocket Casts Radio Public ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Contact Me De Pere 1702 Scheuring Rd., Ste. B De Pere, WI 54115 www.gallagher.house.gov Washington, DC 1230 Longworth HOB Washington, DC 20515 www.gallagher.house.gov ‌ rep. gallagher | 1230 Longworth House Office Building , Washington, DC 20515 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected]