G’day John,
Australia and the US have been mates since WW2.
When our Prime Minister told the UK that our diggers were needed at home, Churchill told us to get stuffed. But the United States was at war with Japanese and so was Australia. America had our backs.
We battled the Nazi’s and the Imperial Japanese Army together. We defended democracy together.
From that time on, for decades, Australia has stood by the United States through thick and thin. We answered the call when the US asked for Australian troops in Vietnam. When Al Qaeda flew those planes into the towers and the pentagon - Australia backed America to the hilt. Australian soldiers went to Afghanistan and then to Iraq. An attack on one of us was an attack on all of us.
Since then, our ties have only got stronger. Australia hosts Pine Gap, America’s most important intelligence gathering facility
outside of the US. The NW Cape antenna allows the US submarines to talk to it’s submarines in the Indian Ocean.
Thousands of American troops rotate through Darwin and last week Australia gave the US $800 million as part of our AUKUS deal. We buy American products. We love them to the tune of $17.9 billion in 2024, which is a 1.6 percent increase ($279.7 million) from 2023.
We made it through COVID, that was tough but our economy survived – just! The war in Ukraine put our supply chains under pressure.
People in my backyard are skipping medicines, struggling to buy clothes for their kids and put food on the table. Our interest rates have started to come down, thank God, but there are still queues at the food banks and a record number of small businesses closing their doors.
The fact that the next economic shock could come from the country that is supposed to be one of our best mates is confusing and hurtful. If the US put tariffs on us - it will hurt Australians and risks pushing our already fragile economy off a cliff.
Australia’s mateship and loyalty is priceless. We only expect that same loyalty in return. President Trumps threats are not something that you do to a mate. We need to stand together and remind the US of the values we share. Values that we have fought and died for together. The only question left is does America truly believe that mateship and loyalty means
nothing? The question for Australia is do we cop it on the chin? Or, do we reach out to like-minded countries, that support a rules based order, and present a united front.
We need to push back and tell President Trump that peace and prosperity lies in honouring free trade agreements.
If I was the PM I would be on the phone to those leaders and working out the next steps. The Leaders of Europe demonstrated this strength when they went to Ukraine to stand with President Zelensky on the anniversary of Russia’s Invasion.
There is no doubt that our defence alliance with the United States is very important. China sticking out their chest to Australia, and live firing just off our Commonwealth water border, is not just to intimidate Australia, they are testing the US resolve in the Pacific.
Without Australia’s intelligence sites, Pine Gap & NW Cape, the US is more vulnerable. I hope our Defence Minister and our Prime Minister are reminding the President of the crucial role Australia plays in the region.
President Trump believes in putting America first, but America’s strength also relies on her allies, like Australia.
