Hon David Coleman Mp
Shadow Minister For Foreign Affairs
Speech- Values First: Australia In The World
The Sydney Institute
Thank you Gerard for inviting me along tonight. This is the third time that I have addressed The Sydney Institute, and each time I have greatly appreciated the opportunity to speak in this important forum.
I think we can all agree that there is a lot to talk about.
And while commentators will commentate, the role of Government is altogether different.
What matters in Government is moral clarity.
Knowing who you are, and what you stand for.
And knowing how to put your values into action.
And if that’s true of political leadership in general, it’s especially true of foreign affairs.
Stay focused on the big things.
See through the noise.
Think about 20 years from now, at least as much as you think about next week.
So in that context, here’s what we know.
We know that democratic and economic freedom are the greatest forces for good in human history. Absent them, ordinary people suffer.
We know that democratic and economic freedom are not guaranteed. They must be defended.
And we know that Australia is a very special place.
We aren’t perfect, but we are more perfect than anywhere else on earth.
Whether in domestic or foreign policy, our challenge is the same: defend and enhance the Australian way of life.
Ensure that our children inherit a nation that continues to be the envy of the world.
Ensure that our democratic and economic freedoms are maintained – and enhanced – so that every Australian can be their true and best selves.
It is a weighty task.
And addressing it starts with national security.
When Prime Minister Howard invoked the ANZUS treaty after September 11, he brought to life our most important and solemn compact.
Without hesitation, he activated the treaty, pledging our support to America after that most horrific of days.
We were reminded then that this alliance is at the very core of our national security. And that remains the case today.
When in Government, the Coalition built on the foundations of ANZUS with AUKUS.
This partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States is historic.
AUKUS is about a free and open Indo-Pacific that is secure and stable.
In obtaining nuclear-powered submarines, we will be substantially aiding the defence of our nation.
It would not have been possible without the Coalition Government’s commitment to boosting both our sovereign shipbuilding capabilities, and our Defence spending.
Through ANZUS, AUKUS, and cooperation in so many other areas, the United States relationship is pivotal to Australia.
Recently there has been no shortage of criticism of the US.
But the fact is that the United States remains the world’s most powerful nation, and a beacon of hope across the earth.
When Secretary of State Madeleine Albright described the United States as “the indispensable nation” in 1998, some people scoffed. What about this issue, or that – what about the times that the US had not lived up to its values?
True enough.
But Secretary Albright had a point.
It was the United States that led the world to defeat the evils of fascism and communism.
It was the United States that came to Australia’s aid in the Coral Sea in 1942.
It was the United States that secured Europe after World War II.
It was the United States that unleashed the power of free markets around the world, helping to grow living standards to levels that are unprecedented in history.
Consider the counterfactual. Imagine there was no United States in the 20th century. What happens then?
There’s been much coverage in recent times of President Trump’s request that other nations do more to contribute to international security.
It is an understandable request.
The US has made enormous contributions to global security over many decades. Asking others to share more of the burden is hardly unreasonable.
We in the Coalition strongly believe that Australia must increase its Defence investment.
When Labor was last in Government, we were alarmed to see Defence spending drop to a record low of 1.56% of GDP – the lowest level since World War II.
This was inexcusable.
The first responsibility of Government is to provide for the Defence of the nation. Labor failed to do that.
Under the Coalition, Defence spending increased to more than 2% of GDP.
With Labor now back in office, we’ve seen more than $80B in Defence cuts and deferrals, and the Government is already walking away from their commitment just 12 months ago to increase Defence spending to 2.4% of GDP. By 2033/34, Labor now says that Defence spending will be just 2.33% of GDP.
The truth is that Labor cannot be believed on Defence.
We need more money invested in Defence now – not years from now.
And of course it is not about just simply investing more money. It is about committing investment to the most important areas – the areas that would make the most difference in the event of armed conflict.
This week we announced that a Coalition Government would provide an initial $3B of additional funding to reinstate the acquisition of the F-35 squadron which Labor cancelled in their 2024-25 Budget.
And we will have more to say on Defence investment prior to the election.
Increasing Defence spending – and sharpening its focus – is not only important in the context of our US alliance. It is fundamental to ensuring that Australia stands on its own two feet, in an increasingly dangerous world.
We are in strong agreement with the United States on the need to increase Defence investment.
But of course, we won’t always agree with the US, and sometimes we will need to say that publicly.
Australians know that Peter Dutton will always stand up for our national interests – no matter what.
We unequivocally back Ukraine and President Zelenskyy in their war against the murderous Putin regime.
And we want to see fewer barriers to free trade – not more – because more economic freedom means higher standards of living.
We expect the Labor Government to succeed in its effort to secure an exemption on US tariffs for steel and aluminium. After all, the Coalition secured the same exemptions back in 2018.
And the arguments in favour of an exemption are even stronger today than they were in 2018. The US enjoys a substantial trade surplus with Australia, and we are investing heavily in US defence industry through AUKUS.
We hope the Prime Minister succeeds in securing an exemption, because Australia needs him to.
I said before that Australia is a very special place.
A big part of the reason why is our embrace of democratic and economic freedom.
But that is not the only reason.
We are a decent nation. We have strong values.
We are not boastful. We don’t tell everyone how great we are – but we know we are great.
Perhaps the simplest metric that proves this is that every year there are far more people who want to come to Australia than who want to leave.
We have stood on the right side of history’s most important battles.
We are respected around the world. That respect is our super-power.
But Foreign Minister Penny Wong has trashed that respect, and our values, on the international stage.
When the history of the Albanese Government is written – whenever that is – Minister Wong’s conduct in relation to the Middle East will be remembered as a shameful episode.
Now, we are a long way away, and our direct influence on the conflict in the Middle East is limited. There, our most precious asset is not money or materials, but our voice.
We must stand up for democratic values. And we must stand up for democracies that are under attack.
Hamas’ strategy in the barbaric October 7 attacks was clear.
Murder as many Israelis as possible.
Place military targets next to innocent civilians in Gaza.
Hope that large numbers of innocent Palestinians would be killed and wounded.
Hope that weak Governments would respond to this by isolating Israel.
It’s hard to conceive of a more evil strategy. Hamas not only wanted innocent Israelis to die, it wanted innocent Palestinians to die – in the largest possible numbers.
Mature leadership is about never, ever caving in to such tactics. Could history be clearer on this point? If you do what the aggressor wants, the aggressor does more.
But Labor has done what the aggressor wanted. They have abandoned Israel, our longstanding democratic ally in the Middle East.
Minister Wong uses diplomatic double-speak to try to obscure the bankruptcy of the Government’s position on the Middle East.
She says that the Government now supports Palestinian recognition without any negotiation with Israel.
But then she tries to obfuscate by suggesting that a two-state solution will come at some later time, with various conditions attached.
But once you recognise Palestine, you have two states.
No amount of misdirection from Penny Wong can obscure the fact that one plus one still equals two.
And how can you recognise Palestine, if there has been no agreement on its borders? You can’t – unless you don’t care what Israel thinks.
Having shamefully abandoned Israel to secure inner-city seats against the Greens, Minister Wong then says Australia has had a bipartisan position on a two-state solution for 20 years.
The best response to that is – “that was true, until you came along.”
The Coalition supports a two-state solution – but only one that is negotiated between the parties.
Minister Wong has behaved like a factional boss, desperate to cling onto under-threat Labor electorates.
The goal has been to fend off the Greens political threat through the overt and public abandonment of Israel.
The lesson for Hamas is clear: create the right kind of domestic political pressure, and Australia will cave in. It is disgraceful.
If elected, a Dutton Coalition Government will revert to Australia’s previously longstanding positions on UN votes relating to Israel, rejecting Labor’s recent unilateral changes which have been made for purely domestic political reasons.
Minister Wong’s treatment of our democratic ally was also on display in her conduct related to the capital of Israel.
If the Minister had deliberately set out to offend Israel, she could hardly have done a better job.
In declaring that Australia would reverse Australia’s recognition of West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Penny Wong managed to:
- Deny to media and Jewish groups that there was any change, then 24 hours later rush through a Cabinet decision and announce this major reversal of Australian foreign policy
- Make the announcement during the Jewish festival of Simchat Torah, in the midst of Israel’s election campaign
- Win the praise of Hamas and Palestinian Jihad
- Draw strong condemnation from the Prime Minister of Israel
Australian Jewish community groups were shocked at both the lack of consultation on the decision, and its substance.
The decision also betrayed the statement of then Shadow Minister Mark Dreyfus, just prior to the 2022 election, when he attacked the Coalition for suggesting there were any differences in policy between the parties on Israel.
When Labor announced its shambolic decision in 2022, the Coalition expressed its strong opposition and affirmed that our position remained that West Jerusalem is the capital of Israel.
This continues to be our position. And as we also made clear at the time, if elected we will not repeat Labor’s diabolical failure of process on this issue. Instead, we will conduct an orderly and professional consultation process, including discussions with local community groups, our agencies, and Israel’s Government.
The Albanese Government has also compromised our values in continuing to provide taxpayer funds to the disgraced aid organisation UNRWA.
In August last year, UNRWA sacked nine employees on suspicion of being involved in the October 7 atrocities.
But incredibly, there appears to have been no consequence for these nine people other than losing their jobs. No prosecution – seemingly not even a referral for prosecution.
Australia, under this Labor Government, is giving $20M each year to UNRWA. And Minister Wong has not made that funding contingent on any action being taken against these alleged terrorists.
Think about that.
The Government is transferring the hard-earned money of Australians to an organisation that appears to not be seeking criminal prosecution of people allegedly involved in October 7.
Imagine if an Australian employer discovered that nine of its employees had apparently been involved in a terrorist attack.
And imagine further that the employer just said – “two weeks notice, you’ve lost your job, no further consequences.” That is what UNRWA appears to have done, and Australia continues to fund it under Mr Albanese.
It is extraordinary, and it betrays our values.
The people of Gaza need humanitarian aid, and the Coalition strongly supports the provision of funding for this purpose. But it should be provided to trusted organisations – not UNRWA.
In the Indo-Pacific, the level of strategic competition only increases. The goal for Australia is clear: be the partner of choice for nations in the region.
That’s why the Coalition Government started the Pacific Step-Up in 2018. We have a proud record of achievement in the region.
We allocated $1.85B of aid to the Pacific in 2022/23, up by more than $700M on Labor’s last year in office. We expanded our diplomatic footprint, becoming the only nation to have diplomatic missions in every country of the Pacific Islands Forum.
Our $2B Pacific Maritime Security Program delivered 14 of 21 Guardian-class Patrol Boats, upgraded wharf infrastructure and supported aerial surveillance across the region. And we doubled the Australian Infrastructure Facility for the Pacific from $1.5B to $3B.
It is vital that we succeed in the Pacific.
While Australia has concluded some agreements in recent years, there have been more occasions where nations have chosen a different path.
In the past three years China has extended its position in the region, with policing arrangements with Vanuatu and Kiribati, and a strategic partnership agreement with the Cook Islands, signed just last month. Multiple agreements have also been signed with the Solomon Islands.
And in Timor-Leste, close to our northern borders, the Albanese Government was reportedly blindsided by the signing of a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China in September 2023.
In July last year, China and Timor-Leste announced in a joint statement that they had agreed to enhance cooperation between their military and police forces, including through areas such as joint exercises and training.
Nothing is gained by diverting our eyes from these realities.
The Pacific, and other near neighbours like Timor-Leste, must be at the core of Australian foreign policy.
In that context, the role of the Quad is important. The Quad was established in 2007 under John Howard with the goal of securing an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
But it was left to wither under Labor.
It was only under the last Coalition Government that the Quad was restored and elevated to leader level dialogue with Prime Minister Turnbull, President Trump, Prime Minister Abe and Prime Minister Modi agreeing in 2017 to revive the grouping as a counter to increasing military and diplomatic activity in the Indo-Pacific by China.
The Quad complements our regional engagement with ASEAN.
It was the Coalition Government which secured the world’s largest Free Trade Agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement alongside our ASEAN partners.
The Australia ASEAN special summit last year provided continuity in policy engagement with ASEAN nations following the first summit hosted by Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister and Julie Bishop as Foreign Minister in 2018.
Nicholas Moore’s report Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 highlights the enormous economic potential for Australia from economic growth across the region.
Seizing these opportunities and deepening our engagement with ASEAN is not just about economic benefit. It is of strategic importance as we confront challenges in our region, not least of which is the contest for influence.
It is also critical to helping Australia keep our region open and stable – with the free shipping channels on which trading relies.
Protecting the free movement of goods and people across our region is vital.
Recently we saw the PLA Navy conduct live-firing exercises in the Tasman Sea.
The Government’s weak response to this was disturbing – to say the least.
One the day of the exercises, the Prime Minister said that notice had been provided. This was not true. As testimony to Senate Estimates revealed last week, notification was not provided until after the exercise had commenced.
And the Australian Government found out about the exercises from a Virgin Airlines pilot.
On this issue, the Prime Minister was absolutely all over the shop. While this is not unusual, it is particularly concerning when the stakes are so high.
In terms of the exercises themselves, the Prime Minister basically said “there’s nothing to see here”.
But clearly, there is something to see here.
The exercises were not unlawful, but plainly they are concerning.
The Chief of the Defence Force described the exercises as “irresponsible”. The head of the Office of National Intelligence described them as “provocative”.
Why would the Government not raise concerns about the exercises themselves?
The truth is that the Government doesn’t want us to talk about the PLA Navy exercises, because they are inconvenient for its political narrative.
But in diplomacy as in life, we don’t solve problems by pretending they don’t exist.
We should always be considered and respectful in our dealings with other nations. Few arguments are improved by an increase in volume.
We should always be measured. We should always be calm. But we should never be weak.
Where is the example in history of weakness leading to success? It doesn’t exist.
And yet embracing weakness is the explicit strategy of the Albanese Government.
The Government has made much of China’s resumption of more normal trading activities with Australia – and this is welcome.
For the Coalition, free trade is in our DNA.
Analysis of trade policy has of course underwritten any number of PhDs – and more than a few Nobel prizes.
But at its heart it is really quite simple. If we impose barriers to trade, we make things more expensive. This increases costs for consumers at home, and reduces our ability to sell things overseas.
Higher costs for consumers means lower living standards. And reduced opportunities to sell things overseas means fewer job opportunities in Australia.
In 2015, the Coalition Government signed the China – Australia Free Trade Agreement. It had an immense positive impact on our exports to China, which has been good not only for Australia, but also the Chinese economy.
With ChAFTA in place, Australian exports to China more than doubled from $86B to $189B between 2016 and 2021. This huge increase underscores the Coalition’s success in office on this issue – a key part of which has been our mining exports.
The Labor Government has gambled with our prosperity – and our mining export future – through its “Nature Positive” laws. These laws are perhaps better described as “Mining Negative” and would reduce our exports to China by billions of dollars.
While the Government has placed them on hold for now, there is little doubt that they will be back if Labor is successful at the election.
We will work hard to grow Australia’s trade relationship with China. As Peter Dutton has said, we would like to see trade with China double.
But we will never pursue a policy of weakness.
When Russia invaded Ukraine, our democratic values demanded that Australia provide strong and immediate support, and that is what the Coalition delivered.
We moved fast to provide President Zelenskyy with the Bushmasters he requested. We provided $65M in humanitarian support. We imposed more than 800 targeted sanctions on individuals in Russia, including Vladimir Putin and his inner circle, and their supporters in other countries.
We must continue to support the warriors of Ukraine in this totemic battle.
President Zelenskyy didn’t flee when the battle commenced – he stayed to fight. And to rally the world against Russia’s aggression.
We know that the people of Ukraine will never give in. And neither should we. The world must stand with Ukraine in the difficult days ahead.
The United States has given much to Ukraine, and will be central to any resolution of this conflict. We all want to see peace, but it must be a peace that honours the sacrifices of Ukraine.
Because peace without security is no peace at all. And peace without sovereignty is no peace at all.
Ukraine is a democracy heroically defending itself against a brutal tyrant. If Ukraine was to fall, what next?
It is not hard to draw parallels between the battle that Ukraine faces today, and that others may face in the future.
The Coalition will always stand with Ukraine.
I want to say a little about multiculturalism, because I believe it is central to our values, and has great potential in aiding our foreign policy.
When we talk about “multiculturalism” in Australia, the word sometimes sounds formulaic and hollow. It captures a bureaucratic policy intent, but not the essence of our nation.
For me, “multicultural” Australia is just Australia. It’s who we are.
I went to schools where only a small minority of kids were from Anglo-Saxon backgrounds. Where your parents were born was not a big deal.
I represent one of the most multicultural electorates in Australia, and was honoured to serve as Minister for Multicultural Affairs.
There’s no question that our wide-ranging backgrounds make us a stronger nation. I’ve noticed that often the people with the greatest pride in Australia are people whose families migrated here.
People who fled war, or dictatorships, or places where they could not be themselves.
People who left nations where practising their religion was a crime.
People who love Australia and embrace its values.
People who work hard, play by the rules, and create opportunities for the next generation.
It’s self-evident that some of the greatest Australians are Chinese Australians, and Indian Australians, and Australians whose heritage can be tied to every corner of the earth.
In foreign policy, we should use the strength of our personal links to every corner of the globe. Few countries boast the cultural reach of Australians. We must do a better job of harnessing the power of these links.
Everyday Australians often have powerful insights about events in the countries in which they were raised. And they often have relationships that can assist our nation economically, and diplomatically.
There is immense opportunity here, and it is something we will focus on in a Dutton Coalition Government.
As I said at the beginning, democratic and economic freedom are the greatest forces for good in human history.
Maintaining – and enhancing – Australia’s freedoms will be the central focus of foreign policy under a Dutton Coalition Government.
We will work with our partners to secure a stable Indo-Pacific.
We will restore our national Defence – where there is much to do after Labor’s neglect.
We will stand up for free trade and free markets.
And we will never abandon our democratic allies, as Labor has done so shamefully in the Middle East.
We will always be measured. We will always be calm. But we will never be weak.
By honouring our values, and protecting our interests, a Dutton Coalition Government will get Australia back on track, and restore credibility to our voice on the international stage.
Thank you.
[Ends]