Stephen Loosley has written an important piece published in The Australian today.
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/commentary/our-rightful-place-among-friends-in-us-capital/news-story/3ce340cce99edd81fd83cedee16b7a2e
It's statesmanlike, bipartisan and unequivocally intended to advance Australia's interests.
It includes quotes like this:
As Defence Minister, Dutton has emerged as a much more thoughtful player and is far better focused on Australian national interest over the longer term than seeking an immediate electoral advantage through a political brawl. It is a welcome change but one not yet widely acknowledged in Canberra.
It's precisely the sort of commentary we'd hope for from our former PMs.
Compare and contrast Loosley's statesmanship with the petulant, vindictive rants from Rudd or Turnbull.
Here's an extract from his column:
Jack Kennedy put it best. The 35th president of the United States once observed ruefully: “Too often we … enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.”
Lamentable, but true.
Washington DC is the place where policymakers are obliged to confront the discomfort of thought. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute Canberra is about to join them on the shores of the Potomac.
Almost lost in the backwash of the decision announcing the creation of AUKUS was a statement from Defence Minister Peter Dutton to the effect that ASPI was going to be enabled to open an office in the US capital. This is a very sound decision in our national interest and also as a unique contribution to American strategic debate (full disclosure: I was the chair of ASPI for 7½ years and have continued as a Senior Fellow over more recent times).
ASPI has come a long way since its foundation in 2001. Prime minister John Howard deserves marks for this forward-looking decision, which was supported by then opposition leader Kim Beazley, and served to make ASPI, by and large, a bipartisan concern from its inception.
As executive director of ASPI, Peter Jennings has pursued the objective of a Washington presence with a single-mindedness of purpose and a clear appreciation of the value of such an initiative. But until very recently, he was unable to persuade the Australian government of its virtue. Enter Peter Dutton.
The Defence Minister has been routinely dismissed over the years by opponents and, indeed, by people in his own party as being a very rough diamond unlikely ever to be polished. If this were ever true, it certainly is no longer.
As Defence Minister, Dutton has emerged as a much more thoughtful player and is far better focused on Australian national interest over the longer term than seeking an immediate electoral advantage through a political brawl. It is a welcome change but one not yet widely acknowledged in Canberra.
The timing of the ASPI Washington initiative could not be better. Australia rates well across a bipartisan board in DC, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s visit underlines. Washington is often bitterly divided along partisan lines, but there is a consensus in the congress about the importance of Australia as a reliable ally and the seriousness of the global strategic shifts that are occurring in our regions of the world.
Within the Biden administration, senior figures have made it clear that Australian interests will not be ignored by the US. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said, definitively, Australia will not be left on the pitch. These are the words of a friend and ally, and have a particular resonance in Washington, where president Harry Truman once scathingly remarked: “You want a friend in Washington? Get a dog.”
ENDS
