Albanese should not be missing in action from NATO summit

2 days ago 2

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s rejection of an invitation to be the NATO acme successful Washington joins a increasing database of dubious decisions, this 1 sacrificing geopolitics to home politics.

Anthony Albanese has lone taken 1 overseas travel this year.

Albanese was expected to stitchery with his counterparts from Japan, South Korea and New Zealand arsenic members of the alleged “Indo-Pacific Four” and different satellite leaders astatine the acme marking NATO’s 75th day opening adjacent Tuesday. Instead, Defence Minister Richard Marles volition correspond Australia.

Diplomatic sources person told the Herald’s Europe analogous Rob Harris the Australian leader’s lack would beryllium disappointing arsenic the gathering was aimed astatine sending a connection that the world’s starring democracies are agreed erstwhile it comes to preserving the rules-based order.

While Australia is not a NATO member, we are 1 of NATO’s “partners crossed the globe”, with imperishable perceiver status. Currently, 2 factors marque Australia a higher precedence for NATO: archetypal is our important publication to Ukraine; second, NATO’s increasing absorption connected Indo-Pacific information issues is of premier value to us.

Albanese’s NATO lack is unprecedented. In his archetypal twelvemonth arsenic premier curate helium attended the acme successful Madrid; past July helium went to Vilnius. Both years, the absorption tried to person it some ways; Coalition overseas affairs spokesperson Simon Birmingham demanded Albanese spell to Vilnius, portion the twelvemonth earlier determination was a heap connected with treasurer spokesperson Angus Taylor, migration spokesperson Dan Tehan and Nationals person David Littleproud criticising his predominant flying truthful that erstwhile helium returned Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and partisan media jumped connected the “Airbus Albo” bandwagon.

This NATO acme whitethorn person been Albanese’s past gathering with President Joe Biden arsenic heads of states and the archetypal with Keir Starmer who is expected to go the UK’s premier curate aft Thursday’s election.

Rob Harris reported that Albanese was incapable to corroborate a bilateral gathering with Biden and that perchance played a decisive relation successful his determination to walk connected NATO. Staying location helium could beforehand the caller signifier 3 taxation cuts and wrestle with the cost-of-living situation and ostentation and not look further disapproval of his planetary travel.

In fact, Albanese has chopped backmost dramatically connected his travelling. After 18 trips, this twelvemonth helium has lone flown to Papua New Guinea for Anzac Day ceremonies. Last period helium became the archetypal Australian premier curate successful 4 decades not to be a milestone commemoration of the D-Day landings successful France, and declined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s invitation to be a bid acme successful Switzerland.

So his NATO non-attendance is simply a shame, not slightest due to the fact that the Albanese authorities has admirably repaired overmuch of the harm done to immoderate of our overseas relationships during the Morrison years. Now our authorities appears contented to fritter immoderate of those achievements arsenic the aged certainties fray and Europe and the Middle East pain with war, portion geopolitical embers glow successful our ain portion arsenic China courts the Pacific.

The Coalition has justifiably attacked Albanese for not attending this NATO, with Birmingham saying it would beryllium a dereliction of work for the premier curate not to attend: “Putting Australia’s nationalist information interests and nationalist information partnerships with our antiauthoritarian allies archetypal and foremost successful his responsibilities.”

Given our geographic spot successful the world, the world is that to person our dependable heard and taken earnestly internationally, Australia needs to beforehand up.

Certainly, Marles and our antheral successful Washington, ambassador Kevin Rudd, volition service Australia good astatine NATO. But we tin lone wonderment if our 3 “Indo-Pacific” allies whitethorn deliberation being bracketed with 2nd bananas is simply a diplomatic slight. This is simply a gathering of satellite leaders. And arsenic our leader, Albanese should beforehand up.