Curtin call
As Anthony Albanese invokes John Curtin’s legacy, his AUKUS commitments reveal a gap between the promise of independence and deeper US military ties.
Anthony Albanese invoked Labor icon John Curtin in a speech last weekend as the hero who stood up to the United States during World War II.
Meanwhile, Penny Wong, speaking in Malaysia, assured the region that “we take our own approach” to diplomacy and the rules-based order — distancing Australia from the current US approach under Donald Trump.
At a time when Trump is bullying allies and tearing up the rules-based order, these signals from the prime minister and the foreign minister about Australia charting its own path mark an important development.
The problem is that the two speeches run completely counter to what the Albanese government is actually doing.
