Foreign Minister Looks Forward to Working With Trump, Confident on AUKUS
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has extended her congratulations to Donald Trump following his win in the election.
Trump has secured 295 electoral college votes at the time of writing compared to Kamala Harris's 226.
In response to his election, Australia's Foreign Minister Wong expressed confidence in the AUKUS defence pact and touted the long-standing alliance between the two countries on Nov. 7.
"We have an alliance that has bipartisan support that's based on long-standing friendship, timeless democratic values, and shared objectives."
Wong said the alliance between Australia and the U.S. has stood the test of time and is bigger than any individual or past comments.
When Albanese and Trump speak, she said they will be talking about issues critical to Australia's interest, including AUKUS.
"We have a lot of confidence in the bipartisan support for AUKUS. It's certainly been a priority for the Government and our Ambassador," she said.
"In the lead up to the election, we assured we were very pleased to see passage of legislation through the Congress, which was all about delivering AUKUS.
"I met with senior Republicans over this last year, including very recently on my trip to the United States. And obviously, key amongst those discussions was AUKUS."
AUKUS is a trilateral partnership between Australia, the United States, and United Kingdom aimed at maintaining stability in the Indo-Pacific and providing Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.
Wong noted that AUKUS would be delivered over many governments and decades, requiring deep support across the political spectrum in all three countries.
However, in relation to Trump's overall policies including tariffs, Wong noted that Trump had campaigned on a platform of change and made his commitment to it clear.
Speaking to reporters, Albanese said he would not be apologising for previous comments about Trump and plans to speak with him soon.
"No, I look forward to working with President Trump. I've demonstrated my ability to work with world leaders and to develop relationships with them, which are positive."
"And they are some of the key arguments you'd advance when it comes to dealing with trade and tariff agendas, or with ensuring that we are actually delivering upon those AUKUS commitments that have been made and secured."
Birmingham noted that AUKUS enjoys strong bipartisan support in both the Australian Parliament and the U.S. Congress, highlighting it was initially negotiated by the Morrison government with the Biden administration.
In contrast, Greens Leader Adam Bandt has described the election of Trump as a "pretty terrifying outcome for many of us."
"Congratulations to President Trump on his return to the leadership of the free world. Self-belief is what the West needs right now and Trump has that in spades," Abbott said.
Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison also offered his congratulations to President Trump, posting a photo of the pair shaking hands in the United States.
