Australia The Foreign Policy of the Hawke-Keating...

The paradigm shift of Australian foreign policy from reliance on security through ‘‘great and powerful friends’’ towards the formation and strengthening of diplomatic and cultural relations with the Asia-Pacific region began arguably under the Whitlam government and has since become the predominant focus of foreign policy for both major parties. As a result, there exists a latent similarity in the foreign policy of successive Australian governments across the last 40 years that becomes more pronounced when comparing them within their respective partisan delineations. Thus, the apparent similarity in the foreign policy of the Hawke-Keating and Rudd-Gillard governments is hardly surprising. However, the extent of this similarity is†¦show more content†¦Australia’s traditional reliance on ‘’great and powerful friends’’ thus became outmoded, leading the Whitlam government to develop an independent Australian foreign policy premised on an increased economic and diplomatic engagement with Asia and defence through self-reliance that continued under Hawke-Keating. Australia’s economic development under Hawke-Keating began with the reduction of tariffs and removal of restrictions preventing foreign banks from operating in Australia, signaling the government’s desire to further distance itself from the protectionism and reliance on trade with the United Kingdom and Europe that had dominated Australia’s trade patterns prior to Whitlam. However, the Hawke-Keating government’s willingness to commit troops to the Gulf War illustrated a desire to retain strong ties with the US. An increased focus on regional trade began with the Closer Economic Relations trade agreement with New Zealand eliminating all trade quotas and tariffs between the two countries and continued with the promotion of economic cooperation with Indonesia through the Timor Gap treaty. On a multilateral scal e, the Australia-led formation of the Cairns group in 1986 further reflected a governmental impulse towards trade liberalization and Australia’s economic engagement within the Asia-Pacific. However, the Hawke-Keating government’sShow MoreRelated Economic Factors have been of dominant concern in Australian Foreign Policy decisions over the past 25 years2070 Words   |  9 Pages ‘ECONOMIC FACTORS HAVE BEEN THE DOMINANT CONCERN IN AUSTRALIAN FOREIGN POLICY OVER THE PAST 25 YEARS.’ During the past 25 years, Australian Foreign Policy has consisted of a balance between economic and security priorities. No government can afford to focus on one to the detriment of the other. 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