Former PM Paul Keating says time to break away from US
Former Labor prime minister Paul Keating said Australia has had a tag-along foreign policy with the US and, with the election of Donald Trump as US president, it is now time to be more independent.
Australia is a far better society than the United States and bowing and scraping to the US is a complete denial of everything we have created, former Labor prime minister Paul Keating has said.
Mr Keating said Australia was more fair, incomes had increased 50 per cent in the past 20 years against zero for the US, there was universal health care, a retirement income system, higher school participation plus children weren't shot in our schools.
"Isn't an independent, balanced foreign policy the right answer? Or do we stay in a crouch, saying Hail Marys to the alliance," he told ABC 730.
The surprise Trump election has raised concerns of a more isolationist US, stepping away from security alliances and trade deals.
Former Liberal prime minister John Howard said he was pretty confident the historical warmth of the relationship with the US would continue and the new administration would not walk away from old allies.
Mr Howard said Mr Trump had promised to spend more on defence and that was likely to strengthen US involvement in the Asia-Pacific region.
He said there was a lesson for Australian political parties from the US result.
"I don't want America to turn her back on globalisation, nor do I want Australia to do that. But everybody has got to do a better job of explaining the benefits of globalisation," he said.
