Foreign Minister Looks Forward to Working With Trump, Confident on AUKUS

Former President Donald Trump is joined by his family as he declares victory at his election night watch party in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 6, 2024. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

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.

Key swing states—Pennsylvania, Michigan, Ohio, Georgia, and Wisconsin—have all been declared for Trump, while he is also ahead in Nevada and Arizona and on track to win the popular vote.

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.

“Can I say firstly, congratulations to Donald Trump on his election as President of the United States. We certainly look forward to working with him,” Wong said in an interview on Channel 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.

“So, we shouldn’t be surprised if there is change. We should be confident in ourselves. We should be confident in ourselves, in our ability to work together to deliver on our interests as Australians,” she said.

Albanese Congratulates Trump

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese congratulated Trump on his election victory, highlighting the great friendship between Australia and America.

“Working together, we can ensure the partnership between our nations and peoples remains strong into the future,” he said on X.

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.”

Trump also defended Australian Ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd, praising him for doing a “terrific job.”

Birmingham Says AUKUS Needs to Progress Quickly

Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham, also responding to news of Trump’s election on Nov. 7, said it is important that AUKUS is delivered as “quickly and effectively as possible.”

“When it comes to the strength of our two economies, it is mutually beneficial to be as strong as one another, to be able to underpin those security considerations,” he told reporters.

“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.”

“My heart is with every person in the USA and around the world who feels justifiable terror tonight. Hold your loved ones close. Tomorrow we pick ourselves up and we continue the fight,” he said.

“We must come together and continue our fight for people and the planet.”

Abbott Excited at Trump’s Victory

On the flip side, former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott expressed elation at Trump’s victory in a post to X.

“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.