Australia-NZ Relations Drifting Further Apart
November 27th, 2008
Senior Ministers are becoming increasingly concerned at the drift between Canberra and Wellington over major policy as the Rudd Govt charts its own course without bothering to consult. This has already been most evident in coordination over the response to the global economic crisis.
At the weekend the Aust press reported how Rudd, in a telephone call to Washington DC, persuaded President Bush to invite a wider group of Govts to his multinational conference on Nov 15 to consider coordinated responses to the economic and banking crisis (he will also invite the winner of next week’s presidential election). Bush subsequently included the “G20″ which includes China – and, naturally, Aust – but there is little evidence Rudd even contemplated discussing the question with the NZ Govt.
Last week Trans-Tasman reported how NZ had been excluded from Rudd’s new anti-nuclear and nuclear disarmament Commission despite NZ’s long record in opposing nuclear weapons and winning a nuclear weapons testing case against France at the International Court.
The latest issue concerns the joint Aust-NZ international stabilisation force in East Timor. NZ Defence chiefs read – with some interest and surprise – a press release from Aust Defence Joel Fitzgibbon revealing he is removing 100 personnel from the Aust Defence Force’s 750 by early next year, claiming this is appropriate because of the improving security situation. In recent years both Govts have run a “no surprises” policy on mutual defence matters.
The election of a Labour Govt in Aust was seen by many in the Beehive to be the opportunity to take relations to an even higher level than under the Howard Govt. Certainly early contacts seemed to reinforce this impression. The first signal came earlier this year when Canberra failed to consult Wellington over Rudd’s new Asia-Pacific forum intended to design a new regional “architecture.”
This was put down by the Australians to handling matters by the High Commission, but the trend line has been downwards since. Canberra has yet to replace its High Commissioner in Wellington after abruptly withdrawing the competent and much admired John D’Auth and sending him to London.
Copyright © Trans Tasman Media Ltd
Duncan Cotterill