Foreign Minister Julie Bishop invited me to address the Coalition “Party Room” last night. Around a quarter of the party’s parliamentary members attended.
I talked about three things.
– What’s going on in the UK – the recent European election results, the forthcoming Scottish referendum, and the return to sustainable economic growth
– UK thinking on major current international issues: Ukraine, Syria, Thailand, Nigeria
– The UK/Australia relationship – the traditional economic/security & intelligence/people to people links; the rejuvenation of the relationship under the current leadership in both countries; the increased military cooperation over the last few years in Iraq and Afghanistan; current collaboration in the UNSC and G20; and our mutual interest in the rise of Asia.
The minister chaired a lively discussion in which Members fired questions at me for nearly an hour, across a very wide range of subjects like Immigration, Northern Ireland, the Muslim Brotherhood, Gay Marriage and many more. They showed a strong understanding of the UK and a keen interest in how we work together.
Afterwards Sarah Henderson MP, the new chair of the Australia/UK Parliamentary network proposed a vote of thanks. I’m looking forward to working with her. Not least because she comes from Geelong, home to my favourite footy team.