Australian Foreign Policy under the Labor Government

Abstract

This article discusses the foreign policy of Australia's new government, in particular the extent to which its policies, as is widely suggested, represent a sharp break with the past.

Australia long accepted the role of 'junior partner', first of Britain, then of the United States. The change of government in December 1972 coincides with changes in the international system which necessitate a basic reassessment. It is argued that in the fields of national security policy and regional cooperation these have been changes of emphasis rather than of fundamental priorities, whereas new themes have been in troduced on racial and colonial issues and in economic diplomacy. The changes are overdue and offer some prospect of a more relevant and constructive Australian role in the emerging international system.