We will do things differently – Australian Opposition

An Australian coalition government would open negotiations with Fiji's Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama for electoral reform as a way of breaking the current diplomatic standoff between Suva and Canberra.

According to The Australian, at the foreign policy debate at the National Press Club yesterday, Opposition spokeswoman on Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop pledged to upgrade relations with allies and regional partners, repair damaged relations with China, India, Indonesia and East Timor and appoint a junior minister to oversee foreign aid.

She said Australia under a coalition government will engage with multilateral organizations where it is in their national interest.

Meanwhile, Bishop said a coalition government would not proceed with Labor's extravagant UN Security Council bid, which has distracted from core foreign policy interests.

Foreign Minister Stephen Smith warned that Tony Abbott's proposal for a regional "Anglosphere" would inflame tensions with Asian neighbours and signal a return to the damaging "deputy sheriff" era of Australian diplomacy under John Howard.

He said a re elected Gillard government would continue Labor's "Three Pillars" policy.

Smith said this means a focus on strengthening the US alliance, continuing engagement with the United Nations and multilaterals and bolstering links with the Asia Pacific region including India.


Story by: Vijay Narayan
Source: The Australian