Julie Bishop - Member for Curtin

Julia Gillard in her glass house - rewriting history and throwing stones

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Written by Julie Bishop

Published on Thursday, 11 April 2013 00:47

Last weekend Prime Minister Julia Gillard gave a speech at the Boao Forum in China.

The audience included President Xi Jinping and other world leaders. I was present along with a delegation of Australian business leaders.

While it was not entirely unexpected, it was disappointing all the same to hear the Prime Minister claim total ownership of the Australia - China relationship.

She lavished praise on the efforts of the Whitlam and Hawke governments, as well as her own, but studiously ignored the contribution of the Howard Government, or indeed any other government, to the current strength of the bilateral relationship.

Read more: Julia Gillard in her glass house - rewriting history and throwing stones

Australia cannot afford to be complacent about China

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Written by Julie Bishop

Published on Thursday, 04 April 2013 00:43

The first official overseas trip taken by China’s new president Xi Jinping has revealed a number of key priorities for China in coming years.

A predictable first port of call was Russia, with the two nations having a long-standing and deep relationship based not only on geography but also history and political systems.

Their trading relationship is also important.

China has been a significant buyer of Russian military hardware in the past, including advanced fighter jets, submarines and ships.

Read more: Australia cannot afford to be complacent about China

Free Trade Focus

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Written by Julie Bishop

Published on Thursday, 28 March 2013 00:34

Australia's prosperity has been built on our open, export oriented economic model, heavily reliant upon our ability to trade with the rest of the world.

With a relatively small population on a large resource-rich continent, we are dependent on overseas demand for our exports to maintain our high standard of living.

Read more: Free Trade Focus

Living within our means to avoid a crisis – lessons from Cyprus

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Written by Julie Bishop

Published on Wednesday, 20 March 2013 21:07

There is an old saying that it only takes one shot to start a war.

While technically correct, this ignores the build-up - a failure of diplomacy, increasing tensions, months or years of military escalation and a collapse of trust in the opposing government or military force  - that ultimately leads to that first shot.

There is a parallel with the European sovereign debt crisis where one event in recent days could turn out to be the tipping point.

The debt crisis has taken years to develop as governments in Greece, Italy, Spain, Ireland and Portugal, among others, have steadily accumulated ever increasing levels of debt.

By consistently spending more than they derive from taxation income, false community expectations about the role of government have been created, which will be ever more difficult to wind back.

Read more: Living within our means to avoid a crisis – lessons from Cyprus

North Korea more calculating than crazy

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Written by Julie Bishop

Published on Friday, 15 March 2013 01:11

North Korea’s government has been described in many ways over the years, with the regime variously regarded as insane, unpredictable and dangerous.

Adding to the mystery is the absolute control the regime exercises over its citizens that has meant a paucity of intelligence about the internal machinations of arguably the most secretive regime in human history.

The level of control appears to be greater than the totalitarian nightmare envisaged in George Orwell’s novel 1984.

It can be assumed that the regime is nevertheless obsessed with its own survival and will not take actions which may provoke an overwhelming military retaliation from outside.

Read more: North Korea more calculating than crazy

European crisis no laughing matter

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Written by Julie Bishop

Published on Thursday, 07 March 2013 00:59

The economic and political landscape in Europe is developing some disturbing fault lines.

The long-suffering Italian public must be wondering when a stable government will be formed to oversee the process of guiding their nation out of the mire of its sovereign debt crisis.

Italy does not have a long tradition of single party majority government, with a succession of volatile coalition governments that have struggled to serve full terms, and 39 Prime Ministers elected since World War II (some serving more than once). Instability has become the hallmark.

One of the longest serving Prime Ministers, Silvio Berlusconi served from 1994-95, 2001-06 and 2008-11 and it took a series of scandals in his personal and professional life for Berlusconi to be replaced by Mario Monti in late 2011.

Read more: European crisis no laughing matter

Syria in the fog of war

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Written by Julie Bishop

Published on Thursday, 28 February 2013 00:50

When seeking to assess the progress of any conflict it is wise to be mindful of the old adage that "truth is the first casualty of war".

This is particularly important in relation to the bloody conflict in Syria which involves disparate groups, not part of a formal armed force, yet united in their opposition to a tyrant.

The additional complexity of rival groups operating under the fog of war makes it more difficult to judge the motivations behind the information or misinformation that is selectively released by all participants.

Over the past 12 months there have been numerous predictions of the imminent collapse of the regime of President Bashir al-Assad.

Read more: Syria in the fog of war

The lesson of history is that vigilance must be eternal

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Written by Julie Bishop

Published on Friday, 22 February 2013 01:00

Australia's involvement in World War I is defined and remembered by the heroism and sacrifice of our troops at Gallipoli.

While many Australians also fought on the battlefields of France and elsewhere, which is recognised and recorded, it is the Gallipoli campaign that captured the imagination of the Australian public and gave rise to the ANZAC legend.

Similarly in World War II, the trials and tribulations of our diggers trudging along the famed KokodaTrack, magnificently assisted by the people of Papua New Guinea, have inspired thousands of Australians in recent years, paying tribute to their heroism by walking the same trail.

It is intriguing that the only large-scale attack on Australian soil during World War II has not, until recently, featured prominently in our embrace of Australian military history.

Read more: The lesson of history is that vigilance must be eternal

The election - any date won't do

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Written by Julie Bishop

Published on Wednesday, 13 February 2013 22:22

Within our parliamentary system it is within the remit of the Prime Minister of the day to call the election, with regard to certain constitutional constraints but essentially at a time of their choosing.  

It can be argued that any date a Prime Minister chooses for an election will not suit every voter, or that someone somewhere will be inconvenienced.  

Prime Minister Julia Gillard sought to justify her decision to announce the date of 14 September for the election, seven months earlier than expected, on the grounds that it "enables individuals and business, investors and consumers, to plan their year."  

Yet this particular date of Saturday 14 September 2013 has a number of serious implications that raise questions about Julia Gillard's judgement.  

Read more: The election - any date won't do

Sri Lanka emerging from the darkness of war

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Written by Julie Bishop

Published on Thursday, 07 February 2013 01:09

There was virtually no government infrastructure development in the regions controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) due to security concerns, including no electricity supply or water sanitation, and little to no road construction or maintenance.

The current investment in infrastructure is staggering.

Electricity supply has been provided to the majority of the northern and eastern provinces where the LTTE largely operated.

More than 20,000 kilometres of new high-quality roads have been constructed including 18,000 kilometres of rural access roads.

A huge investment has been made in building and upgrading health and education services.

Read more: Sri Lanka emerging from the darkness of war