Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

You may not be interested, Senator, but we actually care about this relationship. Indonesia is the world's fourth-largest country by population and is projected to be the fourth-largest economy by 2050. The largest economy in South-East Asia, Indonesia is critical to Australia's security and stability—something Labor has always understood, from Curtin and Chifley through Keating and Hawke and the Rudd and Gillard governments. Yet, under this government, our trade with Indonesia has actually decreased. As Mr Morrison said in Singapore, just moments ago after meeting with Indonesia's President:

Indonesia doing well economically, Indonesia doing well strategically, is good for Australia, and that's why we do it. We do it because it's good for our national interests to support Indonesia's advancement.

He said that 'it's good for our national interests'. Well, Prime Minister, perhaps you should have put that on your lapel badge: 'Do what's good for Australia's national interests'. Instead, you trashed the national interests to try to get votes in Wentworth.

But, even worse, now we are seeing this terrible decision dragged through the prism of the Liberal Party's bitter internal divisions. The same people who tore down Malcolm Turnbull and elevated Mr Morrison are now weaponising the embassy decision to continue their hard right, divisive agenda to undermine another Liberal Prime Minister. We've already seen Senator Abetz gleefully leaping onto Sky News to undermine our relationship with Indonesia. 'Brilliant Mr Morrison', who is supposed to be such a strategic genius, has now, after losing votes on this issue in Wentworth, firmly wedged himself, between the national interest and the interests of the people who made him Prime Minister. He is trapped between doing the right thing by the nation and returning to sensible bipartisan policy. But, if he does, he will face the political consequences from the hard right.

Of course, Australia should consider foreign policy decisions based on our national interests. But that means that you have to be responsible enough to act consistently for the national interest. The overturning of the bipartisan position on the location of the embassy in Israel for short-term political gain was not in our national interests. Well, Labor says 'enough'. Under pressure from journalists in Singapore, Mr Morrison has just committed to making a decision on the embassy by Christmas. Why Christmas, Prime Minister? Why not now? It took you one day to wreck this trade deal; why do you have to wait another month to fix it? (Time expired)