Prime Minister
SECRETARY OF STATE POMPEO: It is in fact that it is my great honour and privilege to welcome you Prime Minister Morrison to the State Department. You hosted, along with your beautiful wife, hosted Susan and me just last month in Sydney it was spectacular. For our next meal in America I want you to come out to the real outback in Kansas. Where the people much like all across America are kindred spirits with you all. Yeah we're both Continental democracies that show the values of freedom and liberty and of human rights. We're both Pacific nations settled by two explorers, pioneers and rebels from the old world. As Mark Twain once said he said after a visit to Australia quote "You have a spirit of independence which cannot be over praised." We Americans like our independence an awful lot too. And although the Aussie press in the room. I promise you I'm not siding with Republicans are the monarchists here. That's your business you all pick it. And throughout history our shared values and interests are brought us together time and time again we we fight alongside each other in the Battle of Hamel and Midway at Guadalcanal and Korea and in Vietnam. And in Afghanistan as well. And we have much more to achieve together in the years and decades ahead. And certainly our effort to achieve peace and stability throughout the Indo-Pacific region is something that we will work closely together. So at this time. If I might I'd like to offer a toast. When General Douglas MacArthur spoke to your parliament at the height of World War II. He spoke of adding yet another link to the long chain of friendship. Which brings our two nations together. So here he is to that long and unbroken friendship, Cheers. Mr Vice President.
VICE PRESIDENT PENCE: Prime Minister Morrison. Mrs. Jenny Morrison. Secretary Pompeo. Attorney General Barr. Secretary Azar. Alex Azar. My friend. Other members of the cabinet and distinguished members of Congress who join us today and to the entire Australian delegation. It is Karen and my honour. To join the Secretary of State and Mrs. Pompeo to welcome you here to the State Department for your very first state visit to the United States of America. And we've had the great privilege to spend time with you in Australia as well and enjoyed enjoyed your and Jenny's hospitality. And while in the first instance you did not seek the office you now hold when the time came around to seek it you did seek it. And so allow me on behalf of all my fellow Americans to congratulate you on your success in the May elections. Mr. Prime Minister the people of Australia, said yes to your leadership. You were elected as a voice for the quiet Australians which if you'll permit me reminds me of someone who was elected to represent the forgotten men and women of America. And so you have. Begun your career. And I know I speak on behalf of that President when I say what a great honour it is to have you here. In our country and here in our nation's capital today. To celebrate as President Trump said today the unbreakable bond between America and Australia. A bond rooted in eternal ties of history, culture, and tradition. And today. I truly believe that as our two countries meet as you so eloquently put it, we are on the dawn of a second century of mateship. For more than a hundred years, hundred and one to be exact. We have grown together. We have fought together. And freedom has prospered beneath the American flag and the Australian flag. But the relationship between our two countries is is diverse and important and nowhere is that more growing than in the bustling commerce between our two nations, today we're proud to say the United States is the largest investor in Australia and you mentioned that in the Oval Office you're meeting with the President today. It makes our country the largest foreign employer in your country. But we're also very grateful that Australian companies employ more than seventy four thousand. Americans, and exports to Australia support more than a quarter of a million Australian jobs. The economic ties and the bonds of commerce have never been stronger between the United States and Australia. But it's about more than commerce and business. The relationship between Australia and the United States is also characterized by our mutual commitment to freedom. And our shared values. And I know I speak on behalf of the President and the Secretary of State. When I say how grateful we are for the strong partnership that Australia has provided to the United States in our shared commitment of a free and open Indo-Pacific. I promise you the United States of America will continue to stand with Australia and all freedom loving nations for an Indo-Pacific where independent nations can boldly pursue their own interests. Respect their neighbours as equals where societies beliefs and traditions can flourish side by side in a spirit of liberty. And we'll continue to look for new and renewed ways to build on that cooperation. We'll stand with you to uphold freedom of navigation in the seas and in this freedom of the airwaves in the skies. And let me also say as chairman of the National Space Council which President Trump recently reconstituted after 25 years of dormancy, how refreshing it was to hear you reflect on our shared aspirations to for renewed leadership in space. We are indeed as you said Mr. Prime Minister, we are going back to the moon and then to Mars and America and Australia we'll go together once again. So we have, we have security interests in common we have commerce interests in common. But clearly as I reflected when Karen and I visited Australia the first time just a few days before Anzac Day. The greatest ties that bind our two people are the ties that have been forged by the men and women who fought and died shoulder to shoulder in the defence of freedom. For more than 100 years. The sons and daughters of both our lands have fought together in every major conflict to defend our shared ideals from the Coral Sea to Kandahar our friendship has been forged in the fires of sacrifice even today in Afghanistan, Australian and American soldiers stand together. And as the president said. Together our people have laid down their lives to protect our civilization from tyranny. We've battled together against the menace of fascism, communism, radical Islamic terrorism. And let me say in the faith tradition that you and, you and I share. That ours is a nation that knows a no greater love has a man in this, than he should lay down his life for his friends. For more than 100 years it is that shared sacrifice that holds us most closely together and I promise you Mr. Prime Minister the American people will never forget Australia's fallen and never failed to honour their sacrifice along with our heroes for our freedom. So with gratitude for the extraordinary and historic alliance between the United States and Australia and for all that has meant to the world and with a confident hope that we have only begun to explore the depths and bounds of prosperity and security that can be derived from this extraordinary mateship. I'd like to invite everyone to raise a glass along with me and the Secretary of State and the prime minister. To you Prime Minister Morrison, to Mrs. Morrison to all the Australian people. And I will offer a toast with the blessing that you inscribe at the bottom of a letter that you sent to me not long ago, on behalf of the American people we toast and we pray. May the Lord bless you and keep you and all the good people of Australia. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you, May the Lord turn his face toward you and your good people and ours. And give us peace. God bless Australia and God bless America.
PRIME MINISTER MORRISON: Well Mr. Vice President, Mr. Secretary, Karen, Susan. It is a great pleasure for Jenny and I to be here with so many other Australians who I see here in the room and I see so many familiar faces. You pay us a great honour. Both the Secretary and the Vice President have showed great friendship towards me and to Jenny particularly since I've come into this role. I like the Mikes, I like the Mikes. I can tell you that for sure. And no it's not just me, Ambassador Hockey and Melissa is here with us today. I, particularly in this room I want to acknowledge the tremendous work that Ambassador Hockey has done in this tremendous relationship. Thank you Joe. There's no better there's no stronger nor any deeper relationship than that exists between the United States and Australia at the heart of our deep and abiding friendship are the values and beliefs that net us together. It was just over half a century ago that Australia's longest serving Prime Minister Sir Robert Menzies the founder of the party that I lead today, said Australia and America are warmed by the same inner fires. He said this, we worked for the same kind of free world. We live in freedom. And we'll accept no other life. We govern ourselves in democracy and will not tolerate anything less. We cherish liberty and hold it safe. Providing hope for the rest of the world. We were born in the same era, sprang from the same stock and live for the same ideals. Australia and America share an affinity that reaches to our souls. Australia is a reliable alliance partner. But we are also a reliable economic partner as well as the Vice President said. As a trading nation. We know we don't get rich by selling things to ourselves. We know the benefits of open markets transparent rules and the importance of a level playing field. We've always looked beyond our shores for our prosperity. Our ambitious trade strategy is delivering dividends. We've posted a record yearly trade surplus of around 50 billion dollars Australian in the past year three times larger than our previous record. One in five Australian jobs depend on global trade. When people ask me why do you go here? Why do you go there? And leave our shores? One in five jobs in Australia depends on us doing just that. This makes us a champion for the economic success of other nations as well as our own. Because then we can do business with them. The US knows the value of the products and the smarts of our businesses have to offer here in the United States, the US has also benefited as we have significantly from our bilateral trade. And have enjoyed a trade surplus with Australia since the Truman administration. The US enjoys a higher merchandise trade surplus with Australia than with any other G20 nation. And U.S. exports enter Australia tariff free and quota free. And you can't get a better deal than that. So we're very happy to be the gold standard of U.S. trade partners anywhere in the world. Together we've invested some one point seven trillion Australian dollars in each other's economy with the United States being the single largest direct investor of any investor in our country, and more than a quarter of Australia's investment that goes beyond our shores goes here into the United States. Trade surplus or deficit, Australia will always keep our doors open because we back ourselves. Supporting that global trading system is therefore critical to our economic success and our future. And that's why we want to work closely and I thank the Vice President I think Secretary Pompeo. Because we want to work closely with the United States who is the architect of that system to ensure that the system keeps pace with the modern digital economy, is updated to provide a level playing field between established, developed economies and those that are newly established developed economies and to protect the IP of businesses in a highly competitive global marketplace. The rules have got to reflect the changes that have happened around the world. Trade and international engagement is the bulwark against global conflict. This was the post-war vision of the nations led by the United States that won the great peace. And this hasn't changed. But it won't be enough. Together we know that peace and stability cannot be taken for granted. Working together our democracies have been the ballast in unstable times and places guaranteeing safety and security to vulnerable people. As Australians it has never been our response to say this problem is too big, or our circumstances are so trying, that we should leave it to our great and powerful friend. We have never left it to the United States. Ours is not the journey of a free rider on the sacrifice of our friends. Nor will it ever be. Our defence spending will reach two per cent of GDP next financial year. That's up from just 1.56 per cent just six years ago which was the lowest level it had been since the Second World War before the Second World War. At that level we are second only to the United States of the Five Eyes nations, and greater than those much larger nations like Germany and Japan. We take our responsibility in our own neighbourhood very seriously and our Pacific step up which I want to thank the vice president for his keen interest both in that partnership that we are forging in the Pacific. But his commitment and interest and passion for the Pacific. We talk about it as our Pacific family, our Vuvale, if you're in Fiji, our Fanau if you're in Polynesia, To promote shared prosperity. Independence and sovereignty. In the broader Asia Pacific we have forged deep friendships with partnerships over decades with our ASEAN neighbours, with India, and Japan, Korea and we share a comprehensive strategic partnership with China our single largest trading partner where we have had success with partners in our region it has always been built on mutual respect for sovereignty and independence and to celebrate their economic success. It has also been made possible. By our alliance with the United States and your presence and engagement in our region which is so important because it provides the necessary stability in our region to pursue these relationships. Sustained US and economic and security engagement in the Indo-Pacific has never been more necessary. Beyond our region. We share a commitment to the sovereignty also and prosperity of Israel. For 70 years and especially recently we have in Australia together consistently advocated for the nation of Israel and for a peaceful future for the region. Most recently under my government we have taken an even stronger stand. Against the biased and unfair targeting of Israel in the UN General Assembly together with the United States and Mr. Vice President we will continue to do so. Australia may not be America's most powerful friend. But we are certainly as I said this morning your most sure and steadfast. We have just celebrated a century of mateship and at the dawn of a second century of mateship we draw strength from what we have achieved together so far. We commit to modernizing our alliance for the times and challenges we now face and we renew our belief in the values that will always sustain us in this endeavour. So let me also propose a toast. Not just to the Mikes, but to the Commonwealth of Australia. But importantly to these United States of America. And to the better world we have always believed in and toil together to achieve. God bless America.