Kiwis our great friends, says Aussie minister
Julie Bishop is posing in an Emporio Armani coat and Giorgio Armani pants for a Daily Telegraph photo shoot which has caused quite the stir in Australia media - no, not the outfit, but Bishop’s comment that she won’t apologise for being feminine.
‘‘I don’t think we should apologise for our femininity. I don’t think we should apologise for our interest in fashion,’’ the Australian foreign minister says.
Bishop, in her designer suits and stiletto heels, cuts a striking figure on the world stage.
She also happens to be one of Australia’s shrewdest and most driven politicians, and has an intimidating death stare that can quickly cut journalists down to size for failing to do their homework.
It’s no wonder that Bishop is often talked about as a future Australian prime minister.
Yet to Kiwis she is a relatively unknown quantity, even though she has a hugely influential part to play - not just in Australia’s policies toward Kiwis, but in our own foreign policy.
When Bishop flew to Auckland this week for one of her regular meetings with Kiwi counterpart Murray McCully, Prime Minister John Key’s door was also open.
The closeness of the relationship, not just on economic issues but in combat theatres like Iraq, and on security and intelligence issues, makes it as important for our Government to know what makes Bishop tick as it is for her boss Malcolm Turnbull.
On her trip across the Tasman, Bishop touched on some of the topics that have been a perpetual bugbear in trans-Tasman talks over the years.
One issue of vital interest to New Zealand is the relatively open border between our two countries.
Australia has in the past been uneasy about New Zealand being a backdoor entry into Australia. With the growing emphasis on regional security threats and Islamic State, could there be any threat of those borders tightening up? Bishop’s view is that’s not necessary, and she believes there are good systems in place. ‘‘We share a great deal of information. The flow of people between our two countries is open but it’s also subject to very high levels of information exchange,’’ she says.
‘‘Our security intelligence and law enforcement agencies work exceedingly closely together to ensure we know [who is] coming into our countries.’’
The detention and deportation of expat Kiwis who fail Australia’s bad character tests has also been an irritant.
But Bishop is no apologist for Australia’s hardline stance. ‘‘I believe we have achieved what we were seeking to do. We have a very special relationship with New Zealand.
‘‘New Zealanders have greater access to Australia than any other country; easier access to Australia than any other country does; it’s a very open arrangement.
‘‘But just as New Zealand would deport Australians on your criteria we are entitled to deport New Zealanders on our criteria. And there’s a general understanding that is the case.’’
Relations between New Zealand and Australia have often been dictated by the attitudes of Australian leaders.
Former Australian Prime Minister John Howard acknowledged the Anzac bond but Kevin Rudd, who followed him, did not put trans-Tasman relations high on his agenda.
Relations between Key and Rudd’s successors, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott and now Malcolm Turnbull, have been noticeably warmer.
Bishop also sees New Zealand as having a special place in Australia’s foreign policy. ‘‘Australia has no closer friend than New Zealand. About 12 per cent of your population lives in Australia,’’ she says.
‘‘Australians and New Zealanders are often in partnership in regional issues and global issues. We rely on New Zealand enormously for a lot of foreign policy and strategic initiatives ... we are very aligned in our views and our outlook,’’ she says.
‘‘As far as New Zealanders in Australia are concerned, they are very welcome, we are great friends - as long as they abide by Australian law.’’