Foreign Minister Penny Wong has responded to US President Donald Trump’s speech at the United Nations, where he called climate change a “con job” and told world leaders their countries were “going to hell”.
Senator Wong told 7.30 his comments weren’t unexpected.
“The content of his speech is really the same sorts of things President Trump has been speaking about to the American people prior to his election and since,” she said.
In his speech Mr Trump derided renewable energy as a joke that is destroying the free world.
“The carbon footprint is a hoax made up by people with evil intentions,” he told the UN General Assembly.
President Donald Trump addresses the United Nations General Assembly. (Reuters: Mike Segar)
Australia’s response, according to Senator Wong, is to be pragmatic in the face of Mr Trump’s views.
“These are issues where President Trump has been very consistent, his position has been clear,” Senator Wong said.
“Australia does take a different view. We accept the reality of climate change.”
While Australia is historically linked to the United States through trade, security and foreign relations, Senator Wong said Australia should strengthen bonds with countries beyond the US.
“What we have to do as Australians is make sure we really invest in our relationships and partnerships, not just with the United States but with a number of other countries,” she said.
Despite the divergence of views with Washington, the foreign minister welcomed the scheduling of the first face-to-face meeting between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Mr Trump, due to take place on October 20.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has scheduled a meeting with Mr Trump. (Supplied: UN/Loey Felipe)
Asked by 7.30 host Sarah Ferguson how the PM would prepare for a meeting with such a capricious leader who holds views so opposite to those of Mr Albanese, Senator Wong said: “I’ll leave you to engage in the adjectives”.
While the meeting with Mr Albanese has been set, Senator Wong was unable to confirm whether a Quad meeting between the US, Australia, Japan and India would take place.
“I don’t understand that those details have been finalised … we hope there will be a leaders’ meeting later in the year.”
Wong questions Israel’s commitment to ceasefire
Members of the Israeli government responded to Australia’s joint recognition of Palestine, along with France, the UK and Canada, with threats to enact “immediate countermeasures” including annexing the West Bank and “crushing” the Palestinian authority.Â
French President Emmanuel Macron has helped lead the push to recognise Palestine.
 (Reuters: Eduardo Munoz)
Senator Wong told 7.30 those threats could reveal Israel’s attitude to the potential for peace in Gaza.
“The world is seeing the extent to which the Netanyahu government seems to be prepared to go to avoid a ceasefire and peace,” Senator Wong said.
Asked if the Israeli government does not want a ceasefire in order to continue its operations in Gaza, she added:
“If the hypothetical threats you are putting to me are carried out I think that would be the conclusion the world would draw.”
Senator Wong also met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on the sidelines of the UN meeting, a month after the Iran’s ambassador to Australia Ahmad Sadeghi was expelled from the country.
Ahmad Sadeghi was expelled from Australia. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)
“I think it was the right thing to do, to meet directly with my counterpart and look him in the eye and tell him precisely why we made the decisions we made,” she told 7.30.
Australian security agencies declared in August that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard corps had directed two antisemitic attacks in Australia, including the firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne, in December last year.
When asked whether Mr Aragchi denied the claims, Seantor Wong said “I think you would anticipate Iran would not agree with our assessment”.
“I made very clear that the government has confidence in the advice of our security agencies and has acted accordingly.”
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