‘He diminished his legacy’: Penny Wong blasts Paul Keating comments

Penny Wong has hit back at a former prime minister, saying he “diminished his legacy” by sensationally attacking the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine program.

Former prime minister Paul Keating “diminished” his legacy by sensationally attacking the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine program, Penny Wong says.

In her first National Press Club address as Foreign Affairs Minister, Senator Wong hit back at Mr Keating’s sensational claims that spending up to $368bn on nuclear-powered submarines was “the worst international decision by an Australian Labor government” since World War I.

She also invoked the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis to urge Beijing to agree to US President Joe Biden’s proposed “guardrails” on each country’s security policies, designed to manage competition between the great powers.

Senator Penny Wong has hit back at a former prime minister, saying he “diminished his legacy” by sensationally attacking the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine program. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Naomi Jellicoe

Senator Wong said Australia was “invested in the idea of guardrails to manage great power competition, so (the region) does not career into conflict”.

“The guardrails that were developed in the wake of the Cuban missile crisis serve as a guide. President Biden has made overtures to China towards agreeing guardrails. It is in all of the world’s interest that his overtures are met,” she said.

“I have said this to my Chinese counterpart, and to his predecessor, and I will keep saying it.”

Mr Keating launched his scathing attack in his own press club address last month, lambasting Senator Wong for “running around the Pacific Islands with a lei around (her) neck handing out money”.

Responding to questions at the press club on Monday, Senator Wong said the former PM’s comments “diminished his legacy”.

“The importance of the Pacific to Australia, the importance of a peaceful, stable region to Australia … has been well understood by premiers, prime ministers, and governments,” Senator Wong said.

“On Mr Keating, what I would say is this: I think in tone and substance he diminished both

his legacy and the subject matter.”

Senator Wong addressed the National Press Club on Monday for the first time since becoming Foreign Affairs Minister nearly a year ago.

She used the speech to reset foreign policy discourse in the Indo Pacific, declaring competition against China should be to protect the “character” of the region.

“Strategic competition is not merely about who is top dog, who is ahead in the race, or who holds strategic primacy in the Indo-Pacific,” Senator Wong said, alluding to the US-China rivalry.

“It’s actually about the character of the region. It’s about the rules and norms that underpin our security and prosperity, that ensure our access within an open and inclusive region, and that manage competition responsibly.”

Senator Wong will also said acquiring nuclear-powered submarines would “change the calculus for any potential aggressor” and avert the chance of war.

Penny Wong will deliver a major address at the National Press Club on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gary Ramage

“We must ensure that no state will ever conclude that the benefits of conflict outweigh the risks. This is fundamental to assuring the safety and security of our nation and our people,” she will say, according to speech notes seen by The Advertiser.

“Our foreign and defence policies are two essential and interdependent parts of how we make Australia stronger and more influential in the world.”

Since forming government in May last year, Labor has achieved several major breakthroughs in improving its relationship with China following a long diplomatic freeze that started in 2020, when former prime minister Scott Morrison backed an inquiry into the Chinese origins of Covid-19.

The most recent breakthrough came last week, when China agreed to review its trade restrictions on Australian barley.

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