Scott Morrison signs space race deal with Donald Trump
Scott Morrison has pledged $150 million to help Australian businesses get involved in the planned US mission to the moon and then Mars as he urges “restraint” over Iran.
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Scott Morrison has said that military action in Iran is unlikely in the imminent future as the Prime Minister again urged “restraint”.
Mr Morrison told reporters in Washington today that he supported US President Donald Trump’s statement that restraint was a sign of strength.
Speaking after attending a garden party at the residence of Australia’s ambassador to the US, Joe Hockey, Mr Morrison said he was confident the trade war with China would not impact Australia’s budget despite it being unlikely to be resolved within 12 months.
At the party, attended by up to 250 of some of Washington’s most powerful people, the PM planted a White House tree on the embassy’s grounds.
Officials said it was an offspring of the famous Jackson magnolia that was planted at the White House by the then US president, Andrew Jackson, nearly 200 years ago.
That tree was brought to Washington by Jackson from his farm in Tennessee.
He told guests how he was moved by the entertainment which included military encore of a Walzing Matilda and a poem recited by Mr Trump from his great aunt Dame Mary Gilmore
Earlier, Mr Trump said he wanted to use a new agreement with Australia for moon landings by 2024 as a launch pad for a bold mission to Mars after his first White House meeting with “man of titanium” Mr Morrison.
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During the Prime Minister’s official US state visit, the Australian Space Agency, based in Adelaide, has thrashed out a new deal to help NASA’s mission to the moon within five years.
Mr Morrison said the deal helped Australia be part of a mission “to capture the human imagination”, while the US President told News Corp Australia in the Oval Office that the new 2024 mission to the moon was “tremendous”.
“If you look at our facilities, they were virtually closed up,” Mr Trump said.
“There was crabgrass growing on the runways. And now they’re vital and, you know, we’re doing, we’re going to Mars. We’re stopping at the moon. The moon is actually a launching pad. That’s why we’re stopping at the moon.
“I said, hey, we’ve already done the moon. That’s not so exciting. They said, no, sir, it’s a launching pad for Mars. So we’ll be doing the moon but we’ll really be doing Mars and we’ll be, we’re making tremendous progress.”
He said the US was happy to rent out sites for private rockets to space, such as those being touted by tech businessman Elon Musk.
The federal government has announced a $150 million boost into local businesses and new technologies that will support NASA on its “inspirational campaign to return to the Moon and travel to Mars”.
Speaking last night Australian time at NASA headquarters in Washington, Mr Morrison said the moon mission helped “to capture the human imagination”.
“Daring and brilliance is a great inspiration to all of us,” he told the crowd including young children and families.
“So beam us up.”
Mr Morrison said space missions, and the challenges posed, showed resilience and an ability to “think on your feet”.
“When things go well, things go well,” he said. “But when things don’t go well that is when you find the real imagination and you find the real innovation of a team (who) can work together.
“And it takes a team to take people to the moon.”
He said one of his favourite films was The Dish, about Australia’s efforts to broadcast the Apollo moon landing in 1969 from The Parkes.
He said NASA headquarters had been the site of many “daring” operations.
Mr Morrison later posed with a “Logie” the Apollo moon mission won for its broadcast alongside Adelaide astronaut Andy Thomas, who has retired from NASA and his former colleague Alvin Drew who was on the STS 118 mission.
In an earlier statement, Mr Morrison said: “We’re backing Australian businesses to the moon, and even Mars, and back.”
PRIME MINISTER VISITS ARLINGTON CEMETERY
Mr Morrison laid a wreath at the Arlington national cemetery, and visited the gravesite of an Australian serviceman buried there.
The Prime Minister and his wife then travelled to Alexandria, Virginia, south of Washington DC, a entrepreneur centre for war veterans.
The couple viewed different products including a robotic keg, which Mr Morrison clearly enjoyed.
They also tasted a sugar free tomato sauce created by local former Naval pilot, father of four Abe Kamarck, 42.
“Ketchup is just red sugar,” he told the couple.
The centre, Bunker Labs, helps educate veterans with business knowledge and other skills.
Retired Four Star US General John Nicholson said the program was vital.
General Nicholson, now chairman with Penfed Foundation, a veterans organisation, was a commander in Afghanistan including of Australian troops.
He said helping veterans with finances was among its biggest work as spousal unemployment was 30 per cent higher due to soldiers being frequently posted all over the world.
“We love and care for our soldiers,” he said, adding that officials were keen to introduce a similar program to Australia.
STATE DINNERS BRINGS OUT WHO’S WHO
Meanwhile, the worlds of politics, media and even sports collided as a stream of administration members from both countries, aides, politicians and even golfer Greg Norman headed outside for the open-air dinner.
It is only the second such dinner President Trump has hosted for a foreign leader during his three years in office.
The 173 guests who joined them to dine al fresco in the historic Rose Garden included mining magnates Gina Rinehart and Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and Australian astronaut Andy Thomas.
Mrs Morrison wore a Carla Zampatti dress while the First Lady wore a J. Mendel aqua silk chiffon gown.
Guests sat at a mix of round and rectangular tables draped in alternating yellow and green tablecloths in tribute to Australia’s national colours and dine on sunchoke ravioli, Dover sole and apple tart a la mode. Temporary flooring was laid over the grass.
Dinner centrepieces featured more than 2,500 yellow California roses and Australia’s national flower, the golden wattle, while the garden itself will be decorated with white and yellow roses.
LEADERS ON IRAN
Yesterday before a series of bilateral talks at White House, the world leaders spoke publicly about the mounting tensions in the Middle East, as Mr Trump announced tough new sanctions and made a veiled threat of nuclear strikes.
But they both urged restraint and downplayed any military action. Australia has so far agreed to a limited contribution to the US-led freedom of navigation operation in the Strait of Hormuz.
In a chaotic 33 minute press briefing in the Presidential office, in the West Wing, the pair traded compliments and talked up their respective defence forces and economies.
But as the PM’s wife Jenny, and the First Lady Melania Trump, watched, it was a question about Mr Morrison’s character, that drew laughter.
In reference to former president George W. Bush’s “man of steel” label for John Howard — the last Australian leader bestowed a state visit — Mr Trump upped his metals when asked to describe Mr Morrison.
“I would say a man of titanium — titanium is much tougher than steel, he is a man of titanium,” he told reporters.
“I think he is a nice guy. OK. A man of real real strength and a great guy.”
Despite the pair downplaying any military conflict with Iran, which has been accused of blowing up Saudi Arabian oilfields and has detained three Australians, Mr Trump boasted about his nuclear arsenal — which he later described as “tippy top shape” and “tippy top”.
The US has announced tough new sanctions against Tehran and its national bank — described as the “highest ever”. — before announcing it would send military forces to the Gulf following attacks that has threatened oil supplies and petrol prices.
While Mr Trump said he was happy for a coalition, and said restraint was a sign of strength, he said the US was “in a class by itself”.
He said: “We have the most powerful military in the world, by far. There’s nobody close.
“As you know, we’ve spent tremendous and hopefully, and we pray to God, we never have to use it, but we’ve totally renovated and bought new nuclear.
“And the rest of our military is all brand-new. The nuclear, now, is at a level that it’s never been before. And I can only tell you because I know, I know the problems of nuclear, I know the damages that, I know what happens.
“And I want to tell you, we all hope and Scott hopes we all pray that we never have to use nuclear. But there’s nobody that has anywhere close to what we have.”
“I think the United State has taken a very measured, calibrated approach to date,” Mr Morrison said.
TRUMP, MORRISON ON CHINA
They also talked about the ongoing trade tensions with China, during which the President descried the economic power as a threat to the world in a sense because they’re building a military faster than anybody — and frankly, they’re using U.S. money”. He said would only sign a trade deal in the US interests.
After the Morrisons watched a spectacular welcome on the White House South Lawns, Mr Trump said he wanted to travel to Australia later in the year for official business and some golf.
“Love to do it. Nothing more exciting than having it in Australia,” he said.
The day also included meetings at the State Department and Pentagon.