Anthony Albanese jump-starts AUKUS pact after end to chaos in US Congress

AUKUS is back on track after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met with the newly elected Speaker of the House after weeks of turmoil in Congress left the alliance in limbo.

Anthony Albanese met the new House Republican leader in his first full day on the job during an intense lobbying effort for AUKUS in Washington DC before flying home to Australia.

Wrapping up a four-day state visit, the Prime Minister pressed congressional leaders including Speaker Mike Johnson to pass new laws needed for the security pact, before delivering a major speech in front of US Vice President Kamala Harris.

The US House of Representatives had been paralysed for more than three weeks after an unprecedented leadership coup, leaving the speakership vacant and meaning Mr Albanese could not be invited to give that address to a joint sitting of Congress.

Mr Johnson, his party’s fourth choice to be second in line to the president, said “unfortunately” that could not be arranged after he was thrust into the job on Wednesday (local time).

The Prime Minister told the new Republican leader during their brief meeting: “We have important legislation required for AUKUS … and we’re certainly hoping that Congress can pass that legislation this year.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks during a State Luncheon hosted by the State Department in Washington, DC. Picture: AFP

Democrat congressman Joe Courtney, the co-chair of the Friends of Australia caucus, said Congress was “in pretty good shape” to deliver on that.

“There’s an urgency for implementation of AUKUS that we really can’t fumble the ball,” he said.

US President Joe Biden earlier smoothed the path for the laws by proposing a $US3.4bn boost to the submarine industrial base, after some Republicans raised concerns about selling nuclear-powered boats to Australia when the US Navy needed to expand its fleet.

Mr Albanese, in his speech at the State Department, said he had assured congressional leaders that Australians always “pay our way” and “pull our weight”, having also promised a $A3bn investment in American shipyards to ensure the sale in the early 2030s.

“AUKUS is an unprecedented level of partnership, conceived for a time of unprecedented challenge,” he said.

“The AUKUS bills before Congress represent a multi-billion dollar boost to America’s industrial base — and a game-changing manufacturing opportunity for Australian workers.”

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese toasts with US Vice President Kamala Harris and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Picture: AFP

The Prime Minister, who will travel to Beijing next weekend to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, said the Biden administration’s efforts to “pull the world back from the brink of conflict” with China had “become the test of our time”.

He reinforced how Australia would “disagree where we must” with China, focused on securing our sovereignty, protecting freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific, upholding human rights, and working together to maintain peace including in the Taiwan Strait.

“We are clear-eyed about this. We are two nations with very different histories, values and political systems,” Mr Albanese said.

“Our approach has been patient, calibrated and deliberate. And that will continue when I visit Beijing and Shanghai next month.”

He is due to arrive back in Sydney on Saturday morning.

After travelling to China, the Prime Minister is also expected to attend the Pacific Islands Forum in the Cook Islands and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, where Mr Biden is likely to meet Mr Xi in his first visit to the US since 2017.