In an unusual and symbolically significant move, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has co-written an opinion piece with President Barack Obama in a US newspaper as his three-country tour winds up.
Titled ''Obama and Abbott: The US and Australia make common cause in the Pacific'', the Los Angeles Times op-ed is being trumpeted by those close to Mr Abbott as a stinging rebuke to Labor's assertions that his stance on climate change is threatening the US relationship.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott receives full honours on his arrival at the Pentagon to meet Secretary of Defence Chuck HagelCredit: Jake Nowakowski
Controversy has surrounded Mr Abbott's overseas trip, with Labor branding the PM a ''Nigel no friends'' on the world stage and expressing concerns about the government's stance on climate change. The co-written column makes no mention of climate change and instead trumpets the military and economic ties between Australia and the US.
Neither leader has ruled out using armed force to help Iraq's government fend off jihadist militants surging towards Baghdad. ''Today we are standing shoulder to shoulder against terrorism,'' Mr Abbott and Mr Obama asserted.
The column also conveys a warning to China, whose leaders have been aggressively asserting themselves against Japan and other Asian neighbours in disputed territories in the South China Sea.