‘Keating not alone’: minister sparks outrage

Labor and the Coalition have opened a new election front — how to deal with China.

Penny Wong refuses to shake hands with Simon Birmingham at the conclusion of an election debate at the South Australian Press Club in Adelaide. Picture: ABC

Paul Keating’s claim that “nutters” in security agencies had damaged relations with Beijing has sparked a worsening election brawl, with the Coalition claiming the former prime minister’s views are shared by others in the ALP and Labor ­accusing the government of politicising the China relationship.

In a fiery confrontation with Labor foreign affairs spokes­woman Penny Wong, Liberal frontbencher Simon Birmingham blasted Mr Keating for “insulting the heads of our intelligence agencies­” with his claim security chiefs had “gone berko” on China.

“I note Labor have distanced themselves from the remarks but Paul Keating is not an isolated ­figure in terms of … Bob Carr and others who sit within the (Labor) ranks,” the Trade Minister said during an election debate in ­Adelaide yesterday.

“We make sure we maintain a firm and ­consistent approach ­(towards China) and in doing so make sure we keep Australia’s economic interests strong (and) our national security interests strong too.”

The accusation infuriated Senator Wong, who attacked Senator Birmingham as “really desperate” and refused to shake his hand at the debate’s conclusion.

Shortly after the clash, Labor defence spokesman Richard ­Marles told the ABC the Coalition had sought to use the China relationship to score political points against the ALP, placing the ­crucial economic relationship at risk. “What we cannot afford to do as a nation is deal with China ­gratuitously,” Mr Marles said.

“And I think that’s what we have seen on the part of this governme­nt, the Coalition government, when they’ve sought to politicise the Chinese relationship in domestic partisan fights in by-elections in Sydney.

“I don’t think this government has treated the relationship and put it on the plane above the political fray that it clearly deserves.”

Mr Marles said Labor wanted China to know Australia valued the bilateral relationship but must “have the courage to express our national interest”.

He also expressed in-principle support for freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, saying Australia must have the “courage” to assert its interests under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The stoush followed a warning by a former US spy chief that the Australia-US relationship had been taken for granted and needed to be refreshed amid growing strat­egic and technological competit­ion from China.

Former US National Security Agency and Cyber Command chief Michael Rogers told an audience of Australia’s top military and intelligence leaders at an Australian Strategic Policy Institute dinner this week: “We’ve been mates for a long time — I don’t want to lose that. We have tended to take this relationship for granted for some time. My view is that isn’t going to work for us any more.”

Admiral Rogers said Australia should not be forced to choose between­ the US and China, particularl­y when China was “so vital” to economic growth.