Foreign Minister Stephen Smith spoke to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute on Wednesday 9 April. This is an extract from his speech:

Date:  20 May 2008

We came to office believing that Australia is a country with global interests, positive values and virtues, and a deep interest in the wellbeing of others. Against this background, the Government has a clear but simple starting point: for Australia to make the most of these characteristics.

We need to take every opportunity available to us in international affairs – working with major powers, globally, regionally, bilaterally and, importantly, taking much greater advantage of international institutions to make a positive contribution to international security and increasing the wealth and prosperity of nations.

The Australian Government is determined to look afresh at our strategic and national security challenges and how to respond to them.

This century, a globalised world demands more than ever a committed and active bilateral, regional and multilateral diplomacy from Australia. Or as the Prime Minister has said: active, creative middle power diplomacy.

As a good international citizen, Australia can and should do more in the world. While we are only the 50th or so largest country in terms of population, we are in the top 15 largest economies. In terms of living standards measured by income per capita, we are among the top 20 countries and we are also among the top dozen military or peacekeeping spenders.

Working internationally to strengthen the mechanisms of international order helps underpin Australia’s safety and prosperity. Australia benefits immensely from a global and regional order based on principles, norms and rules which regulate relations between nation states.

We need to shape and help others shape a stronger, rules-based order for the modern world. A more stable secure international system is fundamentally in Australia’s national interest.

It is why we are committed to the United Nations and have made a bid for a seat on the United Nations’ highest decision-making body on international peace and security.

It is why we remain committed to the US alliance, and to the system of US alliances in our region.

It’s why we will do all we can to contribute to the evolution of security architecture in Asia and to build genuine partnerships in the Pacific.

This is what the new Australian Government is committed to, and determined to deliver on.

We have begun with certainty: in our first months we have ratified the Kyoto Protocol, responded strongly to the security crisis in East Timor, and outlined our approach to development challenges in the Pacific.

We plan to continue as we have started, by being a government of ideas, one that is prepared to contribute to the debate but more importantly to help shape it.

We want to be active and principled. We are clear-eyed about the challenges and steadfast in prosecuting our values and virtues as a nation.

It means helping those less well off than ourselves to tackle the poverty and despair that give rise to the modern terrorism, transnational crime environmental degradation and disease which challenge our national security.

It means helping to strengthen the institutions of governance and democracy in our region and the world.

It means contributing fresh thinking to solving regional and global security challenges.

And it means upholding the standards of civilised international behaviour, by being a good international citizen.

A full copy of Stephen Smith’s speech is available at http://www.foreignminister.gov.au/