Mr NUGENT —My question is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Has the minister seen reports suggesting that the security declaration agreed between Australia and the United States has caused concern in Asia? Did the government reach agreement with the United States on a joint security declaration because Australia is committed to making a strong contribution to regional security?

Mr DOWNER —I thank the honourable member very much for his question, and recognise the perspective that the honourable member has about Asia-Pacific security and his understanding of the role that both Australia and the United States can play in contributing to Asia-Pacific security. As the honourable member for Aston pointed out in the introduction to his question, there have been those who have criticised, in particular, the Australian government's joint security declaration with the United States, which was reached at the historic AUSMIN talks in Sydney in July. Perhaps we would not be surprised if that criticism came from the political left, members of the left faction of the Labor Party, and one or two—and there are very few of these people—journalists whom you might describe as a tad anti-American.

What was extraordinary is that in his speech in response to the Prime Minister's report on his recent overseas visit, none less than the Leader of the Opposition described the government's position on the relationship with the United States as an extraordinarily foolish interpretation which has reverberated back into China in a way that gives China offence. He went on to talk about it in the context of a new containment strategy.

Mr Costello —Who said that?

Mr DOWNER —The Leader of the Opposition said that. The Leader of the Opposition is somebody who for many years has prided himself on his knowledge of the United States, his interest in the United States and, what is more, his support for the American alliance.

Mr McGauran —He has boasted of it.

Mr DOWNER —As the Minister for Science and Technology has said, he has boasted of it from time to time. What is extraordinary about the Labor Party is the way they took one position in government, in particular on foreign affairs, and now they have gone into opposition, they have taken another position. In order to keep a bit of coherence and cohesion in the Labor Party, the Leader of the Opposition has started to drift away from the American alliance and lock himself in with the left of the Labor Party.

The Leader of the Opposition claims that he is an expert on the American Civil War but his behaviour reminds me of the behaviour of President Lincoln's weakest general, General McClellan, who could never make up his mind. He had a massive army there. The army was all ready to go to war, but when it came to going to battle, General McClellan could never do it; he would never go to battle. Here we have General McClellan blustering away, but never actually going to battle. Seven months ago he was in favour of the American alliance. When the coalition takes an historic initiative to reach a joint security declaration with the United States, the Leader of the Opposition is in a different mode.

To suggest that somehow Australia was ganging up with the United States against the will of the United States, which is the absurd proportion put forward by the Leader of the Opposition—all ganging up against the United States against China—is manifestly absurd. This is a government which is opposed to the containment of China and has said so on many occasions, including the Prime Minister saying so very recently.

The Australian security link with the United States makes a significant contribution to regional security. We believe, and some people on the other side used to believe, that the United States' involvement in the security of East Asia is fundamental to the maintenance of that security. The United States, as is often said, is the balancing wheel of regional security. You cannot on the one hand say that you believe the United States should be involved in regional security but on the other hand turn around and say you are not going to have much to do with them yourself.

One of the things that we bring to the region is our close link with the United States and the way we can use that close link with the United States to enhance that regional security. That point needs to be understood by the opposition. You understood it seven months ago but you have forgotten it since because it is politically inconvenient for you. You do not any longer now you are in oppo sition have the courage of your convictions—or perhaps we could say, like General McClellan, you did not actually have any convictions to start with.

It is very hard to know, but I am increasingly getting the impression that you make up a policy just to suit the day, just to suit the political occasion. This is a very good illustration of it. You were pro-US seven months ago and are sneering at the Australian-US joint security declaration today. The fact is that the speech you made in this House came to me as an enormous surprise as I sat here and tried to listen to it. I thought there was more to you than that. I thought deep down inside there was a belief system and an intellectual framework, but at the end of the day you have as much courage as General McClellan. You cannot take your army into a fight; you are too scared to do so.