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Sunday 7 November 2010
Watch full video of Hillary Rodham Clinton: An Australian Conversation
Transcript courtesy of ABC News | Media coverage | Image gallery | Highlights
United States Secretary of State Ms Hillary Rodham Clinton with Mr Sid Myer, Chairman, Asialink-Asia Society AustralAsia Centre and Ms Jenny McGregor, Group CEO, Asialink
The US is impressed with the way Australia has taken responsibility for helping its neighbors on issues of regional concern, US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told young Australians during an Asialink Asia Society Australasia Centre forum.
"Leadership from countries like Australia and America and the strength of the alliance that binds us is more important that ever; not only regionally, but globally as well," noted Secretary Clinton, who has been traveling through the Asia Pacific region over the past two weeks to promote the strong engagement between the United States and many of Australia's regional neighbours.
In opening remarks at today's event at the Sidney Myer Asia Centre, University of Melbourne, Glyn Davis, Vice-Chancellor of the University, described Secretary Clinton's visit to Australia as "exceptionally important for our region" and said he looked forward to the Secretary's reflections on the United States-Asia-Pacific relations, "as well as her perspectives on the future of the Australian-American alliance, which has been vital to our interests since the signing of the ANZUS alliance almost 60 years ago."
The Vice-Chancellor particularly acknowledged the crucial role Asia Society and Asialink have had in bringing about today's gathering.
The event was hosted by ABC1 Lateline's Leigh Sales and broadcast on the ABC.
Affirming the need for the partnership between the countries to keep evolving, Secretary Clinton said, "our future security depends on our abilities to adapt to emerging threats and unexpected challenges." She also emphasized the need to work together on climate change and forge a close working relationship on regional development needs, "particularly on education, health, women's empowerment and sustainable economic development, as well as championing democracy and human rights."
Secretary Clinton also acknowledged that "China's rapid growth in recent years is among the most consequential development in the Asia Pacific," and how the relationships between "Australia and China... the US and China, and among the three of us is one of the most consequential that we have, so we're committed to getting this right."
Following her opening address, the Secretary of State answered questions put to her from the audience, posted on Facebook, Twitter, and video link. (See "Clinton faces young Australians" on ABC News online).
 | Hillary Rodham Clinton: An Australian Conversation |
Welcome to this ABC News special; Hillary Rodham Clinton, an Australian conversation.
Let me explain today's format.
The Secretary of State will address our audience here in Melbourne for about 10 minutes or so and I'll briefly interview her afterwards.
I'll then open the floor to questions from our audience, which will go for about three quarters of an hour.
In our discussion we'll also include a handful of the hundreds of questions we received from all around the country via Twitter and Facebook and also on video.
To introduce the Secretary of State here's the University of Melbourne's Vice Chancellor, Professor Glyn Davis.
(applause)
GLYN DAVIS: Leigh thank you. Foreign Minister; Ambassador; Chancellor; colleagues, friends.
Good morning and welcome to the University of Melbourne.
It's an enormous pleasure to welcome you on what's going to be a very special event.
It's a special honour to welcome an outstanding global policy maker and leader the United States Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to our campus this morning.
This is an extraordinary opportunity to hear from and to engage with Secretary Clinton, who is in Australia for the regular military, political and security talks between the governments of Australia and the United States starting tomorrow.
Today's direct engagement with the Secretary suggests a welcome openness to dialogue and discussion.
In our customary fashion I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, the The Wurundjeri People of the Kulin nations and pay respects to their elders past and present.
I want to acknowledge the Asia Society, which has played a crucial role in bringing about today's gathering and I want to acknowledge Asialink, chaired by Sidney Myer, led by Jenny McGregor, here at the University of Melbourne and Leigh Sales as well and the ABC for all of the work that's made today possible.
This morning we'll hear from Secretary Clinton, who's travelling through the Asia Pacific to promote the strong engagement between the United States and many of Australia's regional neighbors. On her current trip, Secretary Clinton has experienced distinctive regional culture, including Cambodia's remarkable Angkor Wat, Papua New Guinea's native culture and some of the New Zealand's wonderful ceremonial greetings and now this, her first visit to Melbourne.
We look forward to the Secretary's reflections on the United States, Asia and Pacific relations, as well as her perspectives on the future of the Australian American alliance, which has been central to our interests since the signing of the ANZUS alliance, almost 60 years ago.
So it is a great pleasure to ask you to join me in making welcome our most distinguished guest, please welcome the United States Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Further selected transcript:
“We believe that the United States and Australia have been at the forefront of figuring out how to organise the entire region for the future. It's not enough just for us to have a strong bilateral relationship; how do we interact with everyone else? And Kevin Rudd has been one of our best consultants on how best to do this. The Foreign Minister's arguments helped convince both President Obama and me to join the East Asia summit because we think being part of the regional architecture in the region is absolutely essential. Together we're engaging emerging powers like China, India and Indonesia and with burgeoning partners like Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.
Clearly China's rapid growth in recent years is among the most consequential developments in the Asia Pacific, indeed in the world and both the United States and Australia reject the zero sum view that some have that one country's rise means another country's decline. We're actually working to build a positive cooperative and comprehensive relationship for China. This relationship between Australia and China, between the US and China and among the three of us is one of the most consequential that we have, so we're committed to getting this right.”
Read Full Transcript [pdf, 164kb, 16 pages]
