Military/ US Australia Alliance

Military Questions

1. Steven Smith is the Defence Minister for the Australian government and he works with the Army and defence/ military units. He was recently in Washington DC giving a speech about how the increasing contribution Australia makes to the security of the US.
2. The Brookings Institution that the Australia-US alliance was the indispensable, enduring feature of Australia's strategic and security arrangements; it was in Washington.
3. The role that the Australian/ US Alliance play; Mr Smith said it was unambiguously in Australia's national interest for the US to be active and engaged in the Asia-Pacific, as the region became the world's centre of gravity and as economic, political, military and strategic influence shifted.
4. Australia's global location is important because Australia is located reasonably close to the US and is close to China. Mr Smith said though that the balance of geopolitics is shifting, and Australia is at the southern tier of that central dynamic.
5. Australia has made quite a few contributions within 50 years; so for almost 50 years, through the joint defence facilities in Australia, Australia have made a significant contribution to US national security by hosting or supporting some of the US's most sensitive and critical strategic capabilities.
6. The minister said that the Australian companies said  9000 Australian companies did business in the US. They pay an average wage of $US70,000 ($63,490) per employee per annum and include your largest shopping-centre owner and two of your largest 20 banks.
7. The minister said that Australia is an ally that adds value. Australia is not a consumer of US security who imposes tough choices on the US military and US public policy. Australia adds value, and does so from a vantage point of respect, not dependency.
8. The country that is central to Australia's relationships in the region is China.
9. Australia was positive and optimistic about China's emergence but Beijing had to be more open and transparent. Australia wants, as the Chinese would say, China to emerge into a 'harmonious environment'.
10. I think this is important for Australia because Australia wants lots of allies; just in case of anything bad (like a war or terrorist attack), Australia wants and may need lots of allies to help.

Immigration

Immigration Questions

1. An asylum seeker is someone who has fled/ escaped their own country and seeks to join another country without permission. They sometimes ask apply to the other country's government for protection, and are so called refugee.
2. There are many reasons why they would leave their country and come to Australia but the main reason is because they are looking for a better life, and a safer life in another country; hoping to start over; but most of the time they are running from the dangers that surround them in their home countries or the countries that they are escaping from.
3. The reasons that will allow them to be approved for asylum is that they are retreating from their country to another one because of their such bad treatment, a lot of the time they are in such bad conditions that any place then the place that they were currently from; so because they are in such bad condition Australia can't send them back to where they came from but instead send them to Indonesia where there is this asylum camp; there they have to wait to see Australian officials to state their claim about moving to Australia and if it's valid or acceptable then they may be accepted to live in Australia but if not then they have to figure out what to do.
4. Most of the asylum seekers are coming from Middle Eastern countries such as Iraq, Somalia, Afghan, and Conga. 

Kevin Rudd

1. Kevin Rudd is the foreign minister for Australia, and is essentially the second most important person in the government.
2. Kevin Rudd's concerns are North Korea's nuclear bombs, and the fact that they might send the bombs to Australia; he is worried for the well-being of Australia (especially Northern Australia). 
3. Kevin Rudd was at the ASEAN Regional Forum where he was to express his concerns.
4. The recent act done by North Korea that has Kevin Rudd alarmed and has the region lacking stability is that North Korea bombed (attacked) South Korea and so Kevin Rudd is worried about the safety of Australia.
5. A direct threat according to Kevin Rudd is a straight hit with a nuclear bomb on Australia; a long range missile.
6. I believe Kevin  Rudd is just trying to fix its relationship with North Korea or make sure that there are no misunderstandings and I also believe that Kevin is trying to get the North Korean counterpart to try and stop things that are happening. I think Australia and North Korea obviously don't have a strong friendship and agreement otherwise Kevin would be a little more stable and relaxed. In my opinion, I think North Korea are trying to scare Austraia and making a point that they think that they are the stronger nations now. 
7. Australia has many other allies, but Australia looks as though it is in charge; and it feels as though it is in charge. Other nations probably fear Australia because of the US, and the UK.

Australian Aid

Summary

• In the last 5 years overseas aid budget has doubled.
• By 2015 we will be spending $8 billion a year on helping people overseas.
• There was a report released by Kevin Rudd late last year.
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  The report is full of good sense about how to allocate and administer all the extra money.
• Spending money in ways that makes no difference doesn't help anyone, and there is no virtue in aid that makes donors feel good but doesn't help the needy.

I think the author is presenting the thought that the overseas aid budget that is given by Australia is too much and that Australia is helping other countries but is not helping its own. I understand it as, people living in Australia is not very happy with Australia as they help other in other countries but don't really help their own.

3. Australia is giving more aid to other countries because they want to make friends with other countries that way if Australia needs aid then the other countries will help Australia, and so if there is a huge terrorist attack they won't target Australia because Australia will be their friends. Doing so, could provide a lot of benefits because Australia will probably get aid from many different countries when in trouble and so a lot of countries will trust Australia. The disadvantage is that Australia isn't really helping their own country, and some countries may not want to accept friendship.