Television interview with Natalie Barr, Sunrise

Natalie Barr, host: Well, let's get more on Donald Trump's historic US election win and what it means for our relations with America. Joining us now is Penny Wong, the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Good morning to you. Has our Prime Minister called Donald Trump to congratulate him yet?

Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: The Prime Minister has made some public statements, but can I say firstly, congratulations to Donald Trump on his election as President of the United States. We certainly look forward to working with him. We have an alliance that has bipartisan support that's based on long-standing friendship, timeless democratic values and shared objectives.

Barr: So, when he calls him, does he have to say, look, I'm really sorry, Donald, for those years ago, I said, you scare the s-h-i-t out of me.

Foreign Minister: What I'd say is we've got an alliance between two nations that is grounded in our big strategic objectives and our great democratic values. And that alliance has stood the test of time and it is bigger than any individual or any past comments. We look forward to working with Mr. Trump.

Barr: Yeah, I mean, it was a few years ago. Do you think he'll say that, though?

Foreign Minister: Look, I think they'll probably be talking about the things that are critical to Australia's interests, obviously AUKUS. And we've been really pleased to see the bipartisan support for AUKUS.

Barr: Yes, exactly. We know Donald Trump has made some bold pledges that may impact our economy and trade, like tariffs. How are you going to navigate those policies?

Foreign Minister: Well, first I'd say President Trump has campaigned on change. He's made it clear he's determined to change things. So, we shouldn't be surprised if there is change. We should be confident in ourselves. We should be confident in ourselves, in our ability to work together to deliver on our interests as Australians. Certainly the government will be working very hard on those issues which matter very deeply to us. Obviously, as I said, AUKUS, but obviously also trade and our trading position.

Barr: Yeah. So, Donald Trump's former National Security Adviser, John Bolton has told 7NEWS the AUKUS defence pact could be torn up under another Trump presidency. He just said that a couple of weeks ago. Now that Trump is going to be back in, do you think the deal is going to survive?

Foreign Minister: We have a lot of confidence in the, the bipartisan support for AUKUS. It's certainly been a priority for the Government and for our Ambassador. In the lead up to the election, we assured we were very pleased to see passage of legislation through the Congress, which was all about delivering AUKUS. I met with senior Republicans over this last year, including very recently in my trip to the United States. And obviously, key amongst those discussions was AUKUS. And there's a great deal of bipartisan support for what will be what is a project – and it's important to remember this – it's going to be delivered over many, many governments, over many decades. So, it needs the deep support across the political spectrum in all three countries.

Barr: And just before we let you go, we've also got our current Ambassador to the US, Kevin Rudd, once calling Donald Trump nuts and a traitor to the west. Do you think with the comments, combined with our Prime Minister's past comments, do you think he's just going to think ‘you're a bunch of wild Aussies’ and just sort of get along with them? 

Foreign Minister: He strikes me as a pretty robust individual, President Trump. But what I would say is, you know, it's an alliance that is bigger than any individual or past comments. And in terms of Kevin, Kevin Rudd's been an excellent Ambassador. He's delivered an enormous amount for Australia, and I have great confidence that he'll continue to do so.

Barr: Maybe it'll all get sorted out over a barbie. Penny Wong, thank you for your time.

Foreign Minister: Great to be with you.