MEMBER for Mallee Andrew Broad is confident the US election result won’t have any bearing on his constituents in the Mallee.
Republican candidate Donald Trump shocked the world when he defeated his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton.
America has been a key ally to Australia in many ways throughout history, and Mr Broad expects to see it continue as the friendship’s pillars are built on the same values.
“Just like Australia, it isn’t a dictatorship. It has checks and balances and processes in place,” he told The Guardian.
“You at Australia and we have had members form government from one political persuasion to the other and we have had stability and economic growth in the region. The United States is similar.
“It is a decision for the United States and we will work effectively with the new administration.”
A concern which has been raised in the past 48 hours is treaties and agreements currently standing with the US.
Mr Broad believes nothing will change when President-Elect Trump is sworn in on January 20.
“Australia has trade agreements with the US and I see it continuing exactly as it has in the past. Australia is good friends with America, and the US don’t have a good friend like Australia in anyone else.
“We hold the same values of freedom etc, so I don’t anticipate any danger there.
“Under our government, we have negotiated good bilateral agreements with Japan, Korea and China … those leave us in good stead.”
Despite the reassurances from Mr Broad to the Mallee, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull took a 15-minute phone call to press Mr Trump on key issues affecting the Asia-Pacific region.
The key issue facing Australia is the future of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), an agreement between 12 nations including the US which the Turnbull Government touted would deliver new Australian beef, wheat and dairy markets.
The Prime Minister promised a pragmatic approach with a Trump Government but confirmed Mr Trump was short in his assessments of the TPP, with Mr Turnbull telling reporters “his views on that treaty are well-known”.
Mr Turnbull has urged Mr Trump not to turn his back on the region to keep the US engaged in the Asia-Pacific both militarily and economically.
