Australia and the Commonwealth

Abstract

The Empire–Commonwealth played a key role in the evolution of Australia's international position. However, the post-1960s Commonwealth has only been of minor significance for Australia. The Commonwealth provides a backdrop for a number of Australia's bilateral relationships, the most important of which are those with Britain, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Canada, India, Malaysia and Singapore. The multilateral context provided by the Commonwealth is relevant to advancing Australian goals concerning North–South relations, world trade, South Pacific and southern African issues and newer issues such as the ‘war on terrorism’. Australia is a major contributor to Commonwealth aid programmes. The Commonwealth dimension has some relevance to the republican debate in Australia, although it is not a primary concern. Australia is a major participant in the ‘civil society’ aspect of the Commonwealth. The low priority accorded to the modern Commonwealth by Australia is generally a bipartisan matter: the Commonwealth has its uses but is not central to Australia's contemporary international objectives.