Australia's return to the world.(Defence)(from a speech notes by Tony Abbott)(Minister for Health and Ageing and Leader of the House of Representatives)(United States-Australia Leadership Dialogue)(Excerpt)

AT THE COMMANDO Regiment's fiftieth anniversary commemoration two weeks ago, the old soldiers toasted the Queen, followed by the President of the United States. This was significant on two counts: first, the absence of the politically correct attempt to toast the country rather than the sovereign; second, and more important, the sense that the Queen and the President had both been thoroughly and unselfconsciously assimilated into the Australian military tradition.

At that moment, in whatever part of heaven is reserved for those who were political leaders in time of war, Menzies and Curtin should have been smiling at each other. The great lesson of the past few ...