QUESTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE

Senator WONG (South Australia—Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate) (14:06): I thank Senator Ciccone for his question and for his interest in these matters and for his able chairing of the foreign affairs committee both in estimates and more generally. We all know, Australians know, we do live in a more uncertain world and a more unstable world.

I have said many times that Australians should have confidence in our ability to navigate these uncertain times together, and that is what we are doing. Since we were elected as a government, we have worked to strengthen all of Australia's relationships. This includes our relationship with our principal strategic partner, the United States of America.

I was very pleased and I think the country was very pleased that the Prime Minister's meeting with President Trump last week was a clear success. The Prime Minister and the President signed an historic US$8.5 billion deal, around A$13 billion, on critical minerals and rare earths. It is a deal that will help secure supply chains for these vital products so that Australia and America can make more things together going forward.

It builds on the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative that Secretary Rubio and I announced in Washington, DC earlier this year with our Quad partners and on the Critical Minerals Strategic Reserve that the Prime Minister announced during the election. These initiatives are landmark. They are good for Australian workers, Australian businesses and Australian investors.

President Trump also affirmed his support for the AUKUS partnership. The meeting's success is a testament to the trusted partnership between Australia and the US as strategic defence allies, and it speaks to the importance of advocating for Australia's interests in a calm and mature way, as the Albanese government has been doing. The PRESIDENT: Senator Ciccone, first supplementary?