This rapprochement between France and Australia could not have taken place without a new political deal in Australia with the departure of Scott Morrison, Liberal Prime Minister, viscerally anti-French, who had duped the Élysée and the shipbuilder Naval Group in the submarine file. Today, with the new Australian head of government, Labor Anthony Albanese, winner of the last legislative elections, Paris and Canberra want to turn the page on this historic quarrel.
Several files and common interests can bring the two countries closer together, as stated in a press release from the Elysée, starting with the climate emergency. That’s good because Australia wishes to organize with several Pacific islands a new COP of the United Nations Climate Organization. Lagging behind in its environmental policy, Australia now has more ambitious targets for the fight against greenhouse gases. This new will can only delight France, host country of the Paris Treaty on the climate. And then, between Emmanuel Macron and Anthony Albanese, there are shared fears regarding China’s ambitions in the Indo-Pacific region, a strategic area for both countries.
The Russian-Ukrainian war has repercussions all over the world. Disruptions in the wheat supply could cause food crises. The UN mentions the number of 27 countries in Africa and the Middle East that could be impacted. However, Australia, like France, is a major world producer of cereals. Australian wheat will be very useful and valuable, especially in the initiative Food and Agriculture Resilience Mission (Farm) launched at the G7 and pushed by France, aimed at securing the supply of countries affected by the cessation of Russian and Ukrainian exports.
Finally, at a time when gas and oil prices are soaring, Australia is a key player in the energy market. Depending on the year, it is the first or second world exporter of liquefied natural gas. Inevitably, in this period when France and the Europeans are looking for alternatives to Russian gas and oil, Australia is the country that could partly replace Moscow. In short, Paris and Canberra therefore have many reasons to redo, hand in hand, part of the way together.