SENATOR THE HON PENNY WONG
LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE SENATE
MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Can I first acknowledge and welcome Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Canegallo. Thank you for being with us and thank you for the work you’ve engaged in to get us to this point, today.

As the Ambassador said, this is my first time in this magnificent building – worth the wait. My first impression when I walked in was aspiration and hope, actually. Perhaps reflecting our hopes and aspirations for this partnership and this alliance in all of its dimensions. And that’s partly what we’re doing today.

I’ll just make some comments about that, given that I’m here for the AUSMIN talks tomorrow and given we’re starting with this really fantastic announcement.

Our relationship with the United States, our alliance, it’s got a lot of history, it’s got a lot of tradition – but it’s much more than that. It is actually a living expression of two countries and two peoples aligned by who we are, by what we stand for, and for what we want in the world.

Two robust democracies. Two countries that share an interest in an open, stable, prosperous world, where all countries can make our own sovereign choices, where no country dominates or is dominated.

There have rarely been such strategic challenges as we face today.

Certainly, our meetings today and at AUSMIN tomorrow are opportunities to strengthen and deepen our alliance, so it is fit for the times. So, we keep working to deliver for both our nations, and for both our peoples.

One of those ways is with today’s announcement.

Both our countries benefit every day from the practical partnership between Australian agencies and the Department of Homeland Security and US Customs and Border Protection – working together to support our shared security and prosperity.

Building on that partnership, I am delighted to be able to announce that Australia will be joining the United States’ Global Entry program – and to acknowledge the significant step we take today towards implementation of the program.

This partnership of course is in the context of the commitment made by President Biden and Prime Minister Albanese in October last year to continue strengthening our people-to-people links.

Australians and Americans are friends. We visit each other regularly.

Eligible Australians that sign up for this program will benefit from streamlined and expediated clearance processes on arrival in the United States.

They will also be eligible to access the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Pre-Check program that allows for expedited aviation screening for domestic flights in the US.

The program will initially be available from January 2025 to a limited number of Australians that travel most frequently to the US, before we look to open up the program later to all eligible Australians who wish to apply.

As part of this commitment, today we sign with the United States a new information sharing arrangement needed for Australia to join the Global Entry program.

Joining Global Entry is good for our citizens. It is good for Australian businesses. It is good for our friendship.

The US-Australia relationship is unprecedented in scale, scope and significance – but underpinned above all else by the links and bonds between our people.

And this program and our participation in it is a sign of our closeness and our trust.

I want to thank two individuals for bringing us to this point. I want to firstly thank the Ambassador, Dr Kevin Rudd, who has done an extraordinary job with his team to get this to this point and I thank him for that. He is doing a wonderful job here in Washington.

And I also want to recognise you Deputy Secretary, you have done extraordinary work with your teams to put us in a position to be able to make this announcement today. So I thank you for that and I look forward to not only this signature shortly, but to many more Australians being able to access this program, furthering the people to people links and the business links between our two countries. Thank you.

ENDS

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Authorised by Senator the Hon Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Australia.