Australian Journal of Politics and History: Volume 44, Number 2, 1998, pp. 225-32. © Departments of Government & History, University of Queensland & Blackwell Publishers 1998. Issues in Australian Foreign Policy: July-December 1997 SHIRLEY SCOTT Political Science, University of New South Wales Australian foreign policy in the second half of 1997 was dominated by two key issues: the implications for Australia of the Asian financial crisis and the garnering of support for Australia’s stand on greenhouse gas emission targets. The government hailed the special treatment accorded Australia in the final text of the December conference in Kyoto as a victory for Australian jobs and Australian diplomacy. This emphasis on Australia’s economic security was in keeping with the release in August of what was Australia’s first White Paper on foreign and trade policy. The White Paper In the National Interest: Australia’s Foreign and Trade Policy 1 was described in the foreword as a “framework document” which would focus on the conceptual foundations of the government’s foreign and trade policies. These were introduced initially in terms of the rejection of the need for any “grand construct” regarding Australia’s place in the post-Cold War world order; emphasis would instead be placed on the “hard-headed” pursuit of the national interest. 2 The White Paper recognised that the national interest, defined as that which will bring about “the security of the Australian nation and the jobs and standard of living of the Australian people”, did not change with a change of government. Important elements of continuity in the government’s policy framework were to be the priority accorded the Asia-Pacific and especially to the countries of East Asia; the forging of close relationships with the United States, Japan, Indonesia and China; the commitment to further trade liberalisation; and strong support for the World Trade Organization (WTO) and APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation). 1 In the National Interest: Australia’s Foreign and Trade Policy White Paper (Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia, 1997). 2 Ibid., p. 111.