VI - Australia and Indonesia, 1945–60

Summary

“Australia’s policy on West New Guinea is almost a unique test of the wisdom, maturity and far-sightedness of our diplomacy. Almost every other foreign policy issue since 1945 has been in some way obscured or compromised by our relations with our powerful friends. But our stand on West New Guinea is our own.” The extent to which purely domestic considerations of sentiment and strategy have influenced Australia’s relations with her Asian neighbour is nowhere illustrated more baldly than in the case of her policy towards Indonesia, and in particular her stand on the Indonesian- Dutch dispute over West New Guinea. Except on a few rare occasions great-power politics have little influence on Australian policy in this area. Under both the Chifley and Menzies Governments we have frequently been out of step with our powerful friends. And in no other field of Australian foreign relations have our policies traversed so wide an arc.