The historic first state visit, in line with visits from past Presidents, has not yet occurred, said the Conservatives’ South Australian Senate candidate, Rikki Lambert.
“Where have Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten gone on this?” Mr Lambert asked, “And does Premier Stephen Marshall want to strengthen US ties for instance with our budding space industry, to attract investment? A Presidential visit to SA could really boost our prospects.”
“The Conservative Party strongly supports the Australia-US alliance, which is as critical as ever given the emerging threats and instability in our region.”
Soon after Senator Bernardi’s motion to invite President Trump passed the Senate, on the ABC’s Q&A, Victorian Liberal MP Sarah Henderson said she thought President Trump’s address to Parliament would be a great honour, but Labor’s Shadow Health Minister Catherine King defied her party’s support for the invitation saying she was “uncomfortable” with it.
Senator Bernardi called her out on that reaction to the invitation, given his motion had received unanimous support from the major parties.
