“John, as you know I am a meat man… I’m looking forward to some Australian beef…”
- US President George W Bush

It’s here! The much anticipated APEC wagon has rolled, or more accurately sped at a pre-ordained constant 80kph traffic light-free motorcade into Sydney.

Returning to its birthplace, Australia, it’s a coming of age for the economic cooperation that was formed in 1989 with twelve members and a pure trade focus.

Much has been made about whether any major outcomes will result from APEC with detractors saying its nothing but a talkfest. But reality and the early signs are promising with Australia and the US signing major defence, visa, trade and IP treaties today and the mood optimistic APEC will deliver some major regional trade progress.

APEC and separate bilateral talks scheduled this week look likely to throw a lifeline to the sinking Doha Round.

The buzz today is of course the visit by President Bush and the discussions being held with his long time ally, friend and ‘man of steel’ John Howard. Both are under siege on their respective home fronts, so we can assume the two must be keen to find solace in their mutual concerns: Iraq, Afghanistan and climate change. Bush has all but thwarted any hopes Howard had on an APEC climate change direction by calling his own summit on the issue to be held later this year in Washington but it will still be a major agenda item for this Friday.

Last week John Howard was forced to concede that people hoping for tangible targets on emissions and binding agreements on climate change will be disappointed. But that doesn’t mean APEC is tokenistic. World leaders have scheduled bilateral meetings with anyone who’s anyone during the summit. Howard has a diary full of talks. Bush has scheduled bilateral talks with Chinese leader Hu Jintao, Indonesia’s Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and potentially important talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Add this to talks with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the South Korans and it is clear that APEC is serving to bring sides together. There is hope too that the summit will help reengage leaders involved in the seemingly dismal Doha round of the WTO libralisation talks. This outcome alone would warrant the security price tag attached to hosting the talks.

For APEC detractors, global coverage of Australia has already been immense in the US, Canada, Asia and Russia.

Today the Prime Minister launched Australia's National Security: A Defence Update 2007. According the Minister for Defence's media release, one of the key conclusions of the Update is that: "Whilst Australia faces no direct conventional threat, nor is that likely in the foreseeable future, it recognises the need to prepare for a range of threats with less warning of imminent crisis".

If part of the Australian defence and realpolik strategy is making a contribution with other larger forces in the region such as the US and Japan, our contribution to date has been around providing special forces and maritime capabilities. Small but effective and appreciated by our allies and a contribution which all Australians should be proud of.

It is curious then to reflect on the Australian Government's purchase of 59 M1A1 Abrams heavy tanks in the light of 'no conventional threat '(to Australia'a mainland). These 69.54t tanks - which until the new Airforce Globemasters (in which it can carry ONE tank only) aircraft arrive and new Tenix amphibious ships are built in years to come - we have no ability to move off the Australian mainland in any case.