Rudd Invites New Pm To Pop Over For State Visit

Sydney Morning Herald

Monday November 10, 2008

Phillip Hudson

KEVIN RUDD has invited John Key to make a state visit to Australia to begin a new chapter of the trans-Tasman relationship.

The Prime Minister made the offer when he rang on Saturday night to congratulate Mr Key.

"The great thing about the Australia-New Zealand relationship is it really goes beyond party politics," Mr Rudd said. "We have committed afresh to building this important relationship for both of us."

For most of a decade it has been a conservative Howard government in Australia and the Labour government of Helen Clark in NZ. With Australia switching to Mr Rudd and Labor, NZ has changed to the conservative Nationals.

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Stephen Smith, described Miss Clark as gutsy and well-respected. "She was prime minister for nine years and in the end time caught up with her," he told ABC1's Insiders program.

"I think she's held in very high regard and very high respect, not just in New Zealand across the board, but also in Australia."

Mr Smith paid tribute to Miss Clark for rebuilding New Zealand's relationship with the US and her focus on the Pacific and development assistance.

The Opposition Leader, Malcolm Turnbull, said Mr Key's considerable experience in international financial markets would be useful in "getting the New Zealand economy back onto a strong growth path".

© 2008 Sydney Morning Herald

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