Australia–United States relations Minister for Defence, US Secretary of Defense and US Secretary of State. The first Australian visit by a serving United States President was that of Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 to seek support for Australia's ongoing involvement in the Vietnam War. Australia had previously sent advisers and combat troops to Vietnam. In 1992, George H. W. Bush was the first of four US presidents to address a joint meeting of the Australian Parliament. Australia's Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, ratified the Kyoto Protocol on 3 December 2007, leaving the United States and Canada as the last major industrial nations not to
Pope Francis's visit to the Philippines operations at the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas were suspended. However, Sicat said that the central bank agreed to run clearing operations on January 19. Sicat argued that closing during three days of the papal visit would cost the government ₱14 million ($311,457.17) in uncollected trading-based taxes. Security for the visit, including for physical barriers set up along the route from the air base to downtown Manila, was estimated as costing the government ₱200 million ($4.5 million). Stockbroker Wilson Sy, who manages the Philequity Fund, said that while the papal visit had minimal direct monetary benefits, it caused investors to be