Diplomatic history of Australia the democratic world. In a country gripped by this fear, the government's defence policy was dominated by the idea of "forward defence", in which Australia would seek to prevent the Communist "thrust into South-East Asia". The committal of troops to the Vietnam War was viewed as an attempt by the Menzies Government to strengthen the alliance with the USA following Great Britain's withdrawal "east of Suez". With his arrival in October 1966, Lyndon Baines Johnson became the first US President to visit Australia. The visit came in the light of increasing international criticism over the war in Vietnam. The majority
Australia–Philippines relations state visit in May 2007 while second one was in September 2007 for the 15th APEC Economic Leaders Meeting. The last one to visit Australia was President Benigno S. Aquino in October 2012. The two countries celebrated 70 years of diplomatic relations in 2016. This bilateral relation was established when Australia opened a Consulate General in Manila on 22 May 1946. The anniversary is being celebrated in the Philippines and Australia. The Australian Embassy in the Philippines launched the ‘Philippines and Australia: The First 70 Years’ exhibition in November 2015. This exhibition featured momentous milestones in the shared history between