United States presidential visits to Australia and New Zealand United States presidential visits to Australia and New Zealand Several United States presidents have made presidential visits to Australia and New Zealand. The first visit by an incumbent to these Australasian nations was made in 1966 by Lyndon B. Johnson. His three-day five-city visit to Australia was intended as a show of gratitude to the Australian nation for its then emphatic support for the Vietnam War. Four presidents have traveled there since. Prior to arriving in Australia, Johnson visited New Zealand. He went primarily to shore up support for the war in Vietnam. Only one sitting president has visited since.
Stop the War Coalition (Australia) working alongside StWC: Stop the War Coalition (Australia) Stop the War Coalition (StWC) is an Australian anti-war group initially formed in Sydney in 2003 in response to the US-led wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the general "War on Terror" of which the Australian Government has been a strong ally. StWC was involved in organising a protest of US President Barack Obama when he was to visit Australia in March 2010. StWC criticized the Obama Administration for "dramatically escalating the war in Afghanistan", citing the authorization of more aerial bombings, and targeted killings in Pakistan than the former US President