Delivering a keynote speech on 5 July to commemorate the death anniversary of former Labor leader John Curtin, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the former as the ‘founder’ of the Australia-US alliance, calling it Australia’s ‘most important defence and security partnership.’ He noted, however, that Curtin is remembered not only because he ‘looked to America’ at a critical time but because he ‘spoke for Australia,’ adding that his wartime actions were driven not by external pulls and pressures but by Australian vital interests in the Pacific region.