Praise for getting Alliance back on track

Australian Opposition leader Tony Abbott yesterday declared New Zealand back in the three-nation Anzus alliance - defunct since New Zealand's nuclear bans almost two decades ago.

Despite the fact that New Zealand officially remains a "friend" of the United States rather than an ally, that military exercises between the two nations require special permission, and that other restrictions apply, Mr Abbott congratulated Prime Minister John Key for rebuilding the cold war pact.

Welcoming Mr Key ahead of his speech to Parliament, Mr Abbott applauded his Government for formally re-establishing military ties with the US.

Anzus was once again a fully functioning alliance, he said, and with combined operations in East Timor and elsewhere, "we are once more Anzac brothers-in-arms".

Mr Key later said he was happy with present arrangements with the US and had no plans to try to restore the alliance.

Mr Abbott also took the unusual plunge of using the welcome for a foreign leader to land another domestic political punch in the bitter row over Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's plans to introduce a carbon tax. The Opposition opposes carbon tax and emissions trading and has launched a telling campaign that has seriously undermined Ms Gillard's personal standing and support for her Government.

Mr Abbott said Mr Key was to be congratulated for watering down Labour's greenhouse emissions trading scheme, and said a Coalition Government would rescind Ms Gillard's scheme if it became law.

Earlier Mr Key and Ms Gillard had agreed to work closely on climate change measures. She said she was determined to catch the lead New Zealand had opened with its emissions trading scheme.