By The Boundary Rider, Dusty Gulch Gazette
Part bush philosopher, part realist, part stubborn old stockman - I watch what others overlook and ask the questions most would rather avoid.
These days the world’s spinning faster than a willy-willy across the red dirt, and sometimes you’ve just got to stop, put the kettle on, and listen when a fair-minded bloke from overseas speaks up - especially one who’s got genuine affection for this sunburnt land of ours and remembers the blood we spilled together in the big wars.
One of our American readers dropped a comment the other day that hit like a cold stubby to the chest. Sincere. Confronting. Dead honest. He started by tipping his hat to the old ANZAC spirit and the mateship that bound Yanks and Aussies through hell and high water. But then he got blunt: sentiment’s all well and good, he said, but in 2026 it doesn’t pay the bills.
So here we go, as I write my first dispatch to the troops on the ground from where I am.. on the Boundary Fence... in the far off land of Australia...
From where Uncle Sam's nephew is sitting in the States, Australia looks like it’s drifting away from what Washington now reckons matters.
Our commenter rattled off what he sees as plain facts: we’re sticking with the WHO while Trump’s America walks out; clinging to the Paris climate agreements as they pull the pin; pushing DEI as they ditch it; and running a foreign policy that, to some eyes, looks cosy with Palestine and prickly toward Israel and Trump himself.
He didn’t mince words about our pollies either - he reckons the top brass “hate Trump, hate Israel,” yet still expect Uncle Sam to come running when trouble brews.
He was careful to say it’s not everyday Aussies he’s got a beef with. It’s perceptions in Washington: anti-American vibes, anti-Israel leanings, woke overreach, and a refusal to grapple with the hard realities of the moment. He even raised the submarines - asking for nuclear-powered boats from the Yanks while knocking back nuclear power at home? Fair question, he reckons. Old loyalties and Pine Gap might not be enough in this new “what’s-in-it-for-me” world.
The real gut-punch was China. If we keep drifting and Beijing keeps sinking roots into our Pacific backyard, how can any American president trust Pine Gap stays safe and sound? His wrap-up was sobering: unless Australia changes tack, we could find ourselves standing alone sooner than we think - because this Trump isn’t the old one. This one deals in cold, hard interests, not nostalgia. And, as he put it, the blokes around him know a hell of a lot more than most of us.
It’s the kind of straight talk that makes you stop and think.
We’re not anti-American - bloody hell, no. ANZUS was forged in World War II and tested in Korea, Vietnam, and beyond. But alliances aren’t set-and-forget. They shift when the ground moves beneath them.
Right here in our own patch, the Pacific’s turning into a proper minefield. China’s been busy: security deals kicking off with the Solomon Islands in 2022, then spreading to Kiribati, Vanuatu, even the Cook Islands more recently. Policing, patrol boats, cyber, infrastructure - the lot. Diplomatic flips from Taiwan to Beijing - the Solomons and Kiribati back in 2019, Nauru more recently - sweetened with aid and loans that don’t come with the lectures Western countries are fond of delivering.
These islands aren’t distant dots on a map. Some are a stone’s throw from Cairns. If influence hardens into permanent bases or dual-use facilities, our sea lanes, our surveillance, and our trade all get a shake-up we can’t afford to ignore. Canberra’s response has been steady: record Pacific aid, new deals with PNG and Tuvalu, and that familiar line about the “four Rs” - region, relationships, rules, resilience. Measured. Careful. Designed not to spook our biggest trading partner.
But is steady enough when the heat’s rising?
Our old bush poets - Banjo, Lawson, Mackellar - didn’t muck about. They wrote about staring down drought, loneliness, and bloody tough odds with nothing but grit and your own two hands. They sang of a people who stood tall, not one waiting for someone else to sort the mess. Maybe it’s time we asked ourselves some harder questions in that same spirit.
Take Pine Gap, sitting quiet in the red centre. Joint-run with the Yanks, feeding satellite intelligence over huge chunks of the globe - vital for spotting trouble before it bites. For Washington, it’s a bargain.
For us, it’s gold and a risk rolled into one. It ties us tight to their game, but it also paints a target if things go pear-shaped. Self-reliance isn’t about going lone wolf; it’s about having enough muscle, smarts, and options that no mate takes you for granted.
So what more can we do? Diversify, push defence spending toward that 3 per cent mark, and tighten ties with ASEAN, the Quad, and our Pacific neighbours on our own terms?
The American bloke also flagged the US midterms in 2026. History’s a cruel teacher - presidents usually cop a hiding halfway through. With the House hanging by a thread, a flip could mean gridlock: delayed AUKUS funding, more scrutiny of foreign commitments, and less attention paid to our neck of the woods. A distracted Washington leaves this region more exposed.
None of this is locked in. Alliances last when both sides see a fair go. Australia brings irreplaceable geography, critical minerals, and a track record of turning up when it counts. The word from Washington is that AUKUS is still full steam ahead, because Pine Gap matters and keeping an eye on China matters. But in troubled times, goodwill isn’t enough. Indispensability has to be earned - through strength, smart choices, and a clear-eyed love of country.
My hope is the Southern Hemisphere starts carrying more weight as the Pacific contest heats up. Australia - the big, steady rock in the middle - can’t just sit tight. We need policies that lock in independence, spread the risk, and stay true to the values our old diggers bled for: standing on your own feet, looking out for your mates, and giving the next mob a fair go.
What do you reckon? How do we steer this ship - keep the alliances strong, build our own backbone, and face what’s right on our doorstep? As Dorothea Mackellar wrote, “I love a sunburnt country… her beauty and her terror.” It’s time we faced both with the plain common sense and guts that built this place.
Because right now, there is a storm brewing.
Until next time. Riding the line while others argue about the paddock.
- The Boundary Rider, Dusty Gulch Gazette
