The paradigm shift in Australian foreign policy from security dependence through “great and powerful friends” to the formation and strengthening of diplomatic and cultural relations with the region of the Asia-Pacific probably began under the Whitlam government and has since become the predominant focus of the foreign policy of both major parties. As a result, there is a latent similarity in the foreign policy of successive Australian governments over the past 40 years that becomes more pronounced when comparing them within their respective party delineations. Therefore, the apparent similarity in the foreign policy of the Hawke-Keating and Rudd-Gillard governments is not at all surprising. However, the extent of this similarity is undermined by significant differences in the political outcomes and national and international reception of both governments. This essay will characterize the approaches to foreign policy under the Hawke-Keating and Rudd-Gillard governments, then illustrate the extent to which the comparison between these governments is informed by an understanding of their respective contexts, and then ascertain what their comparative similarities and differences are. be attributed to. It will be concluded that the similarities between Hawke-Keating and Rudd-Gillard foreign policy are largely the result of Labour's preference towards middle power diplomacy, as well as Labour's traditions underpinning policy development, while disparities in the architecture of international security and the national and international importance of political issues during both governments can explain the differences between them. The Hawke-Keating government's foreign policy has been defined by an explicit cultivation of a regional... middle of paper.... ...is evident once again when one considers the government's willingness to continue to address the issue of nuclear disarmament through the US-led deterrence model instead of adopting the more direct and activist response to nuclear disarmament advocated by the International Commission on Nuclear Non-Proliferation. This conflict between “pillars” is emblematic of a fundamental inconsistency within the Rudd-Gillard government's foreign policy, exacerbated by a stubborn reliance on an often suboptimal multilateral approach. The similarities between the foreign policies of the Hawke-Keating governments and the Rudd-Gillard governments stem primarily from the middle power tradition that informs both. However, promoting Asian regionalism and maintaining Australia's alliance with the United States also feature prominently in both governments' foreign policy doctrine..