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. [1] 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. [2] Only one sitting president has visited since.
President | Dates | Locations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Lyndon B. Johnson | October 20–23, 1966 | Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville | State visit. Met with Governor-General Richard Casey and Prime Minister Harold Holt. [3] |
December 21–23, 1967 | Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney | Attended the funeral of Prime Minister Holt and conferred with other attending dignitaries and heads of state. [3] | |
George H. W. Bush | December 31, 1991 – January 3, 1992 | Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne | Met with Prime Minister Paul Keating and senior Australian officials. Addressed the Australian Parliament. [4] |
Bill Clinton | November 19–23, 1996 | Sydney, Canberra, Port Douglas | State Visit. Addressed Parliament and visited the Great Barrier Reef. [5] |
George W. Bush | October 22, 2003 | Canberra | Met with Prime Minister John Howard and addressed Parliament. [6] |
September 3–8, 2007 | Sydney | Attended 19th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders Meeting. [6] | |
Barack Obama | November 16–17, 2011 | Canberra, Darwin | Met with Prime Minister Julia Gillard; announced a new military cooperation agreement. [7] |
November 15–16, 2014 | Brisbane, Sydney | Attended the G-20 Summit Meeting. [7] [8] |
President | Dates | Locations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Lyndon B. Johnson | October 19–20, 1966 | Wellington | State visit. Met with Prime Minister Keith Holyoake. [3] |
Bill Clinton | September 11–15, 1999 | Auckland, Queenstown, Christchurch | State visit. Met with Prime Minister Jenny Shipley. Attended 11th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders meeting. [5] |