Rice's visit 'reflects Aust-US alliance'
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In Perth: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (Getty: Paul Kane)
Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith says the United States Secretary of State's visit to Perth is a sign of Australia's friendship with the US.
Mr Smith called Condoleezza Rice's visit "a significant gesture".
"It reflects the importance of the alliance between Australia and the United States," he said.
A dinner held in Dr Rice's honour in Perth last night attracted about two dozen anti-war protesters.
But she was warmly welcomed by prominent Western Australians from business, sport, religious and political life.
Dr Rice flew into Perth from the ASEAN conference in Singapore.
Mr Smith was also on board her US Air Force jet and says he took the opportunity to discuss issues such as the war in Afghanistan and North Korea's nuclear program.
"We flew down from Singapore together and spent a good proportion of our time on the plane talking about regional and international issues of significance and importance," he said.
Former Labor leader Kim Beazley says the visit is meaningful even though Dr Rice will leave office at the end of this year.
"The Secretary of State is always important until the day they leave office," he said.
"They are always being called in in trouble spots to engage, so for her to find a couple of days for us - there are 365 days in a year and almost as many countries, and they all want the Secretary of State for a week."
Western Australian Premier Alan Carpenter says Dr Rice only visited Perth because Mr Smith invited her.
"It shows the power of personal relationships," he said.
The Secretary of State will spend this morning in Perth visiting the headquarters of the SAS and laying a wreath at the Kings Park War Memorial. She will then fly to New Zealand.
WA's reputation
Mr Carpenter says Dr Rice was also very interested in WA's resources industry and her visit shows the state's reputation in the international community.
"It does reflect, I think, our standing now; the West Australian community, the West Australian economy's standing in world affairs," he said.
"We shouldn't underestimate it. What we do and what's happening here in Western Australia is very, very important to the international economy and we attract senior people in governments from all around the world."
Former WA premier Richard Court says Western Australia can expect to continue its relationship with Dr Rice long after she leaves office at the end of this year.
He says she will be taking a senior academic position at Stanford University, which has close links to the University of Western Australia.
"She's leaving one job but she's going back into, as I understand it, a senior academic role from where she came and I think those links will last for many years past a political career," he said.
