Labor luminaries are urging the Australian government to rethink its approach to the United States following the election of Donald Trump.
Former Labor foreign minister Bob Carr says the Australian security establishment is more concerned than ministers are publicly letting on about Mr Trump becoming president and what it means for global stability.
"Scepticism is more widespread than is being admitted publicly," he told ABC radio on Tuesday.
Australia should be working with diplomatic allies to cool tensions between the two powers after a poll found 57 per cent of people thought the nation should avoid taking sides in a US-China conflict, Mr Carr said.
"That's a big slice of both sides of the Australian electorate," he said.
"Australian diplomacy should be quietly working, not only with America and with China but with partners in Asia ... towards the notion of a detente between America and China."
It echoes comments from former prime minister and Labor stalwart Paul Keating, who used the same poll to call for the Albanese government to realign its foreign policy and stay out of any conflict between America and China.
Mr Keating chastised Australia's reliance on the US, saying it was hard to say no to Washington when Canberra had "outsourced its real estate to the US military" in reference to the rotation of American troops Down Under.
Mr Carr also called on the Albanese government to recognise Palestinian statehood as the Republicans had a strong alliance with Israel that would bolster Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza.
Under a Trump White House, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "will be able to continue this ruinous war and inhumane war in Gaza, without the threat coming from an American president that he will be penalised with a loss of military supplies", he said.
Australian recognition would send a message of commitment to a two-state solution and spur hope for a peace deal enabling Gazans to "avoid the temptation in desperation and despair to support the murderers of Hamas", he said.
"It also sends a message to Israel that what you are doing in Gaza ... is intolerable and you will lose the support of a country like Australia."
Recognition ahead of an election would avoid the perception any move done in a minority government was because of crossbench pressure, the former foreign minister said.
Mr Carr further chastised military posturing in northern Australia as it works to position itself to project firepower deeper into the Indo-Pacific, saying it had taken place "with a scandalous lack of consultation with the Australian people".
It was "almost inevitable" America would pull the pin on selling nuclear-power submarines to Australia under the AUKUS alliance because of a struggling production line and competition for boat numbers with China, he said.
"One of the prices you pay for being such a compliant, non-argumentative ally is that you get taken for granted," he said.
The Albanese government has consistently defended the integrity of AUKUS and expressed confidence in the deal, arguing there was bipartisan support in the US and propping up allies' defences was in America's national interest as well.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also played down concerns about any trade war with the US after Mr Trump flagged tariffs on imports, expressing confidence in the trading relationship.
