Australia’s Breakaway Moment Has Arrived

Joining BRICS could redefine Australia's global future—and deliver a fatal blow to US dominance.

It’s no secret the US has been teetering on the edge of geopolitical collapse for some time—riven by internal dysfunction, mounting debt, and an increasingly isolationist foreign policy under Trump—for Australia, the US’s ongoing demise presents itself as a historical gift for the country.

Australia Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has within his grasp a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not merely recalibrate Australia’s foreign alliances but free itself from the long shadow cast over it by the US. The collapsing empire of the US, if Albanese seeks to take advantage of the US’s inevitable fate and choose autonomy over allegiance, could herald a new era for Australia—economically, diplomatically, and strategically.

Washington’s waning grip on global leadership is no longer speculative; it’s observable. The Trump administration's renewed unilateralism, coupled with America’s disastrous handling of global conflicts, has eroded its credibility. Its withdrawal from multilateral institutions, a flailing economy burdened by over $34 trillion in debt, and crumbling civil institutions have diminished its ability to project power globally. Meanwhile, the BRICS alliance—with recent additions like Iran, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia—is evolving into a formidable economic and political bloc challenging Western orthodoxy.

Albanese must now begin to consider where Australia’s future lies. It may no longer lie in clinging to a dying US but aligning with the multipolar world order that BRICS represents – the shift would be seismic, but not be unprecedented. Former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam attempted a similar pivot in the 1970s—only to be met with fierce resistance and interference from the CIA.

His dismissal in 1975 serves a cautionary tale of the consequences of defying US interests. However, that was then, today the global landscape is different. The US is weaker. Australia is stronger.

The time to finish what Whitlam started has arrived.

Joining BRICS would represent more than a realignment; it would be an act of sovereign defiance. It would send an unambiguous message: Australia will no longer serve as a vassal to US military and economic interests that returns Australia little.

Economically, BRICS nations now account for a larger share of global GDP (by purchasing power parity) than the G7. They’re expanding cross-border trade using their own currencies, reducing reliance on the US dollar. Australia’s economy remains overly dependent on the volatile American market and the USD-based financial system - BRICS offers an alternative financial architecture and access to fast-growing markets unconstrained by Washington’s political strings.

Albanese must imagine what it would mean for an Australia that settles trade with China in yuan, India in rupees, and Brazil in reals—free from the fluctuations and diktats of Washington’s monetary policy. The diversity could boost Australian exports, shield Australia from US-induced economic shocks, and create new avenues for trade and investment across the Global South. As a major commodity exporter, Australia would bring valuable resources and technological expertise to BRICS, while securing new markets for its lithium, iron ore, agriculture, and clean energy technologies.

Geopolitically, Australia pivoting would elevate it from compliant junior partner to an independent middle power. It would allow Canberra to engage multilaterally, balancing relationships with Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East—regions where BRICS is extending its influence. Seated at the BRICS table would amplify Australia’s voice globally, no longer filtered through Washington’s lens.

The symbolic weight of such a move can’t be overstated. For a staunch US ally to walk away from the Western bloc in favour of a multipolar coalition would mark the end of American exceptionalism. It would shake the foundations of the US-led post-war order and affirm what many already know - the end of US hegemony.

If Australia fails to act, it will come at a cost. As BRICS accelerates its expansion and de-dollarisation efforts, countries sticking rigidly to US-centric economic models risk being locked out of new global trade routes, alternative financial systems, and geopolitical forums that are shaping the future.

Australia could find itself increasingly isolated—dependent on an unstable ally, bound to a currency losing relevance, and unable to fully tap into the economic growth of the Global South.

If Canberra chooses to “stick phat” with Washington, it may miss the wave entirely. Global capital is already shifting. Trade deals are being inked in yuan, rupees, and reals. Regional powers are decoupling from US influence. A refusal to adapt won’t only diminish Australia’s diplomatic weight, but undercut its trade competitiveness in an evolving world economy.

Australia must seriously consider the move—not out of ideology or anti-Americanism—but from a position of strategic foresight. The cost of hesitation may be irrelevance. The price of loyalty to a collapsing empire may be economic decline.

Should Albanese make the move, it comes with a risk. Washington would retaliate diplomatically and economically. It has long viewed Australia as a strategic outpost in the Asia-Pacific, particularly as tensions rise with China. It’s a storm Albanese would have to weather not only from the US but also from its domestic military-industrial interests, who profit handsomely from the status quo.

History however, rewards boldness. The Albanese government has already shown signs of recalibration—reinvesting in regional diplomacy, hedging its bets on AUKUS, and strengthening ties with Southeast Asia. The question now is whether Labor has the courage to go further: to end the era of strategic dependency and carve out a truly independent foreign policy.

Joining BRICS wouldn’t mean severing ties with the West. It would mean ending subservience to it, reclaiming it's agency in a changing world, where loyalty to a decaying empire offers diminishing returns and finally breaking the shackles forged in the Cold War and reimagining Australia’s place in a future defined not by Western decline, but by global cooperation.

As the American empire continues its rapid decay—marked by social unrest, judicial dysfunction, and militaristic overreach—Australia must ask: do we sink with the ship, or do we chart our own course?

If one of America’s closest allies walks away now, it won’t just shake Washington—it will mark the moment the empire truly fell.