Malcolm Turnbull
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is seen during an event at Flinders University in Adelaide, Australia, May 13, 2016 during campaigning before the July 2 federal election. AAP/Lukas Coch/via Reuters

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull might address a joint meeting of US Congress. A campaign led by Democrats was created in Washington, DC, for him to be invited for a talk. If the campaign goes well, Turnbull will share the honour alongside Winston Churchill, Nelson Mandela and Pope Francis.

Turnbull’s controversial phone call with US President Donald Trump last month has resulted to the proposal of the campaign to have Turnbull address the US Congress. Senior Democrats said inviting the Australian prime minister would reinforce America's "long-standing, close relationship" with the Land Down Under.

Representative Adam Smith, a Democrat from Washington, along with New York's Eliot Engel believe Turnbull addressing the US Congress would be a good thing. They have penned a letter to Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to convince the latter to invite the prime minister.

"An invitation to the prime minister, in consultation with the executive branch, to visit and address Congress would be very well received," representatives Engel and Smith wrote. According to the Democrats, the invite would relay a clear message that the Congress still supports a strong US-Australia alliance based on mutual respect.

AAP (via news.com.au) has noted that the tough phone call between the US president and Turnbull brought the Democrat and Republican members of Congress together. Both parties intend to reaffirm a strong commitment to the United States-Australian alliance. Last week, senior Democrats and Republicans, including former presidential candidate Marco Rubio, have presented a bipartisan resolution in the US Senate in relation to reaffirming the relationship of both countries.

It is proposed that the Australian leader’s address to Congress should commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea, Midway and Guadalcanal. All these are significant moments during the World War II where the US and Australian forces have united to stop Japan's Pacific expansion.

If Ryan would agree to invite Turnbull, the latter would become the fourth Australian prime minister to address a joint meeting of Congress. Former Australian leaders Bob Hawke, John Howard and Julia Gillard have previously bestowed the honour.

Both Engel and Smith believe that an address by one of America’s closest partners in Asia-Pacific would also reinforce Congress' understanding of the challenges that the nations face together. These include defeating terrorism and pushing the rule of law, as well as free expression and free markets. They recognise that Australian men have fought and died alongside Americans in their fight for democracy.