 Another legacy was the manner in which it led to the emergence — albeit only fleetingly — of an independence in Australian foreign affairs . Although previously Australian foreign interests had been largely handled by Britain , as a combatant Australia sent its own delegation to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 , while it also began to take a more assertive role in regional affairs in the Pacific . At the peace conference Prime Minister Hughes pushed aggressively for reparations and an Australian mandate over German New Guinea ; a stance which conflicted with the liberal internationalist inspired Fourteen Points put forward by American President Woodrow Wilson . Regardless , following the war there was little real change in Imperial relations and Dominion affairs , and as a result the war arguably did not lead to any significant change in Australia 's perception of its role in the world . Indeed , profound change would only occur following the Japanese crisis of 1942 , which ultimately saw Australia pursue a foreign policy more independent of Britain , and an alliance with the United States . 
