March 21, 2024
Shadow home affairs minister James Paterson has argued Anthony Albanese will ultimately be responsible if Kevin Rudd is forced to out of the United States by a potential future Trump administration, claiming the Prime Minister showed "poor judgement" in making him ambassador.
Mr Rudd, who has served as Australia's chief representative in Washington D.C. since 2023, was caught out on Wednesday by a stinging rebuke from former US president Donald Trump in an interview with conservative British commentator Nigel Farage.
After being presented with comments from the former prime minister which labelled him a "traitor to the West" and accusing him of "rancid treachery," Trump lashed out, declaring Mr Rudd was "not the brightest bulb" and " a little bit nasty".
The Republican presidential nominee then suggested Australia's ambassador "won't be there long" if he was successful in retaking the White House in November, setting off alarm bells about the potential of a serious challenge to maintaining one of the nation's most important international ties.
Speaking to Sky News Australia on Thursday, Senator Paterson maintained Mr Rudd was working "diligently" in Washington, but suggested his history of making potentially inflammatory comments had made him a risky pick for the role of ambassador.
"I want Kevin Rudd to succeed as Australia's ambassador to Washington D.C., it is in our national interest that he does well there for our country," he said.
"I've visited Kevin in D.C. as ambassador and what I observed is he is diligently applying himself to that task, he's obviously a capable person.
"Unfortunately he was also, prior to accepting this role, a prominent political commentator in the United States from his position as president of the Asia Society and he said some very undiplomatic things about former president Trump.
"Let's remember, Kevin Rudd was Anthony Albanese's captain's pick for this job, over the objections of other Ministers in the government, including apparently (Foreign Minister) Penny Wong.
"So if he does have to come home because he can't work with the Trump administration that will reflect on one person and one person only and that's Anthony Albanese and his poor judgement"
Senator Paterson's comments echoed many of the same points made by other members of the opposition since Trump's rebuke, with Nationals leader David Littleproud claiming Mr Rudd "should have known better" than to attack the former president and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton urging the ambassador to "repair the relationship".
However, the government has pushed back against suggestions Mr Rudd's position is untenable, with Foreign Minister Penny Wong defending him at a press conference on Wednesday.
"Mr Rudd is a very effective ambassador, he is recognised across his parliament as doing an excellent job in advancing Australia's interests in the United States," she said.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister in Question Time lashed out at what he described as the politicisation of one of Australia's most important diplomatic positions, admonishing the opposition for questioning his choice of ambassador.
"They decide to politicise Australia's representative in Washington D.C.," Mr Albanese told the House on Wednesday.
"One of the things that I have never seen happen before in 28 years in this chamber is an attempt to politicise Australia's representative overseas in an important nation such as that."
While Trump has secured the Republican nomination for the presidency, there is no guarantee he will beat out incumbent President Joe Biden.
The former president faces 91 criminal indictments for alleged crimes involving his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, withholding of classified documents and hush money payments to a former porn star.
Trump is also struggling with civil cases relating to his businesses and sexual assault of former columnist E. Jean Carroll, with the presidential hopeful apparently unable to post a massive $692 million bond and under threat of having his assets seized by the state of New York.
