Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended Kevin Rudd in his role as Australia’s Ambassador to the United States in the face of explosive comments made by Donald Trump.
In a rowdy back and forth in Wednesday's Question Time sitting, the PM threw his support behind the under fire ambassador, after being asked by the Opposition if his posting would be withdrawn in the wake of him being labelled as "nasty" and "not the brightest bulb" by the former US president.
"Considering our Ambassador to the United States Kevin Rudd's descriptions of Donald Trump as a 'destructive President' and a 'traitor to the West', and given Mr Trump's response today... will the Prime Minister be reassessing Mr Rudd's position as Ambassador to our most important... strategic ally," Manager of Opposition Business Paul Fletcher asked.
Mr Albanese responded saying he was "somewhat surprised to get the question from the manager of opposition business" and took aim directly at Opposition Leader Peter Dutton for backflipping on his endorsement as Mr Rudd as Ambassador to the US.
Don't miss 'Trump and Farage: The Interview' which will be available to watch within Australia online with a SkyNews.com.au Streaming Subscription tonight at 8:30pm.
He argued Labor had never called into question similar political appointees to ambassadorship in the United States such as former Liberal treasurer Joe Hockey and Arthur Sinodinos.
“Because 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,” Mr Albanese said.
“Those opposite know that whether it is Kevin Rudd in the United States or Stephen Smith (in the UK) … when we engage, particularly with our AUKUS allies, the idea that we have a cheap-shot question like that diminishes the Opposition.
“And says everything about why this bloke is not fit to be the prime minister of Australia.”
Mr Fletcher's question was in reference to remarks Donald Trump made in an exclusive sit-down interview with British broadcaster and former Brexit Party Leader Nigel Farage for GB News.
Trump, who is currently the Republican frontrunner for the upcoming US presidential election, said he thought Mr Rudd was “not the brightest bulb” and that he could not see him last long in his posting as Australian ambassador if there is a change in government.
“He won’t be here long if that’s the case,” he said, upon being told Mr Rudd had called him a “destructive president” and a “traitor to the West” in his past term as US president.
“I don’t know much about him. I heard he was a little bit nasty.”
The issue dominated Question Time on Wednesday, with the Prime Minister later taking to the dispatch box to point out Opposition Leader Peter Dutton’s comments regarding Mr Rudd with Sky News Australia Political Editor Andrew Clennell last month.
“I wish to add this comment with regard to the position of Kevin Rudd as the Ambassador of Australia to the United States. On the 11th of February, just a month ago, the Leader of the Opposition was asked by Andrew Clennell on Sky News the following: ‘Could you work with Kevin Rudd as ambassador, or would you seek to replace him if you were elected’,” Mr Albanese said.
“The Leader of the Opposition responded as follows: ‘I mean, what grounds would there be to replace him? I would work very closely with him. I know him, Kevin. I caught up with him when he was last in Australia, and he came to give us an update in relation of what he was seeing in Washington. He's represented his country well, and we are a few steps down the road.
“‘But I think for most Australians, they get it the importance of the relationship with America is, at its height, more so than any period since the Second World War. That's a fairly significant statement that that's exactly as the Prime Minister puts it as well’.”
Mr Albanese then said: “It is indeed, the way that this Prime Minister puts it, because the relationship with the United States is very important.”
“It should be, beyond the sort of cheap politics that we saw earlier today,” he said.
In reply, Mr Dutton said he had been complimentary in his previous comments, but in light of the former president’s remarks, the situation had escalated.
“I did have, complimentary things to say about, Mr Rudd and it is in our national interest to make sure that the Ambassador to the United States, our most important strategic alliance partner, is successful, and we will do everything we can to support him,” Mr Dutton said.
“The point I make is that … past president Trump … has now made very serious comments in relation to Australia's ambassador.
“They need to be answered and Mr Rudd needs to repair the relationship. That's the point we were making and we won't be hectored to or intimidated by these bully boys over here.”
Mr Rudd’s continuation in the ambassadorial role could hang in the balance with the return of a Trump presidency, in a potential mirrored outcome to the fate of the United Kingdom's ambassador to the US in 2019.
Lord Kim Darroch, appointed in the role by then British Conservative prime minister Theresa May in 2016, was forced to resign in December 2019 - a day after Trump publicly called him a “wacky ambassador that the UK foisted upon the United States” and a “very stupid guy”.
"I don't know the ambassador but have been told he is a pompous fool,” Trump said.
His rebuke was in response to scathing comments Sir Kim made about the White House between 2017 and 2019, which came to light after a series of diplomatic cables were leaked.
In the leaked official memos, the British ambassador described the Trump government as “dysfunctional”, “clumsy and inept”, and “unpredictable”.
Earlier on Wednesday, Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie told Network Ten that Rudd had been reckless to trash talk the former president before taking up the role of US Ambassador.
“The whole point of an ambassador is to be a bridge between the two governments, between the government of Australia and in this case the government and the president, the US administration in the White House,” Senator McKenzie said.
“Now, if Ambassador Rudd has been so reckless as to trash-talk a former president of the United States, who’s made it clear that he was going to run again, then I think that shows a lack of judgement on the ambassador’s part.
“I think it will put the prime minister in a very, very difficult position because, you know, Rudd was his personal captain’s pick for that role, and even knowing that he’d trash-talked Trump on the way through”.
Sky News Australia contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs to ask for a response from Ambassador Rudd to Trump's comments. An Australian Government spokesperson said: “Kevin Rudd is doing a good job as Australia’s Ambassador to the United States”.
'Trump & Farage: The Interview' will air in full tonight at 8.30pm AEDT available to watch online with a SkyNews.com.au Streaming Subscription, or on TV through Foxtel or Sky News Regional.
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2024-03-20 05:19:13Z
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_YW1w
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