Key Points
- Former prime minister Kevin Rudd will commence as Australia's ambassador to the US early next year.
- Mr Rudd has been highly critical of former US president Donald Trump, who recently announced his intention to run in 2024.
- Anthony Albanese rejected suggestions a Trump presidency could undermine Mr Rudd's ability to perform his duties.
Former prime minister Kevin Rudd, who has been critical of the modern Republican Party, has been appointed to serve as Australia's ambassador to the United States.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement on Tuesday and insisted Mr Rudd, who will take up the role early next year, brings "unmatched experience" to the role, having served as prime minister and foreign minister, before working extensively in the United States.
Mr Rudd has been an outspoken critic of former US president Donald Trump - who has announced a third run for the presidency in 2024 - as well as leading calls for a royal commission into media company News Corp's role in the Australian media landscape.
Rumours about his appointment had been rife but, when asked by Murdoch-owned Sky News in May if he was hopeful of an ambassadorship under an Albanese government, Mr Rudd responded: "I can always rely on you people to ask questions I've already answered. The answer to that is no, and you know that".
Prime Minster Anthony Albanese dismissed concerns Mr Rudd would become a de facto second foreign minister in Washington DC. Source: AAP / Lukas Coch
Mr Trump , and Mr Albanese dismissed concerns he would struggle to fulfil his duties under a future Trump presidency.
University of Sydney US politics expert Simon Jackman said Mr Rudd would have to "cross that bridge when he comes to it", saying it would be "enormously difficult" for any Labor government to do business with a "Trump or Trump-like administration".
But he said Mr Rudd's fractious relationship with media magnate Rupert Murdoch could prove particularly complex.
"When you think of prominent Australians in the United States, the Murdochs often loom large. That's going to be one missing element here," he said.
"The connection, having a sympathetic ear in the Murdoch press for issues of interest to Australia, is going to be harder for Rudd to personally transact."
'Considered a gun'
The former prime minister said his new role would "not be dissimilar" to his current job as president of the Asia Society think tank.
"Australia currently faces its most challenging security and diplomatic environment for many decades," he said in a statement.
"Over the past decade, I have had the pleasure of building relationships with Republicans and Democrats across politics, and have developed close personal ties with American business, civil society and the media."
Professor Jackman warned Mr Rudd lacked the personal warmth of his predecessors - former Liberal senator Arthur Sinodinos, former treasurer Joe Hockey, and former Labor leader Kim Beazley - who were "extremely easy to along with".
But he said that may be offset by his strong reputation in foreign policy circles.
"In the think tank community, people in Washington who may not agree with Rudd's politics necessarily, he is unquestionably considered a gun on China," he said.
"When Rudd makes a major speech on China, the think tank community around the English-speaking world stops and listens. That degree of substance may be what distinguishes Kevin Rudd.
"If he can put aside some of the other issues he brings to the table ... I think this adds a very interesting dynamic to the relationship."
'Great credit'
Mr Rudd will be joined by former Australian Industry Group chief executive Heather Ridout, who will become Australia's consul-general in New York.
Mr Albanese dismissed concerns Mr Rudd would become a de facto second foreign minister in Washington DC.
“Kevin Rudd is an outstanding appointment. He brings a great deal of credit to Australia by agreeing to take up this position as a former prime minister,” he said.
Coalition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said the position had been "ably filled" by Mr Rudd's predecessors.
"In appointing former Prime Minister Rudd, Prime Minister Albanese has personally chosen a friend and confidante, a former parliamentary and ministerial colleague, and someone in whom Mr Albanese clearly has faith and confidence," he said.
Speculation of a post-politics shift to diplomacy for Mr Rudd has circulated for years.
In 2018, he was angered by then-prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's decision not to put him forward to become United Nations secretary-general, a topic which had become the focus of heated debate in the Coalition party room.
