Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will finish in his position as Australia’s Ambassador to the U.S. at the end of March, a year earlier than planned.
Rudd stepped into the role in March 2023, working on AUKUS, a critical minerals deal, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s release from prison.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Rudd clashed last year over comments made before Rudd’s appointment as ambassador.
What does this role look like?
Diplomats
A diplomat is a country’s official representative abroad, appointed to carry out their home country’s interests outside their borders.
Under international law, diplomats are generally immune from prosecution inside their host country, meaning they cannot be charged with certain criminal offences.
An ambassador is a country’s highest-ranked diplomat. They work out of an embassy — their home country’s main office overseas, typically in the host country’s capital city.
An ambassador works with the Government of their host country.
Their role is often to maintain ties and raise concerns when countries disagree. The actions of ambassadors can carry political significance.
For example, when Australia withdrew from $90 billion submarine contract with France in 2021, their ambassador to Australia was recalled.
Recalling is when a diplomat returns home in protest of a host country’s actions.
Appointment
There are no formal processes for appointing an ambassador.
The Government in power can choose their representative overseas. Rudd was chosen by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who announced the appointment in December 2022.
Australia’s ambassadors to the U.S. are often high-level former politicians.
The three most recent are former Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (2023-2026), former Liberal Senator Arthur Sinodinos (2020-23), and ex-Liberal Treasurer Joe Hockey (2016-2020).
Your contribution ensures The Daily Aus can continue doing the work you love.
I want to give $10 monthly to help TDA keep doing the news.
Your details:
Kevin Rudd
Rudd was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia, serving from 2007 to 2011, and again in 2013.
After his retirement from politics he worked at various think tanks and earned a PhD at Oxford, writing his thesis on Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In 2021, Rudd launched a petition calling for a Royal Commission into Rupert Murdoch’s level of ownership of Australian media, attracting 500,000 signatures, the most received by the Federal Parliament.
Rudd he began his term as Ambassador to the U.S. in March 2023. Announcing Rudd’s departure today, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said he “has been an excellent ambassador.”
Wong highlighted some of Rudd’s contributions, such as helping gain support for defence pact AUKUS, working to return Julian Assange to Australia in 2024, and assisting to secure the Critical Minerals and Rare Earths Framework in October.
Albanese also called Thérèse Rein, Rudd’s wife, an “extraordinary person who brings incredible capacity on a volunteer basis to the engagement with the U.S.”
Trump tiff
In 2020, Rudd described Trump as “the most destructive president in history”.
At a meeting between Trump and Albanese in October last year, Trump was asked about Rudd by a reporter.
He told Rudd: “I don’t like you either. And I probably never will”.
However, Trump reportedly told Rudd “all is forgiven” a short time later.
What’s next?
Rudd will reprise his role as CEO and President of international relations think tank Asia Society. He led the organisation from 2021-23.
Rudd said he “look[s] forward to continuing my work with the truly first-class global staff at Asia Society.”
The next Ambassador to the U.S. is yet to be chosen, with Albanese saying an announcement will be made “in due course.”
