The calls to sack Kevin Rudd as Australian ambassador to the US have been given short shrift by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in an exchange with the press during his visit to Peru for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Albanese arrived in Lima just after one of Donald Trump’s strongest supporters, Dan Scavino, tweeted an image of an hourglass in response to Rudd. This was seen as a clear message that Scavino thought Rudd should go because of his past criticisms of Trump – including a comment that Trump was a “village idiot”.
Shortly after Scavino sent the tweet, Trump named him to a key post in the new administration as deputy chief of staff.
Albanese shut down the talk of dumping Rudd during a press conference in Lima. He did not list all the support for Rudd in recent days, but former prime ministers Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull have said the ambassador should stay, while former ambassadors Joe Hockey and Arthur Sinodinos, who preceded Rudd in Washington DC, have said the same.
“Ambassador Rudd is doing a good job,” Albanese said.
“And that’s been recognised across the political spectrum in Australia by people from Tony Abbott to Malcolm Turnbull to Peter Dutton and, obviously, to the Australian government.”
In fact, Dutton has not been totally supportive. Asked on Thursday about Rudd, the Opposition Leader said the appointment of the former prime minister as ambassador was a matter of judgment for Albanese.
“The prime minister’s made a number of captain’s calls,” Dutton said.
“And they’ve been at odds with the advice that he’s received from his closest advisers and colleagues, and I suppose that’s a question about the prime minister’s judgment.”
Dutton has not called for Rudd to be removed but questioned whether he could do the job after his remarks about Trump.
