Rudd uniquely placed to be ambassador to US at critical time

Rudd is back in the game, but he’s no longer the captain of the team. Albanese is in charge and he just needs Kevin to help.

I’m Kevin, I’m from Australia, and I’m here to help.

That might be just the right introduction for Kevin Rudd when he presents his credentials to Joe Biden next year to officially become Australia’s ambassador to the United States.

A decade and a half since that famous quip, it sums up the mindset Rudd should take into a job that has been rumoured to have been his for months, despite his repeated denials.

Each time the former prime minister shot down the rumours, some Australian politicians and diplomats wondered if he was having second thoughts, given moving into the White Oaks ambassadorial home is not quite the same as his ambition of running the United Nations.

Former prime minister Kevin Rudd will be Australia's next ambassador to the United States. Picture: AAP Image/Darren England

In the end, it turns out Rudd is all in, and will now be in a high stakes position at the heart of our most important alliance. Having served in Australia’s highest office, and then established himself as one of the world’s pre-eminent experts on China, Rudd is uniquely placed to take on the role at such a critical time. He will also have detractors.

Albanese, in announcing the appointment, brushed off concerns Rudd would act as a “second foreign minister in the United States”.

The pair have a close relationship, the kind an Australian PM needs with their man in Washington. (A woman has sadly never held the post).

But Albanese must be clear about his expectations. Rudd has potential to be an asset, as long as he is operating in lock-step with the PM’s foreign policy playbook.

That means no more sniping about Donald Trump or casting doubt on the AUKUS defence pact, for Rudd is no longer a commentator on the sidelines. He’s back in the game, except this time, he’s no longer the captain of the team. Albanese is in charge and he needs Kevin to help.

Originally published as Rudd uniquely placed to be ambassador to US at critical time