New US ambassador gets green light: Culvahouse on way to Australia

Arthur Culvahouse Jr is set to take up his key diplomatic post as America’s ambassador to Australia in early March.

Incoming US ambassador to Australia, Arthur Culvahouse Jr. Picture: AP

Arthur Culvahouse Jr is set to take up his key diplomatic post as America’s ambassador to Australia in early March — in time for a likely May federal election — after the US Senate confirmed his nomination.

Mr Culvahouse, who moves to Canberra after a successful career in law and politics, comes from the small Tennessee town of Ten Mile and advised John McCain and US President Donald Trump on their picks as running mates.

The 70-year-old is next month expected to attend what is referred to as “charm school”, where he will receive a crash course on how the US State Department works and how to run an embassy, before presenting his credentials to Governor-General Peter Cosgrove in early March.

Official confirmation of the posting came more than two years after the last US ambassador, John Berry, left Australia in September 2016.

“I welcome the confirmation of Arthur B. Culvahouse as the US’s next ambassador to Australia,” Foreign Minister Marise Payne said.

“The government looks forward to welcoming Mr Culvahouse to Australia and working with him to further promote ­Australia’s unique friendship and alliance with the US.”

The Senate voted on Mr Culva­house’s nomination in the final hours of the 115th congress on Wednesday local time amid a partial government shutdown.

Forced by Mr Trump’s demands for billions of dollars to pay for his border wall with Mexico, the shutdown made the schedule of the Senate highly uncertain and affected routine business but a vote on the Culvahouse nomination scraped through.

Mr Culvahouse was hand-picked by Mr Trump for the role and is part of the Republican ­establishment.

Bruce Wolpe, a visiting fellow at the University of Sydney’s US Studies Centre, who has worked in congress, said Mr Culvahouse would be an “excellent” ambassador and give the US a stronger presence in Australia. “It’ll also give Australia more leverage back to Washington by having such a prominent person in Australia,” he said. “He’s got decades of experience, he has a direct tie to President Trump, he’s across the entire foreign policy agenda in this ­region, and trade as well. He’ll be a huge asset.”

Mr Wolpe said the two-year gap in ambassadors had not affected the relationship between the US and Australia but was perceived as a “symbolic irritant” by the Australian public.

“This resolves that. There’s an expectation he’d be here in time for the (federal) election and that would be the best political education a new ambassador could have to this country.”

Acting Labor leader Tanya Plibersek said the US was one of Australia’s staunchest allies and her party looked forward to continuing to work with it “to ­advance bilateral ties and our ­mutual interest in peace and ­stability in our region”.

Senator Payne and Ms Plibersek also paid tribute to charge d’affaires James Caruso, who has been acting US ambassador and who in turn congratulated Mr Culvahouse on his confirmation as ambassador-designate.

“He will be a great representative of the US and interlocutor for Australia” Mr Caruso said.

Mr Culvahouse was counsel to president Ronald Reagan in 1987-89. His first time in the Oval Office was one year after he finished law school, where he reportedly witnessed a key moment with president Richard Nixon as he navigated Watergate.