Anthony Albanese makes shock diplomatic appointment

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has made a surprising diplomatic appointment, defying convention in the process.

EXCLUSIVE

Anthony Albanese will appoint Nationals MP Keith Pitt as Ambassador to the Holy See in a shock diplomatic appointment.

Defying convention by naming a former opponent, Mr Albanese will follow in the footsteps of the Rudd government that also appointed a Nationals MP to the then newly-created diplomatic post at the Vatican,

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd previously appointed former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer to become the nation’s first resident ambassador to the Holy See.

The Member for Hinkler, Mr Pitt, who announced he would exit politics in late last year citing “frustration” and policy disagreements, hinted at the time that an undisclosed new job opportunity as being among the reasons for his decision.

“I’m wishing Peter Dutton all the best in 2025, but I’ve got a very unexpected opportunity. My wife has asked me every week since I started why am I still doing this? And I’ve finally got to the point where I’ve said, ‘Well, actually it’s time to let someone else have a go’,” he said.

Nationals MP Keith Pitt is being appointed as Ambassador to the Holy See.

“To be clear, there will be no by-election for the federal seat of Hinkler prior to the 2025 general election,” he said at the time.

The seat of Hinkler has more than 117,000 voters and covers the Bundaberg region and Hervey Bay community.

Mr Pitt leaves the seat with a 10.1 per cent margin.

In a statement he said he had told colleagues he would not be contesting the 2025 election. He called his time in politics “an incredible privilege … some extraordinary successes, many highs and some unfortunate lows”.

“In my view, political parties without purpose soon disappear … I just think there’s been a shift in terms of policy positions that is sold as discipline but it’s more about obedience.”

When asked about Mr Pitt’s comments earlier this year, the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, claimed Mr Pitt was “frustrated” at not being given a frontbench promotion.

Mr Pitt is the latest Coalition MP to announce their retirement ahead of the next election, joining Simon Birmingham, Paul Fletcher, Linda Reynolds, Karen Andrews, David Gillespie, Warren Entsch, Gavin Pearce and Rowan Ramsey.

Mr Albanese is defying convention by naming a former opponent for the position. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

Secret ministry scandal

Shortly after the 2022 election, Mr Pitt was at the centre of controversy Scott Morrison secretly swore himself in as resources minister and ultimately used the power to roll his own frontbencher, Keith Pitt, over a plan to drill for gas off the New South Wales coast.

In an extraordinary revelation, the then the resources minister, was “shocked” to learn in December of 2021 that Mr Morrison had been secretly sworn in as a second minister in his own portfolio.

The prime minister then used those powers to take steps to kill a controversial project off the NSW coast, where blue-ribbon seats were under threat from teal independents.

Mr Pitt told colleagues he was kept in the dark and shocked to learn of the prime minister’s secret powers during discussions with him and his office in late 2021 over the controversial oil and gas project.

He was so concerned that he asked for the executive order outlining how two ministers could be sworn into the portfolio, only to discover it did not exist.

Coalition sources have told news.com.au Mr Pitt then complained to the deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack, but was told “he’s the prime minister”.

Multiple former cabinet ministers have told news.com.au they either didn’t understand why it had been done or objected to it.

“The problem with Scott is he had this grandiose view of himself,” one former minister said.

“And it was kind of weird.”

Originally published as Anthony Albanese makes shock diplomatic appointment