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    Kevin Rudd will remain as Australia’s ambassador to US, Anthony Albanese says

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    Anthony Albanese says Kevin Rudd will remain as Australia’s ambassador to Washington despite the apparent disquiet about Rudd’s past commentary on president-elect Donald Trump among some in Trump’s inner circle.Albanese is digging in against media speculation that Trump could demand Rudd’s withdrawal or that others in his administration could make the ambassador’s position untenable, insisting he will stay in the job no matter what.“That’s what we’d expect,” he told ABC’s Insiders program on Sunday.

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    “He’s Australia’s appointment,” Albanese said, speaking from the Apec summit in Peru. “And it says something about the importance of the United States that we have appointed a former prime minister. That’s a sign of how seriously we take this relationship, which is a relationship between our peoples based upon our common values.”Albanese declined to say whether Rudd should apologise for past remarks, which included social media posts calling him “the most destructive president in history” and a 2021 interview in which he described Trump in a 2021 interview as “the village idiot” and “not a leading intellectual force”.“We’re focused on the future, and I’m sure President Trump will be as well, and that is the important thing,” Albanese said.The emergence last week of video of the 2021 remarks this week coincided with a social media post from Trump’s now newly appointed deputy chief of staff, Dan Scavino, depicting sand running through an hourglass, above a screenshot of the congratulatory message Rudd had issued about Trump’s election win.But Albanese said Rudd had been doing “a terrific job” and would continue in the role.He praised the former prime minister’s work building bipartisan relationships and boosting Australia’s ties in the US capital.“Ambassador, Rudd has been working with people across the political spectrum. He attended both the Republican and the Democrat national conventions and engaged with people across the board. I know that he was in regular contact with the head of the Republican campaign committee as well, as well as the Democrats.”In a separate interview with Sky News, also from Peru, Albanese said his 10-minute congratulatory phone conversation with Trump had been “very constructive and positive” and Rudd was not mentioned.“He’s Australia’s ambassador to Washington, and he’s doing a very important job,” Albanese said. “The work that he did with Aukus was a difficult task to get that through the Congress and the Senate. But when I was there, one of the things that struck me was just how extensive the links that Kevin Rudd had developed at the US, Congress and the Senate were.” More

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      White House dinner: the Kid Laroi and the B-52s among famous faces at event for Anthony Albanese

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      Australian rapper the Kid Laroi and Melbourne indie-folk singer Vance Joy have lent their star power to a White House state dinner in honour of the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and his partner, Jodie Haydon.A Gen Z icon, the Kid Laroi invited his mother, Sloane Howard, to be his guest and appeared under his professional name. Joy was invited under his legal name, James Keogh, and attended with his wife, Selen Us.The Australian contingent at the black-tie affair also included Indigenous voice process co-designer and senior Australian of the year, Prof Tom Calma, and the Australian of the year, body positivity activist Taryn Brumfitt.The appearance of Peter V’landys, the chair of the Australian Rugby League Commission, was publicised ahead of time. The NRL is also hosting a double header in Las Vegas next year as its season opener, but the US government is also interested in the league’s influence in the Pacific, as it seeks to strengthen ties in the region.
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      The News Corp chair, Lachlan Murdoch, who attended the 2019 state dinner that former US president Donald Trump hosted for Scott Morrison, was a notable absence from the guest list, as were Australian Hollywood royalty Nicole Kidman and Margot Robbie.The event’s festivities, held on the South Lawn of the sprawling White House grounds, had been toned down in response to the Israel-Hamas war.American new-wave legends the B-52s had been slated as musical guests, but on Tuesday the US first lady announced a change to the entertainment, with American military bands slotted in to provide instrumental music.Jill Biden told reporters: “While we had initially planned for the legendary B-52s to perform their iconic dance and party music, we are now in a time when so many are facing sorrow and pain, and we have decided to make adjustments to the entertainment portion of the evening.”skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionThe Love Shack and Rock Lobster performers attended the evening as guests.Among the other guests to enjoy the “American cuisine” – butternut squash (pumpkin) soup, braised short ribs and chocolate mousse – were a mix of Australian business and economic elites, including the Australian Industry Group’s chief, Innes Wilcox, and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry head, Andrew McKellar. The Macquarie boss, Shemara Wikramanayake, and the Bluescope CEO, Mark Vassella, were also there.Australian economist Justin Wolfers and his partner, Betsey Stevenson, a former US chief economist, were among the guests, which also included the Australian resources minister, Madeleine King, who was part of the delegation given the focus on critical minerals. (King’s first name was misspelt on the official list as Madeline).One of the stars of the iconic Baz Lurhmann film Romeo and Juliet, actor John Leguizamo, was among the American entertainment contingent invited to the dinner, which also included DreamWorks co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg, renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman and producer Bruce Cohen.The New York Times executive editor, Joe Kahn, NBC News’ Andrea Mitchell and the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg were among the official guests. A number of people in the prime minister’s staff were also seated for the dinner.Joe Biden invited Albanese to the White House for an official state dinner to re-affirm the relationship between Australia and the US, after the president was forced to cancel a visit to Australia in May. The dinner followed a day of diplomacy, where the Middle East, China, the Pacific and the Aukus deal were all discussed.Albanese’s visit was seen as crucial in calming down Republican “jitters” over elements of the Aukus deal, with Biden keen to remind Congress of the importance of the Australian-US alliance. More

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      Aukus will ‘get done’ despite jitters in Congress, Biden tells Albanese at White House meeting

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      Joe Biden has played down congressional jitters over the Aukus nuclear-powered submarine deal and has revealed he assured Xi Jinping that the countries involved are not aiming to “surround China”.The US president welcomed the Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, to the White House and insisted he was “confident that we’re going to be able to get the money for Aukus because it’s overwhelmingly in our interest”.“So the question is not if, but when,” Biden said during a joint press conference with Albanese in the rose garden on Wednesday US time (Thursday Australian time).Biden also relayed a conversation he previously had with China’s president about the Aukus security partnership, in which Australia, the US and the UK have pledged to work together on advanced defence capabilities.“When I was asked when we put together the deal, I was asked by Xi Jinping, were we just trying to surround China?,” Biden said“I said, no, we’re not surrounding China. We’re just making sure that the sea lanes remain open, it doesn’t unilaterally to be able to change the rules of the road in terms of what constitutes international airspace and water, space, etc.”Biden and Albanese spoke to reporters after wide-ranging talks at the White House. They pledged to cooperate in numerous fields, including space, with a deal paving the way for launches of US commercial space vehicles from Australia.There was a heavy emphasis on working with Pacific countries amid intensifying competition for influence in the region.The leaders announced plans for the US and Australia to “co‑finance critical maritime infrastructure projects in Kiribati, including the rehabilitation of Kanton Wharf and Charlie Wharf in Tarawa”. They will also assist Pacific countries with banking services and undersea cables.The climate crisis formed a significant part of the talks, with plans to collaborate on battery supply chains “to explore the deepening of both countries’ manufacturing capability and work on battery technology research and development”.In their joint statement, Biden and Albanese acknowledged that “achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement will require rapid deployment of clean energy and decarbonisation technologies, and increased electrification in our countries this decade, alongside the phasedown of unabated coal power”.It was the ninth time Albanese has met with Biden since the May 2022 election, although the earlier meetings mostly occurred on the sidelines of international events.Biden and the first lady, Jill Biden, welcomed Albanese and his partner, Jodie Haydon, to the White House for a private dinner on Tuesday evening but the main diplomatic talks were held on Wednesday.The day began with a welcome on the south lawn of the White House before the two leaders held a formal meeting in the Oval Office.Biden began that meeting by apologising “again for not being able to make my visit to Australia” in May when the Quad summit in Sydney was called off because of debt ceiling negotiations in the US.“Things were a little bit in disarray here and required to be home,” Biden told Albanese.Albanese will be feted at a state dinner later on Wednesday US time (late Thursday morning AEDT).Biden described ties with Australia as “strong” and getting “stronger”, while Albanese said the alliance was based on “a faith in freedom and democracy, a belief in opportunity, a determination to build a prosperous and more peaceful world”.However, seven months after Albanese joined Biden and the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, in San Diego to announce the Aukus plans, there remains uncertainty over congressional approvals needed for them to succeed.Aukus will require reforms to the US export control system. Congress will also need to authorise the sale of at least three Virginia-class submarines to Australia in the 2030s but some Republicans have raised concerns that will come at the cost of the US’s own needs. Australian-built nuclear-powered submarines are due to enter into service from the 2040s.Standing alongside Albanese on Wednesday, Biden urged Congress to “pass our Aukus legislation this year”.Albanese played down concerns about the deal, saying he regarded the US “as a very reliable partner”.“And I regard the relationship that I have with the president as second to none of the relationships that I have around the world, or indeed domestically, for that matter,” Albanese said.The prime minister said he was “very confident in the discussions that I’ve had with Democrats and Republicans that there is very broad support for the Aukus arrangements”.Albanese said he looked forward to “a constructive dialogue” when he visits China next month, describing such talks as important to build understanding and reduce tensions.Biden and Albanese also discussed the Israel-Hamas conflict. In their joint statement, they said Hamas attacks on Israel “can have no justification, no legitimacy, and must be universally condemned”.While pledging to “support Israel as it defends itself and its people against such atrocities”, the two leaders also called on “all parties to act consistent with the principles of international law and to protect civilians as an utmost priority”.“We are concerned at the humanitarian situation in Gaza and call on all actors to ensure the provision of humanitarian supplies to populations in need,” Biden and Albanese said.“Our two countries support equal measures of dignity, freedom, and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians alike and we mourn every civilian life lost in this conflict. We continue to support Palestinian aspirations for a state of their own and consider a two-state solution as the best avenue towards a lasting peace.”Albanese announced that Australia would provide an additional $15m in humanitarian assistance for civilians in Gaza. More

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      Anthony Albanese confident dysfunction in US Congress won’t affect Aukus deal

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      Anthony Albanese has expressed confidence that rolling dysfunction in the legislature of the United States won’t derail the Aukus nuclear submarine pact, telling reporters he will continue to engage senators and members of Congress during his time in Washington.Republican infighting has paralysed the US House of Representatives for the past three weeks. Former speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted on 3 October and colleagues are yet to determine his successor.
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      Asked during his four-day official visit whether he was concerned the imbroglio around the speakership would delay critical legislation needed for the submarine pact, Australia’s prime minister told travelling reporters he was “very confident” discussions with legislators had been, and would be, productive.“We are able to talk with legislators, and we’re doing so,” Albanese said. “And I’ll be meeting some people this afternoon, and then again tomorrow, and then Wednesday and Thursday, while I’m here, and we’re very confident that those discussions have been very productive.”Albanese said the election of a new speaker was a matter for congressional members, but Australia would “continue to engage” with legislators.As well as the complication of congressional dysfunction, doubts about Australia’s willingness to join forces with the US in a war against China are also being cited by congressional researchers as a potential obstacle to the Aukus nuclear-powered submarine deal.The Aukus plan was intended to start with increased visits by US submarines to Australian ports this year, followed by a rotational presence of one UK Astute class submarine and up to four US Virginia class submarines at HMAS Stirling near Perth, Western Australia, late this decade at the earliest.Australia earlier this year earmarked $3bn to help the US reduce work backlogs on its Virginia class submarines, and expand its production ability. The Albanese government has signalled previously there is “scope for additional funding” beyond the first four-year budget period, with the exact amount to depend on negotiations with the two countries.The prime minister was asked whether or not he would be willing to increase Australia’s current commitment of $3bn in an effort to persuade more Republicans to support the legislation necessary to enable Aukus.skip past newsletter promotionafter newsletter promotionAlbanese said Australia’s current level of support to boost the industrial base in the US was “appropriate”.He said the government’s financial contribution would enable Australians to be trained alongside skilled personnel in the US and the UK, and “president Biden is on the same page” with that aspiration. Collaboration between the US, the UK and Australia would lift the defence capability of all three nations, which would help preserve security in the Indo-Pacific.“The combination of the three nations cooperating when it comes to defence capacity lifts the capacity of everyone, of all three countries,” Albanese said. “That’s what this is about. Win-win-win for Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.”Australia’s prime minister said the US legislators he had spoken to “not only get that, they support it, and they support it very strongly – and that has been across the board whether they be Democrat or Republican”.“I’m very confident of a very positive outcome,” Albanese said. More

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      Joe Biden cancels Australian visit amid US domestic debt deadlock

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      President Joe Biden has cancelled a visit to Australia, the second leg of his upcoming Asia trip, due to the slow-motion crisis building in Washington over the US debt ceiling.Biden is to attend a three-day summit of G7 leaders that starts on Friday in Hiroshima, Japan, and will return to the US on Sunday.He had been scheduled to make a brief, historic stop in Papua New Guinea, then travel to Australia for a meeting of the Japan, Australia, India and US grouping known as the Quad countries.Australia’s prime minister, Anthony Albanese, said Biden had called him on Wednesday morning with the news.“The president apologised that he would now have to postpone this visit because of the unfolding difficulties he is facing in his negotiations with the US Congress over the US Government debt ceiling,” he said.“These negotiations are scheduled to enter their critical and concluding phase during the last week of May. Regrettably, this conflicts with the President’s visits to Sydney and Canberra – including the Quad Summit scheduled for 24 May.”They would reschedule his visit to Australia at the earliest opportunity, Albanese said. “I also look forward to visiting Washington later this year for a state visit to the United States.”Australia was talking to the leaders of Japan and India about their travel plans, he said. “In the meantime, I look forward to meeting with both prime ministers and the president at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima on 20-21 May.”John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, told reporters earlier on Tuesday that Australian stop was being re-evaluated.Biden had been due to address the Australian parliament, as the first US president in nearly 10 years to speak to a joint session of MPs and senators in Canberra.Officials had previously confirmed that Biden would make the speech on Tuesday 23 May, the day before he attended the Quad summit in Sydney.“These leaders, all leaders of democracies … they know that our ability to pay our debts is a key part of US credibility and leadership around the world,” Kirby said. “And so they understand that the president also has to focus on making sure that we don’t default.”The treasury department has estimated that the US will go into a crippling default as early as 1 June if Congress does not lift the debt ceiling. More

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      Aukus deal 'the biggest single investment in Australia's defence capability in history' – video

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      Anthony Albanese joined US president Joe Biden and UK prime minister Rishi Sunak to announce an Aukus agreement in San Diego that ‘represents the biggest single investment in Australia’s defence capability in all of our history,’ Albanese said. The first Australian-built nuclear-powered submarines, fitted with vertical launch systems to fire cruise missiles, are due to enter into service in the early 2040s

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