Liberal backbencher Andrew Hastie has deviated from Opposition leader Sussan Ley’s criticisms of Kevin Rudd, instead adding to the growing number of voices praising the ambassador to the US for “getting the job done”.
Ley initially called for Rudd to step down, describing his position as “untenable” on Tuesday, after an awkward exchange with US President Donald Trump over disparaging online comments made before Rudd’s appointment.
However, hours later, she watered down her language saying Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should “sack him or back him”, later refusing to repeat the calls for Rudd to be sacked.
On Thursday morning, Andrew Hastie expressed his support for Kevin Rudd, commending him for enduring criticism “for the country’s sake.”
“I think Kevin Rudd got the job done in the end. He got the minerals deal and he had a seat at the table with President Trump and the prime minister,” he told 2GB.
Hastie said Rudd had been humiliated by Trump over unwise comments, but in the end, got the deal done.
“This guy (Trump) does really good reality television and trolling the Australian ambassador was good TV,” he said.
“Ultimately, Kevin Rudd took it on the chin for the country, allowing us to progress,” Hastie stated.
The Western Australian MP has remained largely quiet since resigning from his frontbench role as Opposition home affairs spokesperson earlier this month, citing he wanted to be more vocal on immigration and climate matters.
The remarks follow backbencher Jane Hume first breaking ranks from Ley on Tuesday, when she acknowledged Rudd’s work in securing the critical minerals deal and said calls for him to resign were a “little bit churlish”.
Hume and Ley’s relationship remains fractured after the former was dumped from the frontbench when Ley took over as leader.
During an interview on ABC Radio National, Senator Bridget McKenzie also lauded “the diligent efforts of Ambassador Rudd” in securing a critical minerals agreement. She expressed confidence that the government was “celebrating all the way home” from their trip to the United States.
“Rudd was a choice made by the prime minister, and it is the prime minister who must shoulder the responsibility for Rudd’s successes or failures. It has evidently been a point of contention in the relationship,” McKenzie noted.
When asked about the friction in language between Ley and Hume, finance spokesperson James Paterson said there was no “substantial” difference.
“The reality is, we’re the Opposition. We have no control over whether Kevin Rudd continues to be the ambassador in the United States,” Paterson told Sky News.
Finance spokesperson James Paterson emphasized that the decision on who serves as ambassador to the US does not lie with the Opposition. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
Finance spokesperson James Paterson said it was not up to the Opposition to decide who was ambassador to the US. Source: AAP / Mick Tsikas
Despite the change in tone, Ley maintains the former prime minister is damaging to Australia’s relationship with the US.
“The ambassador and the way that he is viewed in Washington is putting pressure on the most important relationship for Australia,” she told reporters on Thursday.
“We don’t need pressure on the relationship now, more work has to be done, and we need that relationship to be close and strong and functioning.”
