Kevin Rudd will step down as ambassador to the US a year early | Kevin Rudd

Kevin Rudd will leave his post as Australia’s ambassador to the United States at the end of March, Anthony Albanese announced on Tuesday morning.

The former prime minister and foreign minister will leave his post a year early on March 31, following his appointment as global chairman of the international relations think tank Asia Society. Rudd will also head the association’s Center for China Analysis.

Appointed Australia’s envoy to Washington in December 2022, Rudd will depart after securing US president Donald Trump’s continued support for the Aukus nuclear submarine deal, helping negotiate the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and securing deals on critical minerals and artificial intelligence.

The appointment of Rudd, who is a controversial name within the Labor Party due to his leadership fights with his rival Julia Gillard, was not without controversy.

Social media comments about Trump proved to be a diplomatic disagreement with the White House. His 2020 characterization of Trump as “the most destructive president in history” led to an awkward moment during Albanese’s first face-to-face meeting with Trump in October.

Albanese said the decision was Rudd’s alone and praised Rudd’s contribution to relations between Canberra and Washington under both Trump and his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden.

_{Sign up: AÜ Breaking News email}

Before serving as ambassador, Rudd was president and chief executive of the Asia Community from 2021 to 2023. He is a renowned expert on Sino-American relations and Chinese president Xi Jinping.

“I’ve seen first-hand how hard he works, not just in the last few years but throughout his public life,” Albanese said. “He always brought extraordinary levels of energy and discipline to the public service.

“He used his relentless drive, experience, intelligence and determination to advance Australia’s interests in Washington, and Kevin Rudd has served the country well.”

The government is expected to announce a new ambassador in the coming weeks.

Almost a year into his second term, Trump has yet to appoint his own envoy to Canberra.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong He praised Rudd and his wife, businesswoman Thérèse Rein, and said their work in Washington had helped strengthen Australia’s economy and security.

“Kevin has helped unlock billions of dollars of new investment and collaboration, including AI data centers and quantum, in sectors that will strengthen the Australian economy and our security for decades to come.

“It has placed Australia’s superannuation sector ahead of the United States, accelerated our commitment and investment, and strengthened our reputation as the financial services hub of the Indo-Pacific.”

Labor has been criticized for not adequately preparing for the possibility of Trump winning the November 2024 presidential election, but Albanese pointed to Rudd, who maintains close ties with leaders of both major American political parties and had personally predicted Trump’s victory over Democrat Kamala Harris.

Albanese sidestepped a question about whether he could appoint former Liberal prime minister Scott Morrison as ambassador.

“Kevin’s relationship with members of the Trump administration… Whoever follows Kevin, if he’s this good, I’ll be pretty happy.

“We will make decisions going forward about the right person with the right skills and skills to be able to reach a broad range of support. That’s something Kevin Rudd was able to achieve.”

In a statement posted on social media on Tuesday morning, Rudd thanked Albanese and Wong and described his appointment to Washington as “an honour”.

“I will stay in America and work between New York and Washington on the future of US-China relations, which I have always believed is a fundamental question of the future stability of our region and the world.

“As a ‘think and do’ organisation, the Asia Community’s formidable Center for China Analysis will be an important platform for this purpose.”

Both Labor and the Coalition have appointed former politicians to serve in Washington, including former Liberal treasurer Joe Hockey, Howard adviser Arthur Sinodinos and former Labor leader Kim Beazley.