Kevin Rudd will step down as Australian ambassador to the United States at the end of March, a year early, after being appointed global president of the Asia Society thinktank. The former Labor prime minister will also head the society's Center for China Analysis, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Tuesday.
During his tenure in Washington, Rudd secured ongoing support for the Aukus nuclear submarine agreement from US President Donald Trump, helped negotiate the release of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and secured agreements on critical minerals and artificial intelligence. He was appointed as Australia's envoy to Washington in December 2022.
Rudd's appointment had been controversial due to lingering enmity from his leadership battles with Julia Gillard and his past social media commentary about Trump, whom he called 'the most destructive president in history' in 2020. This led to an awkward moment during Albanese's first meeting with Trump in October.
Albanese praised Rudd's service, saying he 'applied his relentless effort, his experience, intellect and determination to advance Australia's interests in Washington'. The government is expected to name a new ambassador in the coming weeks, with possible candidates including former Labor ministers Joel Fitzgibbon and Stephen Conroy, and former Western Australian premier Mark McGowan.
Rudd expressed thanks for the honour of serving as ambassador and said he would remain in the US working on US-China relations through the Asia Society. US congressman Joe Courtney, co-chair of the Friends of Australia Caucus, called Rudd 'a force of nature'.
