The government has revealed Kevin Rudd met Donald Trump just over a week before the US president was sworn in, but there is scant detail about the interaction that has been largely unknown until now.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese insisted on Friday that people should have realised the meeting had taken place because he had mentioned it briefly in television and radio interviews in January.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade revealed in a Senate estimates answer published this week that Mr Rudd had met Mr Trump “in the dining room of the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida” on January 11.
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“A diplomatic cable was produced. Ambassador Rudd has professional relationships with and has met with a range of senior Administration officials,” the department said, in response to a question the Opposition asked in February.
A separate question from March, about who within the Trump administration Mr Rudd has met, is still unanswered.
Mr Albanese has been under pressure to line up a meeting with Mr Trump as tensions within the US-Australia relationship grow over defence and trade issues.
A meeting scheduled on the sidelines of the G7 in June fell over when Mr Trump left Canada early to deal with the Iran-Israel conflict.
Mr Albanese accused the Coalition of undermining Australia’s national interest by demanding more details about the meeting, saying there should be “less hyperventilation” from the Opposition.
“They had a meet – they had a brief discussion. It’s out there,” he told reporters in Sydney.
“I talked about it at the time, so it’s pretty hard for it to be a secret when you talk about it and get asked on morning TV, and if you go back, you’ll see that.”
During an ABC radio interview on January 17, Mr Albanese was asked if Mr Rudd had met Mr Trump yet.
“There has been direct contact and that is a good thing that that has occurred,” the Prime Minister replied.
Pressed for further details, including whether the meeting had been at Mr Trump’s Florida resort Mar-a-Lago – a 10-minute drive away from the golf course – Mr Albanese said repeatedly that his government would “engage diplomatically” and not reveal anything further.
A couple of days later, on January 21 as live images were broadcast of Mr Trump’s inauguration and Oval Office remarks, Mr Albanese mentioned in passing on Seven’s midday news that Mr Rudd had “already had a meeting with the incoming President”.
“I’m not going to run a running commentary on Donald Trump’s domestic agenda,” he said.
“What I’ll say is that Australia looks forward to working with the Trump Administration.”
Mr Rudd attended the inauguration, as did Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
Coalition frontbencher James Paterson referenced these public allusions to the meeting as he pressed DFAT officials for further details during the Senate estimates hearing in late February.
“Over 17 excruciating minutes, they squirmed and obfuscated and refused to give me any information at all. Now, four months on … they provided three sentences of information, just confirming that the meeting took place and that it was at Trump’s golf course, but nothing else,” he said on Friday.
“It’s hopefully good news that Kevin Rudd met with him in January, but actually, we don’t know. Was this a meeting that went for 30 seconds or 30 minutes? Did it go well, or did it go badly? Have there been any subsequent conversations or meetings between the Ambassador and the President? Has the Ambassador even had a meeting at the White House? We don’t know any of this information.
“This is our most important relationship, at our most critical time in history, and we need more transparency.”
Former ambassador to the US Arthur Sinodinos, who was in Washington during the latter part of Mr Trump’s first term, said informal meet-and-greet golf club interactions were common for the President.
“I assume what happened is that Kevin went down there on the chance that he would be able to meet the President, say hello. And that’s perfectly natural,” Mr Sinodinos told Sky News.
“No one expects Kevin to disclose anything that’s confidential or whatever, but if it was just a meet and greet and a quick hello and how you going and what’s happening in Australia, I mean, you can make some general comments about that.
“I don’t think the President would have blown him off. He’s not like that in private, necessarily.”
DFAT has been asked for further comment.
