Australia has moved swiftly to replace Kevin Rudd as ambassador to the United States, appointing senior public servant Greg Moriarty in a calculated maneuver to reset relations with the Trump administration.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced the appointment, according to the ABC, as Canberra attempts to navigate increasingly choppy diplomatic waters with its key security ally.
Rudd, a former prime minister and China hawk, had become a political liability after past critical comments about Trump resurfaced. The move comes as Australia faces mounting pressure to demonstrate its commitment to the AUKUS partnership and broader Pacific security architecture.
Moriarty, a veteran bureaucrat who previously served as secretary of the Department of Defence, brings deep experience in Australia-US defence cooperation at a time when the relationship matters more than ever. With China expanding its Pacific footprint and Washington demanding more from allies, Canberra needs someone who can navigate Pentagon politics as well as State Department protocol.
Mate, this is what happens when great power competition meets domestic politics. Australia finds itself squeezed between its largest trading partner and its key security guarantor – a position that's only getting more uncomfortable.
The timing is particularly delicate. Australia is in the middle of renegotiating defence technology sharing agreements, awaiting clarity on AUKUS submarine timelines, and watching nervously as Trump rattles the cage on everything from tariffs to alliance commitments.
Rudd had spent months trying to build bridges in Washington, but his past as a Trump critic – calling him, among other things, "the most destructive president in history" – made him radioactive in the current political climate.
The appointment of Moriarty signals Canberra's priorities: defence first, politics second. He knows the Australian Defence Force inside out, understands the strategic imperatives in the Pacific, and won't be distracted by the political theatre that increasingly defines Washington.
But here's the thing: no ambassador can fix the fundamental tension in Australia's position. We need America for security, China for prosperity, and the gap between those two realities is widening by the day.
The Pacific Islands are watching this carefully. Every time Australia bends to accommodate Washington, it reinforces Beijing's narrative that we're just an American client state. Every time we hedge, Washington questions our reliability.
Moriarty will need to walk this tightrope while managing a US administration that views diplomacy as weakness and transactional relationships as the only currency that matters. Good luck with that, mate.
The broader question: is Australia prepared for a world where we can't count on unconditional American support? Where alliance commitments are negotiable and the Pacific is up for grabs?
This ambassador swap is a symptom, not a solution. The real challenge is figuring out how a middle power like Australia maintains strategic autonomy when the big powers are playing for keeps.
