Nationals frontbencher Bridget McKenzie says Kevin Rudd not “successfully” doing his job after copper, pharma tariff threats

Nationals frontbencher Bridget McKenzie has blamed for Australia’s ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd for our “clunky” relationship with the US. Senator McKenzie says if Mr Rudd had been “successfully doing his job”, Australia would have secured a meeting with Donald Trump by now and would not be blindsided by announcements from the White House. The comments about Mr Rudd’s position in Washington comes as the US President flagged punitive 50 per cent tariffs on copper and up to 200 per cent on pharmaceuticals imports. While Australia’s copper exports to the US totalled just $55m, pharmaceutical exports accounted for about 40 per cent of exports in 2024 at the value of $2bn. Although Senator McKenzie said questions about Mr Rudd’s future in Washington are a “decision for government,” she had doubts about his performance. “Is he successfully doing his job would be my question, because if he was, the Prime Minister would be able to pick up the phone and we wouldn’t be having to be worried about reviews in AUKUS, a $2bn export industry potentially (being) at risk but we don’t really know the details because we can’t just pick up the phone or get the meeting,” she told the ABC. “We’ve got … issues with copper, we’ve got issues with steel and aluminium, and we’ve got calls from the US to increase defence spending that we’re continually ignoring.” Senator McKenzie, who is also the Coalition’s infrastructure and transport spokeswoman, said Australia was facing a “raft” of issues on the Australian-US dynamic, and said it was Mr Rudd’s job to improve communications. This comes with Mr Albanese under increasing pressure to secure a face-to-face meeting with the US leader, with the next window set for the Quad meeting slated for early September in India. “And it is the ambassador’s main job to smooth those waters, and if he was doing his job, things wouldn’t be as clunky as they seem to be, where you see treasurer Chalmers this morning almost being taken by surprise from comments out of the US,” she said. Asked if this assessment “was fair” given Mr Trump’s “erratic” leadership, Senator McKenzie said UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has managed to have “close, personal, warm relationship with President Trump”. She said this resulted Sir Starmer being given a heads up before the US launched strikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities in June. “The reality is the US remains our most important ally. The truth is, we can’t afford to defend ourselves without them,” she continued. “And the casual approach by the Albanese government post the US election has been troubling, and I think it’s my job in the opposition to raise these concerns.” While Australia’s current universal tariffs are expected to remain at a baseline 10 per cent, Mr Chalmers said Australia will not negotiate on weakening the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme which subsidises hundred of medicines despite Mr Trump’s latest tariff threat. “Every time this is raised, it’s given us the opportunity to point out that our Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme is very near and dear to us, we won’t be diminishing it or trading it away,” he vowed.