Paul Fletcher (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Government Services and the Digital Economy) Share this | Hansard source

It is disappointing to have to report that the current Prime Minister of Australia, in a public forum, said of the man who has just been elected President of the United States—and I'm going to use a euphemism here, because we are in the Parliament of Australia—'He scares the S out of me.' That is what our current Prime Minister said. This is the same Prime Minister who, just before question time today, said that he'd made it a priority to build trust and respect with other leaders. That's what he said.

But surely we can rely upon our Ambassador to the United States, KRudd, to sort it all out, because he knows everything! The unfortunate truth is that, in an interview, the man who has just been elected President of the United States said of KRudd that he is 'not the brightest bulb' and, 'If he's at all hostile, he will not be there long.'

The fact is that it is vital that we maintain a respectful and trust based relationship with our most important security partner. Sadly, senior politicians in this Albanese Labor government, from the Prime Minister down, have failed dismally.

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