Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Patrick for his supplementary. I will start by saying what an exceptional job former Senator Sinodinos is doing as Australia's ambassador in the United States, dealing with the significant challenges that COVID-19 is bringing both to the operational aspects of an embassy, particularly a large embassy like that in Washington, and, importantly, to the management of any bilateral relationship and those engagement issues. Ambassador Sinodinos has been exceptional in his outreach across Washington, and I see that in every interaction and every engagement I have.

It would not usually be the case that a minister would canvass, in public, discussions had with representatives across the political sphere in any country, but I can say that on my previous visit to Washington, in March this year, a number of those mentioned in Senator Patrick's question participated in a very diverse roundtable discussion with foreign policy experts, and I particularly appreciated their insights. (Time expired)