Q: The leaders will get on the phone once it is agreed between the teams, is that the wrong way around? Should you not be going directly to Donald Trump and trying to convince him that Australia’s position is the best?

(Does anyone understand that diplomacy is not just leaders speaking to each other? That there are whole systems and institutions set up around international diplomacy? Does no one remember the ‘masterstrokes’ that was having Donald Trump play golf with Greg Norman (and that one time with Joe Hockey that he has made an entire career out of) which at the time was GENIUS, but actually happens with countries all the time? And are we standing up to Trump and channeling ‘our inner Mark Carney’ and unbending on what we know is right and our own values, or are we meant to be grovelling? The Australian had a story today about Kevin Rudd “begging” the Trump administration not to put on tariffs, which is apparently what large chunks of the media expect Australia’s ambassadors to be doing, but when it’s allegedly done (Rudd was making the usual entreaties) it’s to be ridiculed. Do you see how ridiculous the whole thing is?)

Albanese:

We have. I have spoken to him. I have put our position very clearly. Consistently. He heard the message and he has commented on it indeed, when we spoke, about tariffs and Australia, put the position very strongly to him, one on one in a 40 minute conversation that for a range of reasons, one, I did not pitch up the theoretical free and fair trade versus tariffs because he has a clear position on that. It is one that I don’t agree with. But it is one that he took to the election and he is pursuing. We have different positions.

On Australia’s position, I put to him that the United States has an interest in that relationship with Australia because it has a two for one, historically since the Truman presidency, twice as much exports from the United States into Australia as the reverse and also the role that Australia plays with our investment in the United States, the Treasurer travelled to the United States after that and President Trump did what I asked of him, to have the Treasury of Secretary and officials attend the meeting held with Australian superannuation funds, I indicated how much investment potentially to the tune of $500 billion, in Australian superannuation funds, can make into the United States in coming years. I reiterated all of that, the president is fully aware of our position, and fully aware of my position.