Overview

• DFAT confirmed the January 11 meeting occurred in the dining room of the Trump International Golf Club and that a diplomatic cable was sent to Canberra.
• The department disclosed that Ambassador Rudd has professional relationships with senior US administration officials but provided no information on the meeting’s length or discussion points.
• Opposition figures including James Paterson and Bridget McKenzie have demanded full disclosure of the meeting’s agenda, duration and any subsequent contact.
• The meeting took place against the backdrop of US threats of 200 percent tariffs on Australian pharmaceutical exports and existing duties on steel, aluminium and copper.
• Critics contend that using an informal venue for high-level diplomacy challenges traditional norms of government transparency.