President Joe Biden has nominated the daughter of John F Kennedy to head to Canberra and be the United States’ next ambassador to Australia.
The White House listed Caroline Kennedy among eight recommended appointments for key diplomatic and agency postings.
The US Senate will need to confirm the nomination before her posting is made official.
Ms Kennedy said she was grateful for the part Australian and Solomon Islands coast watchers played in rescuing her father from a sunk torpedo boat in the Pacific during World War II and would work to repay this debt.
“I look forward to collaborating with the government of Australia to strengthen our alliance, improve global health and increase vaccine access during this terrible pandemic and to address the urgent climate crisis,” she said in a statement.
“I am excited to get to know the Australian people, learn about their fascinating country and share with them what I love most about America.”
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute’s defence director Michael Shoebridge said Ms Kennedy would make an effective and well-liked ambassador after serving as the US envoy to Japan between 2013 and 2017.
“Her time as US ambassador to Japan gives us insights into how she will approach the role here in Canberra. From this, we can expect she will bring a strong historical understanding, including in the areas of defence and national security, to her role,” he told AAP.
This includes her work with then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe whose input into the Quad partnership between the US, Australia, Japan and India became core Australian and US policy over the last few years, Mr Shoebridge said.
“Ambassador-designate Kennedy is also an articulate public speaker with a way of weaving in personal and Kennedy family stories and history into topics.
“I think this will make her effective and well-liked, as it will show Australians that Ambassador Kennedy is not just doing her job – she has a sense of purpose that matters.”
The US embassy in Canberra said it looked forward to welcoming the ambassador to the bush capital pending her confirmation.
“Her nomination underscores the importance President Biden places on the relationship between our two countries and the close bonds we share,” a spokesman from the embassy told AAP.
It comes days after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Foreign Minister Marise Payne discussed the lag in the appointment of Australia’s ambassador, with the two agreeing there needed to be a US Senate-confirmed ambassador “as soon as possible in light of the scope and scale of shared challenges we face”.
Senator Payne said Ms Kennedy would bring deep political networks in Washington and a keen understanding of the Indo-Pacific region to the role.
Labor leader Anthony Albanese also welcomed the announcement, saying the daughter of the late former US president was a great choice.
“It’s a senior nomination and it shows the importance of the Australia-US alliance, which this year (is) celebrating its 70th anniversary,” he said.
Ms Kennedy will become the 27th person to hold the post if she is confirmed.
By Dominic Giannini in Canberra
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