Prime Minister Kevin Rudd played a deft bipartisan hand yesterday, announcing the appointments of two former opposition leaders Professor Kim Beazley and Brendan Nelson to high-profile diplomatic posts in the United States and Europe.
The appointments were widely praised and attracted strong bipartisan support.
Federal Labor insiders applauded the postings as evidence of Mr Rudd's strategic political skills.
''The PM's nothing if not calculating,'' one minister said. ''No one would have objected to Kim's appointment, but to seize the opportunity of putting up Brendan for an ambassadorship is brilliant. There's no way anyone can accuse him of partisanship, of jobs for the boys.''
In what was a widely expected move, Professor Beazley will become Australia's ambassador to the US in February to provide a key political and diplomatic link between the Federal Government and President Barack Obama's Administration.
Professor Beazley will replace the highly regarded Dennis Richardson, who will return to Australia later this year to head the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
The appointment was announced just days after Mr Obama named Californian lawyer and Democratic Party fund-raiser Jeff Bleich as the next US ambassador to Australia, filling a role that has been vacant since Robert McCallum departed in January.
Foreign Minister Stephen Smith said the alliance with the US was indispensable to Australia's security. ''As a former deputy prime minister and minister for defence, Mr Beazley has a deep knowledge of the shared history of our two nations and an understanding of the vital importance of the ... alliance,'' he said.
In a surprise move, Mr Rudd also announced the appointment of Dr Nelson, a former Coalition opposition leader, as Australia's ambassador to the European Communities, representative to NATO and special representative to the World Health Organisation. Dr Nelson served as education and defence minister in the former Howard government. Mr Rudd approached him about taking a diplomatic post shortly after DrNelson recently announced he would retire from Parliament.
Like Professor Beazley, Dr Nelson will replace the outgoing European Communities ambassador, Dr Alan Thomas, in February.
The appointment continues Mr Rudd's bipartisan approach to overseas appointments. His one previous ''political'' appointment to a diplomatic post was former Nationals leader and deputy prime minister Tim Fischer, who now serves as Australia's first dedicated ambassador to the Vatican.
Mr Rudd said he decided to upgrade Australia's relations with the European Communities and NATO after he visited Brussels last year.