Kevin Rudd has been living it up as Australia’s ambassador to the US in Washington.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) documents reveal that, at a recent party the former Labor PM held in Australia’s new embassy building, $44,000 was paid for a single song to be written and performed by an Australian composer.
The documents were published under a freedom of information request submitted by the federal opposition’s ‘government waste watcher’ James Stevens MP.
‘Just weeks out from last year’s critical presidential election, Kevin Rudd’s $45,000 symphonic commission seems a complete distraction from the important priority of building relationships with key members of future US administrators,’ Stevens said.
‘This Ode to Kevin is just the latest (in) largesse at his party palace in Washington,’ Mr Stevens said.
New-York based Australian composer Michael Grebla was initially contracted to debut the song titled ‘Unbreakable’ at the embassy building’s launch in late 2023.
But it was postponed and instead, its ‘world premiere’ was at the Massachusetts Avenue site’s one-year anniversary late last year.
Other outlays at the party celebrating the expensive new construction included $10,000 for catering, $450 for ’emergency tuning’ of a grand piano and $700 to relocate the piano to a different spot in the same room.
Another day another party for Kevin Rudd and wife Thérèse Rein (pictured on February 21)
The Australian embassy in Washington DC was designed by architects Bates Smart and recently rebuilt – at significant expense – on the same site (pictured is the building’s interior)
This is not the first time Ambassador Rudd has been called out for spending big on social events.
In the past financial year, he spent $172,000 – including $24,000 in a single day.
According to DFAT documents released to The Daily Telegraph, the delegate spent $24,000 on breakfasts, morning teas, dinners and a reception at his Washington residence on October 1, 2023.
In September, it was revealed Mr Rudd had spent $150,000 on travel since being posted overseas in 2022.
The song played at the one year anniversary party for the new embassy building was paid for by sponsors and not taxpayers, the government said.
In a proposal letter, Mr Grebla said he selected the title, ‘Unbreakable’ to reflect the shared values underpinning the US and Australian governments.
‘I think the alliance is ‘unbreakable’ because the common ideals it is founded on (freedom, a fair go, democracy to name a few) are in themselves infallible (even if we are) and are at the core of what it is to be an Australian and also an American.
‘When tested, we have both stood by those ideals, and each other, every single time, and have prevailed for over a hundred years doing so.’
US Ambassador Kevin Rudd has been repeatedly criticised for spending big on social events
Warwick Thornton, Kevin Rudd, Tanya Bennett, Teresa Palmer, Tim Minchin at the 22nd Annual G’Day USA Arts Gala held at Skirball Cultural Center on February 21, 2025 in Los Angeles
DFAT said the expense was part of promoting the interests of Australians.
‘Australian embassies and diplomats regularly host functions that draw attendance from influential stakeholders and showcase Australian creative talent and expertise,’ the spokesperson said.
‘This is a core part of advancing Australia’s interests overseas.’
Dr Rudd’s position as ambassador has been questioned after Donald Trump was elected to the White House for a second term.
He previously called Trump a ‘traitor to the West’, a ‘village idiot’ and described him as the ‘most destructive president in history’.
In response, Trump said that Rudd was ‘nasty’ and he would not last long in the role if he returned to the White House.
Since the election, there has been a flood of calls for Rudd to resign which increased following the appointment of Dan Scavino as Trump’s deputy chief of staff.
Scavino had earlier posted an ominous GIF of an hourglass in response to Rudd’s official statement congratulating Trump on his victory on November 7.
Dr Rudd took to social media to insist Australia’s relationship with the US had gone from ‘strength to strength’ regardless of who was in the Oval Office.
‘Australia and the United States share a close and special friendship,’ Rudd wrote.
‘It’s a bond that has strengthened across generations and across the political aisle in both countries. And it will continue to prosper in the years ahead.’
