US Ambassador Kennedy Meets Australian PM, Talks to Coastwatchers Who Helped Rescue JFK

Australian prime minister and deputy prime minister have met the newly appointed U.S. Ambassador Caroline Kennedy, with climate change and Indigenous issues being discussed.

Kennedy, 64, is the daughter of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, and has served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan between 2013 and 2017 under former President Barack Obama. She was long considered a candidate for the high-profile role in Australia after showing support for Joe Biden’s bid for the presidency.

She landed in Sydney last week, beginning her ambassadorship with a focus on regional security and climate change.

“Fantastic meeting with US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy today, already a close friend of Australia,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese wrote in a Twitter post on July 27.

The new ambassador conveyed the greetings of U.S. President Joe Biden and the White House to Albanese during the introductory meeting.

Fantastic meeting with US Ambassador Caroline Kennedy today, already a close friend of Australia. pic.twitter.com/dhjAQUnTGv

— Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 27, 2022

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles also welcomed the new ambassador. The two discussed the future of the Australia-U.S. alliance and areas of cooperation to support a “secure, resilient and prosperous” Indo-Pacific.

Meanwhile, Kennedy has already stepped into the political role by supporting one of the centre-left government’s leading goals, Indigenous reconciliation. In a first for the U.S. embassy, Kennedy held a ‘Welcome to Country’ ceremony—an Aboriginal smoking ceremony that is part of the reconciliation efforts as they acknowledge the traditional ownership of the land and involve Aboriginal Australians in events that take place on their land.

The decision to hold the ceremony comes after the ambassador was introduced to the Uluru Statement from the Heart (pdf) by the Australian prime minister, which calls “for the establishment of a First Nations Voice enshrined in the Constitution.”

‘Amazing Example of US-Australia Alliance’

The daughter of former President John F. Kennedy also visited the Australian War Memorial and spoke to the last two surviving Australian Coastwatchers, whose elite team helped rescue her father during World War II.

“It was a great honour to meet two Australian Coastwatchers, who played an essential role in keeping the region secure during World War II, Kennedy said in comments obtained by ABC.

Australian and Solomon Island coast watchers rescued former President John F. Kennedy from a sunk torpedo boat in the Pacific. The story has become American folklore and was presented in the 1963 Hollywood movie PT 109.

“I owe personal gratitude to an Australian Coastwatcher and two Solomon Islander scouts who saved my father’s life,” she said. “These men represent the best of their generation and are an amazing example of the bonds of the U.S.–Australia alliance.”