Fed: Political persuasion will not affect new role: Vanstone

AAP General News (Australia)
04-27-2007
Fed: Political persuasion will not affect new role: Vanstone

MELBOURNE, April 27 AAP - Former immigration minister Amanda Vanstone has defended
her appointment as Australia's next ambassador to Italy.

The former senator said that regardless of her political persuasions, she planned to
"advance Australia's position as a whole".

Opposition Leader Kevin Rudd yesterday said the Howard government was turning the diplomatic
service into a "Liberal Party employment agency".

But Ms Vanstone, who quit the Senate yesterday only hours before her ambassadorial
appointment, today denied it was a case of "jobs for the girls".

She insisted her political views would not affect her new role.

"I would hope that ... after 22 years in parliament, 11 as a minister and within that
a broad range of experience of the Australian government ... people would accept that
I've got something to give," she told ABC Radio in Melbourne.

"Even those who don't agree with my political views, that's not what I'll be doing there.

"A diplomat is there to advance Australia's position as a whole and I can recognise
those skills in people of different political persuasions and I hope other people can
as well."

Ms Vanstone said the appointment ended a "frustrating" three months of speculation.

"That's been one of the most frustrating things. It has been a rumour and obviously
people talk about things," she said.

"In politics, things can change very quickly so nothing is certain until it's absolutely
locked in.

"I've regarded myself being in a sort of three-month limbo actually, which has been
terrible ... you can know of an intimation but that's a long way from knowing that it's
going to happen."

The appointment is yet to be approved by the Italian government, but Ms Vanstone said
it had been advised of the plan and, "I hope they agree to that".

If approved, Ms Vanstone will replace career diplomat Peter Woolcott in June.

After losing the immigration portfolio in a cabinet reshuffle earlier this year, Ms
Vanstone said a number of times that she was considering her future.

The former minister denied she was merely waiting for her government pension.

"I would say to taxpayers of Australia, I've been in parliament 22 years, clearly I
didn't go in to get out and get a pension otherwise I would've left at 12 years, so I've
worked 10 years more than I need to collect the pension," she said.

"Why? Because I'm actually not chasing a pension."

Prime Minister John Howard today said Ms Vanstone would do a good job as ambassador.

"Amanda's very adaptable and she has a great sense of humour and she's the sort of
person who moves quickly onto the next phase of her life," Mr Howard told Southern Cross
Radio.

AAP rgr/ce/it/cdh

KEYWORD: VANSTONE SECOND DAYLEAD (FILE PIX AVAILABLE)

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