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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has defended the federal government’s approach to the US election amid reports cabinet ministers have contacted Trump officials.
In an ABC radio interview, Albanese was asked about reports that Foreign Minister Penny Wong and Deputy PM Richard Marles had contacted Trump’s camp, including Mike Pompeo.
“We engage with people across the US political system,” Albanese says.
“When I was in the US, I met with Republicans, I met with Democrats, I met with people in Congress, people in the Senate.
“I would have met with over 100 representatives; I was the first person to meet with the new Speaker in the Congress after his election.”
On the outcome of the US election, Albanese says the relationship between Australia and the US, regardless of the president, is between countries.
“It’s a relationship between nations, not a relationship just between people,” he says.
“I’ve had a very good relationship with (outgoing US) President (Joe) Biden. I’ve met with him (several times) and we worked together constructively in the interests of our nations.”
Overseas media reports say US authorities are putting in place security measures around the country that have never been seen before.
The New York Times reported that the Department of Homeland Security had advised hundreds of concerned communities on election safety.
It reported that at one election centre in Pennsylvania there had been training in “de-escalation tactics”, mobile phones updated with panic-button software, bulletproof glass installed in the elections bureau office and bullet-resistant film fitted on windows.
Washington DC has been heavily fortified, making any storming of the Capitol almost impossible. But authorities are concerned about other government buildings and counting centres around the country.
Some senior diplomats in Washington think the likelihood of violence in coming weeks is low although they don’t preclude the possibility of sporadic outbreaks of unrest.
IOWA POLL
Vice-President Kamala Harris’s standing in Iowa in a new poll may suggest a shift in sentiment towards her as the state remains too close to call by pollsters.
Harris’s 47 percent compared to former US President Donald Trump’s 44 percent according to the poll from the Des Moines Register/Mediacom.
The new poll finds women in the state largely favour Harris over Trump, 56 percent to 36 percent, while men support Trump 52 percent to 38 percent. Independents in the state flipped to support Harris, 46 percent to 39 percent; they had favoured Trump in previous polls released earlier this year.
The poll was conducted 28-31 October by Selzer & Co. among 808 Iowa likely voters. Interviews were conducted by telephone. Results among likely voters have a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.4 points.
