View from The Hill: a budding Trump-Albanese bromance?

It took an election win, but Anthony Albanese on Monday finally received that much-awaited phone call from US President Donald Trump.

The conversation was “warm and positive,” the prime minister told a news conference, thanking the president for “reaching out”.

“I won’t go into all of the personal comments that he made, but he was very generous in his personal warmth and praise towards myself. He was fully aware of the [election] outcome and he expressed the desire to continue to work with me in the future.”

While they talked about tariffs (as well as AUKUS), the detailed engagement on that sensitive matter was left for later.

Trump, as they say, loves a winner.

When asked earlier in Washington about the Australian election, Trump said he was “very friendly” with Albanese.

“I don’t know anything about the election other than the man that won, he’s very good, he’s a friend of mine,” the president said. Albanese had been “very, very nice to me, very respectful to me.

"I have no idea who the other person is that ran against him.” There’s more than a touch of irony in this, given all the effort by the government and his other opponents to paint Peter Dutton as “Trump-lite”.

The prime minister is likely to meet Trump soon, perhaps in June. Albanese has been invited to the G7 meeting in Canada. Trump may or may not be there but a meeting could be arranged around this.

On the tariff front, the government is readying to defend the local film industry, after Trump announced a 100% tariff on all movies going into the United States.

Arts Minister Tony Burke said: “Nobody should be under any doubt that we will be standing up unequivocally for the rights of the Australian screen industry.”

Indonesia to be Albanese’s first foreign visit of new term

Albanese announced his first overseas visit would be to Indonesia. This will be a particularly important visit, given the significance of the bilateral relationship and the recent Russian request (which Indonesia rejected) to base planes in Papua.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto congratulated Albanese on his win in a call on Sunday.

In the call, Albanese asked the president to host his first overseas visit, and the president said it would be “a great honour” to do so.

Meanwhile, in the next few days Labor’s factions will be jostling over the spoils of victory. The factions work out broadly the membership of the frontbench, but Albanese, given he has massive authority with the huge win, will be able to impose his will in this process where he wants to do so. The prime minister allocates the portfolios.

Although there will be changes, Labor sources are expecting substantial continuity between the old and new ministries, especially at the higher level.

Albanese has previously confirmed top cabinet members, notably Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Defence Minister Marles, Finance Minister Katy Gallagher and Trade Minister Don Farrell, will remain in their present ministries.

Most interest is in whether Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is moved. Albanese would not say, when asked during the campaign, whether she would remain in environment although he confirmed she would stay in cabinet. Albanese and Plibersek have had a poor relationship over decades. She had expected to become education minister after the last election and was shocked to be given the environment portfolio/

Albanese told his news conference “I want Labor to be the natural party of government”.

Knife out for Angus Taylor

What goes around comes around. Outgoing NSW Liberal senator Hollie Hughes, who blamed shadow treasurer Angus Taylor for her loss of preselection because he endorsed the candidate who beat her, has unleashed on Taylor’s leadership aspirations.

Hughes told the ABC on Monday she would not support Taylor to be the next leader.

She said the opposition’s economic narrative “was just completely non-existent. I’m not quite sure what [Taylor has] been doing for three years.

"There was no tax plan, I think the economic team has significantly let down the parliamentary team, it’s let down our membership, it’s let down our supporters and it’s let down people in Australia broadly – the fact they had nothing to sell, nothing to say, and clearly had not done the work that was required.”

She said deputy leader Sussan Ley had done “a fantastic job over the past three years and I’m hopeful that she will definitely still be part of our leadership.”

Three names are in the mix for the successor to Peter Dutton, who lost his seat of Dickson in Saturday’s rout. They are Taylor, Ley and immigration spokesman Dan Tehan. None has yet declared their candidature.

Late Monday, defence spokesman Andrew Hastie indicated he would not contest the leadership.