The new US secretary of state has assured Foreign Minister Julie Bishop that the appointment of an American ambassador to Australia was one of his top priorities.
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The Trump administration this week notified Ms Bishop that Admiral Harry Harris will not be the next US envoy to Australia.
Instead he's off to South Korea.
Ms Bishop had a phone conversation on Friday morning with former CIA director Mike Pompeo hours after he was confirmed overnight as President Donald Trump's new secretary of state.
She said it was a productive discussion and one of the secretary's earliest calls since his confirmation.
"Secretary Pompeo also took the opportunity to reassure me that the appointment of a US ambassador to Australia was one of his highest priorities," Ms Bishop told reporters in Sydney.
The pair discussed global and regional challenges, the summit of Korean leaders, as well as an upcoming meeting between Australia's foreign and defence ministers with their US counterparts.
The full-time Canberra post has been vacant since September 2016, with Charge d'Affaires Jim Caruso acting in the role.
Australian Associated Press
