Anthony Albanese has rejected calls for a face-to-face meeting with Donald Trump, while Peter Dutton warned the Government must “go the right way” to ensure Australia does not fare badly under the new US administration.

The prime minister will travel to Peru and Brazil on Wednesday for next week’s APEC and G20 leadership summits.

Shadow foreign secretary Simon Birmingham said Mr Albanese should proactively hold a meeting with Mr Trump while he was in the region.

“The Albanian Government should do whatever it can to get Anthony Albanese in the door for an early meeting with Donald Trump,” he told Sky News on Tuesday morning.

“There’s a chance he could go to Florida and ask for this meeting.”

However, Mr Albanese rejected this suggestion.

“If you look at the map, you’ll see that it’s not actually on the road,” he said.

“I had a really constructive discussion with President-elect Trump last week, it was a great start to our relationship.”

Mr. Albanese has never met Mr. Trump in person.

Unlike Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he did not meet the Republican candidate or any of his team while in Pennsylvania for the Quad meeting in September.

However, ministers, including Penny Wong, Richard Marles and Jim Chalmers, held meetings with some from the Republican wing.

Traditionally, the only official engagement the Australian Government could have with the new administration was the congratulatory phone call Mr Albanese made to Mr Trump after his election victory, DFAT officials told Senator Birmingham last week.

The only break in that protocol they remember was when then-British leader Theresa May visited Washington in 2016, before Mr. Trump was first sworn in.

Mr Dutton said the Government must ensure Australia continues to have a strong and trusting relationship with the United States.

The Opposition Leader pointed out that the Coalition under Malcolm Turnbull was able to negotiate tariff exemptions during Mr Trump’s first visit to the White House.

“The onus will be on the Prime Minister to negotiate with the Trump administration to reach a similar outcome, and it will be a question of whether the Prime Minister can achieve that,” he said.

“But I think it’s clear that America is now charting a different course, and the government here needs to correct course and make sure it’s working with, not against, our most important ally.”