Albanese was born in Sydney to an Italian father and an Irish-Australian mother, who raised him as a single parent. Albanese attended St Mary's Cathedral College and studied economics at the University of Sydney. As a student, he joined the Labor Party and later worked as a party official and research officer before entering Parliament.
Rudd retired from politics, so Albanese stood against Bill Shorten in the October 2013 Australian Labor Party leadership election. Although Albanese won a large majority of the membership, Shorten won more heavily among Labor MPs and became leader. Shorten subsequently appointed Albanese to his Shadow Cabinet. After Labor's surprise defeat in the 2019 election, Shorten resigned as leader, with Albanese becoming the only person nominated in the leadership election to replace him; he was subsequently elected unopposed as leader of the Labor Party, becoming Leader of the Opposition.[5][6]
Albanese was born on 2 March 1963 at St Margaret's Hospital in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst.[16][17] He is the son of Carlo Albanese and Maryanne Ellery.[18] His mother was an Australian of Irish descent, while his Italian father was from Barletta in Apulia. His parents met in March 1962 on a voyage from Sydney to Southampton, England, on the Sitmar Line's TSS Fairsky, where his father worked as a steward, but did not continue their relationship afterwards, going their separate ways.[19][20][21]
Growing up, Albanese was told that his father had died in a car accident; he did not meet his father, who was in fact still alive, until 2009, tracking him down initially with the assistance of John Faulkner, Carnival Australia's CEO Ann Sherry (the parent company of P&O, which acquired the Sitmar Line in 1988) and maritime historian Rob Henderson, and then later the Australian Embassy in Italy and ambassador Amanda Vanstone.[19] He made contact with his father in 2009, visiting him a number of times in Italy, and he took his family there as well. His father died in 2014.[22] He subsequently discovered that he had two half-siblings.[20][21] During the Australian parliamentary eligibility crisis of 2017, it was noted that, although birth to an Italian father would ordinarily confer citizenship by descent, Albanese had no father recorded on his birth certificate and thus meets the parliamentary eligibility requirements of section 44 of the constitution.[23]
Albanese's maternal grandfather George Ellery ran a printing business on William Street in Darlinghurst. He provided printing services to the ALP.[24]
Childhood and education
Albanese grew up with his mother and maternal grandparents in a Sydney City Council home in the Inner West suburb of Camperdown, opposite the Camperdown Children's Hospital.[25] His grandfather died in 1970, and the following year his mother married James Williamson. He was given his stepfather's surname, but the marriage lasted only 10 weeks, as Williamson proved to be an abusive alcoholic.[26] Albanese's mother worked part-time as a cleaner but suffered from chronic rheumatoid arthritis, with the family surviving on her disability pension and his grandmother's age pension.[27]
After completing his economics degree in 1984,[36] Albanese took on a role as a research officer to the then Minister for Local Government andAdministrative Services, Tom Uren, who became a mentor to him.[37] In 1989, the position of Assistant General Secretary of the New South Wales branch of the Labor Party became vacant when John Faulkner was elected to the Senate. The election to replace him was closely disputed between the Labor Left's Hard Left and Soft Left groupings, with Albanese being elected with the backing of the Hard Left, taking on that role for the next six years.[34] In 1995, he left the position to work as a senior adviser to New South Wales PremierBob Carr.[16]
When Jeannette McHugh announced she would not seek re-election in her seat of Grayndler at the 1996 election, Albanese won preselection for the seat. The campaign was a difficult one, with aircraft noise a big political issue following the opening of the third runway at Sydney Airport, and the newly established No Aircraft Noise party (NAN) having polled strongly in the local area at the 1995 New South Wales election. Veteran political pundit Malcolm Mackerras predicted NAN would win the seat. However, NAN's candidate finished third, with less than 14% of the vote. Despite suffering a six-point swing against Labor, Albanese was elected with a comfortable 16-point margin.[46]
In his maiden speech to the House of Representatives, he spoke about the building of a third runway at Sydney Airport, aircraft noise and the need to build a second airport to service Sydney, as well as his support for funding public infrastructure in general, multiculturalism, native title, the social wage and childcare. He concluded by saying, "For myself, I will be satisfied if I can be remembered as someone who will stand up for the interests of my electorate, for working-class people, for the labour movement, and for our progressive advancement as a nation into the next century."[46]
This latter issue became a cause to which he was particularly dedicated. In 1998 he unsuccessfully moved a private member's bill that would have given same-sex couples the same rights to superannuation as de facto heterosexual couples.[50] Over the next nine years, he tried three more times without success, until the election of the Rudd government in 2007 saw the legislation passed.[51] Albanese subsequently turned his attention to campaigning for same-sex marriage.[52]
Appointment to Shadow Cabinet
Albanese in 2005
In 1998, Albanese was appointed a parliamentary secretary, a position which assists ministers and shadow ministers and is often a stepping stone to a full ministerial position.[53]
In 2001, Albanese was promoted to the opposition Shadow Cabinet, taking the portfolio of ageing and seniors. A 2002 reshuffle saw him become Shadow Minister for Employment Services and Training, and in 2004 he became Shadow Minister for Environment and Heritage.[16] It was during this latter role that then prime minister John Howard and science minister Brendan Nelson started raising the idea of nuclear power for Australia. Albanese campaigned strongly against them, as well as elements within his own party, arguing that "Nuclear energy doesn't add up economically, environmentally or socially, and after more than 50 years of debate, we still do not have an answer to nuclear proliferation or nuclear waste."[54][55]
In 2005, Albanese was given the additional role of Shadow Minister for Water alongside his existing responsibilities, and was also appointed Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House. In December 2006, when Kevin Rudd first became Leader of the Labor Party, Albanese took over from Julia Gillard as Manager of Opposition Business in the House, a senior tactical role on the floor of the parliament, and was appointed Shadow Minister for Water and Infrastructure.[16]
The Labor Party had gone to the election criticising the previous government for ignoring "long-term nation building in favour of short-term political spending".[57] One of Albanese's first moves as Minister for Infrastructure and Transport was the establishment of an independent statutory body, Infrastructure Australia, to advise the Government on infrastructure priorities. Armed with advice from this independent body and his own persuasive skills in the Cabinet, he was able to argue for a doubling of the roads budget and a tenfold increase in rail investment.[58] The establishment of Infrastructure Australia was regarded by many as a success; projects delivered through the Infrastructure Australia process included Melbourne's Regional Rail Link, the Hunter Expressway, the Ipswich Motorway, the Gold Coast light rail system G:link, the Redcliffe Peninsula railway line, the extension of the Noarlunga Centre railway line to Seaford, South Australia and various projects along the Pacific Highway in NSW and Bruce Highway in Queensland.[59]
Gillard government
Albanese at the opening of the Holbrook Bypass in 2013
After Julia Gillard replaced Rudd as prime minister following the leadership spill in June 2010 she retained Albanese in his roles.[60] Following the 2010 election, which resulted in a hung parliament, Albanese was a key player in negotiating the support of independent members Tony Windsor and Rob Oakeshott through his role of Leader of the House. Albanese was also responsible for managing legislation through the House in the first hung parliament since the 1940s.[61]
In 2011, Albanese introduced two more major policy reforms. The first on urban planning drew on the work of Danish designer Jan Gehl and set out plans for urban design with better transport links and safety.[62] The second, on shipping, was notable for gaining the approval of both the conservative Australian Shipowners Associations and the radical Maritime Union of Australia.[63] However, he also attracted controversy when a convoy of trucks from North Queensland dubbed the "convoy of no confidence" descended on Canberra's Parliament House to protest against rising fuel costs and carbon pricing. During question time, Albanese labelled the protesters outside as "the convoy of no consequence". This caused outrage among supporters of the protest and a week later a public rally in support of the truckies was held outside Albanese's electorate office in Marrickville, New South Wales.[64]
Following a series of poor polls, leadership instability descended again on the Labor government. Former prime minister Kevin Rudd resigned as Minister for Foreign Affairs in February 2012 to unsuccessfully challenge Julia Gillard for the leadership.[65][66] Shortly before the ballot, Albanese came out in support of Rudd, stating that he had always been unhappy with the manner of Rudd's removal.[67] He tearfully explained how he had offered his resignation as Leader of the House to the prime minister, but that she had refused to accept it, and called on Labor to cease leadership divisions and unify. In response to a question on his personal feelings around the leadership spill, he stated "I like fighting Tories. That's what I do."[68][69]
Following the defeat of Labor at the 2013 election, Albanese announced his candidacy to be Leader of the Labor Party, standing against Bill Shorten.[75] Shorten was announced as the winner after a month-long contest that was the first to involve a combined vote of MPs and rank-and-file members. Although Albanese won comfortably among party members, Shorten held a greater lead among MPs, and was subsequently elected.[76]
Shorten Opposition
In October 2013, shortly after the leadership election, Shorten appointed Albanese Shadow Minister for Infrastructure and Transport and Shadow Minister for Tourism; he held these roles throughout Shorten's time as leader.[77] In September 2014, Albanese was given the additional role of Shadow Minister for Cities.[78]
Leader of the Opposition (2019–2022)
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Albanese during his time as Leader of the Opposition
2019 leadership election
Bill Shorten announced his resignation as Leader of the Labor Party on 18 May 2019, following Labor's unexpected defeat in the 2019 election.[79][80] The day after, Albanese announced his candidacy in the subsequent leadership election.[81] On 21 May, Chris Bowen announced he would also contest the ballot; however, the next day, he announced his withdrawal, citing his lack of support among the party membership.[82] With no other candidate stepping forward, Albanese took the leadership unopposed on 30 May, with Richard Marles as his deputy.[83] Aged 56 when he took office, he became the oldest first-time Opposition Leader in 59 years, since Arthur Calwell (aged 63) took office in 1960.[84] Albanese unveiled his shadow ministry on 1 June 2019.[85]
2022 federal election
Albanese and Penny Wong (right) meeting with Antony Blinken (centre) in February 2022
Albanese led the Labor Party into the 2022 federal election.[86] On the first day of campaigning, Albanese was unable to name either the official cash rate or unemployment rate, which drew criticism.[87][88] On 20 April, Albanese faced prime minister Scott Morrison in a debate hosted by Sky News, with Albanese being deemed the winner through an audience vote.[89] However, the next day, Albanese tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to isolate at home in Sydney.[90] He returned to campaigning the following week and, on 1 May, hosted Labor's campaign launch in Perth which was the first time any major party launched in Western Australia. At the launch, Labor unveiled policies to reduce the cost of medicine and childcare, increase manufacturing in Australia, and introduce a shared equity housing scheme to assist first-time home buyers.[91] Albanese faced Morrison in two further debates, hosted by Channel Nine and Channel Seven, respectively.[92][93][94][95]Opinion polling indicated that support for the two major parties had reached record lows, due to high levels of support for minor parties and independent candidates.[96][97][98] However, unlike his predecessor, Albanese was able to ultimately able to lead the Labor Party to federal victory, defeating Prime Minister Scott Morrison and his government with a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives.
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Albanese with Vietnamese President Võ Văn Thưởng in Hanoi, Vietnam, June 2023
Labor was victorious over the incumbent Liberal-National Coalition at the federal election on 21 May 2022, with Albanese becoming the 31st prime minister of Australia.[99] Despite a fall in the party's primary vote, Labor won a number of seats from the Coalition, helped by a particularly large swing to the party in Western Australia; the result was also assisted by a number of "teal independents" winning seats from "moderate" Liberal members.[100][101]
Although it was not certain that Labor would win a majority, it soon became apparent that no other party could realistically form a government.[102][103] Accordingly, two days after the election, Albanese, deputy Labor leader Richard Marles, shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers, and shadow ministers for Foreign Affairs and Finance Senators Penny Wong and Katy Gallagher were sworn in as an interim five-person ministry. According to Australia's ABC News, the Governor-General, David Hurley, would not have sworn in Albanese without assurances that Labor could provide stable government, as well as legal advice that this was the proper course of action.[12] Albanese is the first Italian-Australian prime minister in the country's history.[104]
On 16 June 2022, Albanese submitted a new Nationally Determined Contribution to the United Nations which formally committed Australia to reducing carbon emissions by 43% on 2005 levels. This represented an increase from the 26 to 28% target under the previous government.[109] In September 2022, the Albanese government passed legislation to write this climate target into law.[110][111] Albanese's government also entered a bid for Australia and its Pacific island neighbours to host the 2024 United Nations Climate Change conference.[112]
In late-2022, his government announced reforms to the "safeguard mechanism", which requires Australia's largest carbon emitters to keep their emissions under a "baseline limit", either by reducing them, or by purchasing carbon credits. The mechanism was introduced by the Turnbull government in 2016, but failed to reduce emissions as the rules were often left unenforced.[113] In March 2023, the Albanese government received the necessary support to pass the legislation from the Greens, who negotiated a "hard cap" on emissions that cannot be offset by carbon credits.[114] The bill was passed on 30 March 2023, marking the most significant piece of climate change legislation passed through the Australian parliament since the Clean Energy Act 2011.[115]
In December 2023, the government legislated a "nature repair market" to create a biodiversity market to encourage private companies to invest in projects that protect biodiversity,[116] and has committed to establishing a federal environmental protection agency.[117]
On 25 May 2022, in one of its first acts upon coming to government, the Albanese government allowed the Murugappan family to stay in Australia after the previous Morrison government had attempted to deport them.[122] In February 2023, the Albanese government abolished temporary protection visas, allowing up to 19,000 asylum seekers to stay in Australia permanently.[123][124] On 8 November 2023, the High Court of Australia ruled that indefinite detention of immigrants was illegal, leading to the release of 148 people, some of whom had committed serious crimes.[125] In response, the government enacted emergency legislation to put those released under strict visa conditions − including mandating the use of ankle monitoring and a mandatory curfew – and establish a preventive detention scheme to re-detain people who were found to pose a high risk to the community.[126]
On 11 December 2023, the Albanese government announced a overhaul of Australia's immigration system, with plans to cut the immigration intake in half to 250,000 by June 2025.[127]
Housing
On 13 September 2023, the government passed the Housing Australia Future Fund, a $10 billion fund designed to build 30,000 new social and affordable homes over the following five years.[128]
Industrial relations and employment
In one of his first acts as prime minister on 27 May 2022, Albanese confirmed that his government would make a submission to the Fair Work Commission in support of an increase to the national minimum wage.[129] On 2 June 2023, the Albanese government contributed to a decision by the Fair Work Commission with another letter encouraging a rise in the minimum wage in line with inflation.[130][131][132] The government announced that a submission had been formally made to the commission on 3 June 2022 and that a "deliberate" policy of lower wages was not the policy of the new government.[133] The Fair Work Commission subsequently announced on 15 June 2022 that the minimum wage would be raised by 5.2%.[134]
The government passed new workplace harassment laws through the Parliament on 28 November 2022. The news laws are in line with Albanese's promise to implement the recommendations of the Respect@Work Report by creating a positive duty requiring employers to implement measures to prevent sexual harassment.[135] On 2 December 2022, the government's Secure Jobs, Better Pay bill passed the Parliament. Under the new laws, unions can now negotiate multi-employer pay deals in an effort to secure wage increases across particular sectors such as child care and aged care. The law also aims to close the gender pay gap by prohibiting pay secrecy employment clauses and secures the right of workers to seek flexible working arrangements.[136] Throughout 2023, the Albanese government attempted to pass additional industrial relations reforms through Parliament, dubbed the Closing Loopholes bill, which aimed to ensure temporary workers employed through labour hire were paid the same wage as regular workers, criminalise wage theft and make companies responsible for industrial manslaughter, among other changes.[137] Despite fierce opposition from the Liberal Party and business lobbies, the first part of the bill was passed by the Senate on 7 December 2023.[138][139] The second tranche of legislation, which introduced minimum standards for gig workers and allowed workers the right to disconnect, was passed on 8 February 2024.[140]
Government integrity and national anti-corruption commission
In the 2023 Australian federal budget, the Albanese government delivered a surplus of $22.1 billion (equivalent to 0.9% of Australia’s GDP); this is Australia's first budget surplus in 15 years, and the largest ever Australian budget surplus.[145][146][147][148][149][150]
In January 2024, the Albanese government made changes to the previously legislated stage three tax cuts, which would see individuals earning less than A$150,000 receive a larger tax cut than under the original plan.[151][152] These changes were met with some criticism, particularly by the Opposition and conservative media outlets, and was viewed as a breach of a pre-election promise, as Albanese had repeatedly stated he would not alter the tax cuts if elected.[153][154] Despite this, the changes proved popular with the public,[155][156] and the overhauled tax cuts were passed by the Senate on 27 February 2024.[157]
Albanese took his first international trip on 23 May 2022 immediately after being sworn in as prime minister when he flew to Tokyo to attend a Quadrilateral Security Dialogue meeting with fellow world leaders: US president Joe Biden, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and Japanese prime minister Fumio Kishida.[158][159] At the meeting, Albanese committed his new government to the goals of the Quad and confirmed that his government would seek to take stronger action in reducing carbon emissions.[160] On 5 June, Albanese and Penny Wong visited Indonesian president Joko Widodo in Jakarta to develop Australia–Indonesia relations.[161] Albanese said he would not "publicly intervene" to prevent WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from being extradited to the United States.[162]
Later in June, Albanese attended the 2022 NATO Madrid summit to discuss security threats facing the Pacific region.[163][164] On 30 June, Albanese met with French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris to "reset" Australia–France relations, which had been damaged following the cancellation of a submarine deal by the preceding government.[165][166] The next day, Albanese travelled to Ukraine to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, making him the first Australian prime minister to make a diplomatic visit to Ukraine.[167] Albanese pledged a further $100 million in aid to assist with the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.[168]
On 26 September 2022, Albanese travelled to Japan to attend the state funeral of former prime minister Shinzo Abe.[169]
Albanese (far left) at an AUKUS summit in March 2023
The relationship between Australia and China started to improve since Albanese became prime minister.[170] In November 2022, Albanese held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, bringing an end to the longest diplomatic freeze in 50 years between Australia and China.[171] In early 2023, China ended its unofficial ban on imports of Australian coal,[172] with all restrictions reportedly being lifted by 14 March.[173] China agreed to lift its ban on barley imports from Australia in April,[174] and imports of Australian timber in May, further improving the relations.[175]
In March 2023, Albanese visited India to attend the Australia-India Annual Leaders' Summit in New Dehli. During the visit, he also led a trade delegation, which included Trade Minister Don Farrell and Resources Minister Madeleine King, after the implementation of the Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) between Australia and India on 29 December 2022. He also attended the 75 Years of Friendship through Cricket Event hosted by PM Modi at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to celebrate 75 years of strong diplomatic and cricketing ties between the two nations. The PMs attended a match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy where Albanese handed over Australian Cricket Captain Steve Smith his test cap.
On 13 March 2023, Albanese travelled to San Diego to officially commence the AUKUS security pact with President Biden and United Kingdom prime minister Rishi Sunak. Through the deal, which was signed by Albanese's predecessor, Australia will procure $368 billion worth of defence materiel, including nuclear-powered submarines in an effort to counter China's dominance in the Indo-Pacific region.[178] The deal has been negatively received by China[179] and former prime minister Paul Keating, who called it the "worst deal in all history".[180]
Between 4 and 7 November, Albanese visited Shanghai and Beijing, becoming the first Australian prime minister to visit China in seven years.[182] The trip, described as an effort to get relations between Australia and China on track, coincided with the 50th anniversary of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam's visit to China, the first by an Australian prime minister.[183] During the trip, Albanese gave a speech at the China International Import Expo, and met with Premier Li Qiang and President Xi Jinping.[184] The following week, he signed the Falepili Union treaty with the Pacific island country of Tuvalu.[185] Described as "groundbreaking" by legal schloar Jane McAdam,[186] the treaty entrenches bilateral relations between the two countries, with Australia agreeing to provide funds to help the country deal with the effects of climate change and also resettle 280 Tuvaluans a year, as the country is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.[187]
Political views
Albanese has described his political views as progressive,[188] and is aligned with the Labor Left faction.[189][190] Several journalists and analysts have noted his ideological shift to centrism during the 2022 election campaign and upon becoming prime minister.[191][192][193]
Albanese is a republican, and supports replacing Australia's current constitutional monarchy.[194][195] In a debate to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, he told the Australian Parliament, "Even many Australians who do not hold with the principle of monarchy feel regard for her. You can be a republican, as I am, and still have the deepest respect for the Queen. She has done her duty with fidelity, integrity, humanity and, as she sometimes lets slip, a sly sense of humour."[196] He has stated his desire to give constitutional recognition to Indigenous Australians, and pledged to hold a referendum regarding an Indigenous Voice to Parliament upon becoming prime minister.[197] He has stated that this recognition should come before any referendum regarding Australia's status as a constitutional monarchy vs. a republic.[198]
Albanese is a prominent backer of renewable energy in Australia and has declared that the country's "long-term future lies in renewable energy sources".[206] Upon his election in 2022, he said he would "end the climate wars" and mitigation and policies to address climate change in Australia would be a priority for his government, in contrast with those preceding it.[207]
Albanese's foreign policy beliefs have been the subject of media attention. Writing for the Australian Financial Review, James Curran noted his shift from an "idealistic left-wing critic of globalisation" to "a true believer in the American alliance".[208] Albanese was staunchly opposed to the US-led invasion of Iraq, saying in February 2003 that "Whatever criticisms can be made of the Iraqi regime, Islamic fundamentalism is not one of them. This is one of the reasons the United States supported Saddam Hussein in the 1980s, including supplying his regime with weapons of mass destruction, which he then used against both the Iranians and the Kurds."[209] Albanese has repeatedly urged for the release of Australian whistleblower and founder of WikiLeaksJulian Assange, who is currently being held in custody in the United Kingdom.[210]
Albanese's views on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict have also been the subject of media interest, with the The Times of Israel categorising him as a supporter of Palestine.[211] Alongside Joe Hockey, Albanese established the parliamentary "Friends of Palestine" group in 1998.[212] Despite this, he has been a critic of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, calling it "clumsy and counterproductive".[211] During the 2014 Gaza War, he called Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip a "collective punishment" that was "completely unacceptable".[213] In 2018, he challenged a decision by the Australian government to vote against a UN human rights council motion calling for an investigation into the killings of Palestinian protesters during the Great March of Return. Shortly before the 2022 election, Albanese told The Australian Jewish News that any decision he takes on Israel-Palestine will contribute "to a peaceful resolution of the conflict and to progress towards a two-state solution". When asked about a 2018 resolution to recognise the State of Palestine, Albanese insisted the motion "has no greater or lesser weight" than it did previously.[214] In October 2022, his government reversed the Morrison government's decision to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel's capital.[215][216] In December 2023, Albanese signed a joint statement, along with the prime ministers of Canada and New Zealand, calling for a ceasefire in the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[217][218]
In February 2022, Albanese condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, remarking in a press release that it was a "grave moment for humanity".[219]
In May 2022, Albanese said Australia's relationship with China would remain "a difficult one".[220] He said that "Australia values human rights. We have spoken out about the treatment of Uyghurs, about what's occurred in Hong Kong, about Taiwan, about other minorities including in Tibet, that are suffering from human rights abuses."[221]
Albanese is a supporter and advocate for LGBT rights,[226] and has regularly participated in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras since 1983.[189][227][228] When Labor Party members were granted a conscience vote on the Marriage Amendment Bill 2012, which would have legalised same-sex marriage in Australia, Albanese voted in favour of the bill, which was unsuccessful.[229] He opposed holding a plebiscite for same-sex marriage, stating that "we shouldn't be having a public vote where we get to judge other families".[230] In 2017, Albanese also voted in favour of the Marriage Amendment (Definition and Religious Freedoms) Act 2017, the bill which ultimately legalised same-sex marriage.[231] Albanese has voiced support of transgender rights, saying that "people coming to terms with their identity and who they are, I think that they need to be respected."[198]
Early in his political career, Albanese supported drug decriminalisation, telling Parliament in 1997 that "drug use by individuals is a health issue, not a criminal issue".[232] However, in February 2022, he declined to commit to decriminalisation of hard drugs, commenting that the "current settings are appropriate".[233]
In July 2015, Albanese stated his opposition to the government's policy of turning back asylum seekers who arrive to the country via boat, saying: "I couldn't ask someone else to do something that I couldn't see myself doing ... if people were in a boat including families and children, I myself couldn't turn that around."[234][235] During the 2022 federal election campaign, Albanese clarified that boat turnbacks would be incorporated into his government's policy,[236] leading to some critics accusing him of "flip-flopping" on the issue.[237][238] In August 2021, after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan, Albanese urged the Morrison government to give Afghan refugees permanent residency in Australia.[239]
Personal life
In 2000, Albanese married Carmel Tebbutt, a future Deputy Premier of New South Wales.[240][241] They had met in Young Labor during the late 1980s,[242] and have one son together.[243][244] The two separated in January 2019.[245] In June 2020, it was reported that Albanese was in a relationship[246] with Jodie Haydon.[247] Albanese said they had met at a dinner event in Melbourne a year after his separation from Tebbutt.[248] Albanese is the first divorcee to be appointed prime minister.[249] In February 2024, Albanese announced his engagement to Haydon after proposing to her at The Lodge in Canberra, making him the first prime minister of Australia to be engaged while in office.[250]
As a lifelong supporter of the South Sydney Rabbitohs rugby league club, he was a board member of the club from 1999 to 2002 and influential in the fight to have the club readmitted to the National Rugby League (NRL) competition.[258] During October 2009, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Albanese had opposed an attempt to appoint the former Liberal prime minister John Howard to a senior position in the NRL. Albanese stated he had phoned the NRL chief executive, David Gallop, as well as other league officials, to advise them against the idea. He then implored officials at Souths to help stop the suggestion from gaining momentum.[259] In 2013, he was made a life member of the club.[258] He is also a fan of Australian rules football, and supports the Hawthorn Football Club.[260][261]
Albanese was injured in a side collision while driving in Marrickville, New South Wales, on 8 January 2021. He underwent treatment at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and was reportedly "injured externally and internally and had suffered considerable shock in the immediate aftermath of the impact". The other driver was a 17-year-old who received a ticket for negligent driving.[262] Emergency workers told Albanese that if the teen's car had hit just 30 centimetres either side of where it did, Albanese "would almost certainly have been killed".[263] Shortly following this accident, Albanese lost over 18 kilograms (39 pounds) by cutting out carbohydrates and reducing his alcohol intake, in an effort to be "match fit" for his election campaign.[264][265]
^Both pronunciations have been used by Albanese himself during his life; they are both in common use among other speakers. While Albanese always used /ˈælbəniːz/ throughout his early life,[1] he has more recently been heard using /ˌælbəˈniːzi/.[2]
^Albanese, Anthony MP (6 November 1996). "Hindmarsh Island bridge Bill 1996". Australian House of Representatives: Hansard. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
^Albanese, Anthony MP (28 October 1996). "Euthanasia Laws Bill 1996". Australian House of Representatives: Hansard. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 29 March 2013.
^Clennell, Andrew (24 May 2008). "The one that got away". Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
^Maley, Jacqueline (26 December 2009). "Catholics divided in the House". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
^Workman, Alice (26 September 2019). "Albanese's bunny boilover". The Australian. News Corp. Retrieved 21 April 2023. Albanese usually supports Hawthorn. But, like so many Sydneysiders who become fairweather fans of the homegrown footy code when a local team is winning, he'll don the orange and charcoal of the Greater Western Sydney Giants.
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