Anthony Albanese
Australia's Prime Minister-elect Anthony Albanese is a politician molded by his humble start to life as the only child of a single mother who raised him on a pension in gritty inner-Sydney suburbia. He is also a hero of multicultural Australia, describing himself as the only candidate with a “non-Anglo Celtic name” to run for prime minister in the 121 years that the office has existed. His friends pronounce his name “Alban-ez,” like bolognese. But having been repeatedly corrected over the years by Italians, the nationality of his absent father, he introduces himself and is widely known as “Alban-easy.”
Anthony was born to a single mum, Maryanne, in council housing in Sydney’s inner west. Life wasn’t easy. A lot of things were uncertain, but one thing wasn’t – Maryanne’s determination that her son’s life would be better than her own. It was from Maryanne that Anthony learned the values of social justice and fairness.
Anthony was the first person in his family to finish school, let alone university. After juggling multiple jobs while studying full time, he graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Economics. Anthony knows the impact that a good education can have on your life.
Anthony was elected as the Federal Member for Grayndler in 1996, representing the community that he grew up in almost 30 years before. In his first speech, he said, “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.”
Anthony introduced a bill to grant same-sex couples the same superannuation benefits as heterosexual couples. The bill failed in 1998. He would reintroduce the bill three more times – not because it was popular, but because it was the right thing to do. Anthony’s bill was eventually passed after the election of the Rudd Labor Government in 2007, along with 84 other changes to Commonwealth laws to eliminate discrimination against same-sex couples and their children.
After becoming Labor’s Shadow Minister for the Environment, and before it was a household topic, Anthony developed Labor’s Climate Change Blueprint, which became the basis of Labor’s action in government, including increasing the renewable energy target tenfold to 20 per cent by 2020. Anthony leads a Labor Party that proudly supports net zero emissions by 2050. In 2007 Labor won the federal election and Anthony was sworn in as Australia’s first federal infrastructure minister, and created Infrastructure Australia as one of the first reforms of the incoming government. In the depths of the Global Financial Crisis, Labor knew that Australia needed to build its way to recovery. Australia would double its roads budget and increase rail investment tenfold, creating thousands of jobs across Australia.
By 2009 the end of the Cold War had played a big part in blurring the ideological divide between the Left and Right, as the Defense and Finance Ministers are notionally from the Left. It was generally accepted that Rudd government Ministers and power brokers Mark Arbib (Right) and Anthony Albanese (Left) were Rudd's key conduits to the factions.
The Gillard Labor Government introduced legislation to create the National Disability Insurance Scheme. For Anthony, it was personal. His mum spent much of her life on a disability pension after her joints were cripped with arthritis. In 2013, with Prime Minister Gillard, Anthony shepherded the National Disability Insurance Scheme through Parliament, promising a new level of care for every Australian.
In 2013 Anthony was appointed Deputy Prime Minister in the new Rudd Labor Government. In his first speech, he said, “It says a great thing about our nation that the son of a parent who grew up in a council house in Sydney could be Deputy Prime Minister.” In 2019 Anthony was unanimously elected as the new Leader of the Australian Labor Party.
In May 2022 the Liberal Party lost more than 12 seats during the election. While vote counting had not been completed at the time of Morrison’s concession speech, the Labor Party’s victory appeared certain, winning at least 72 of the parliament’s 151 seats. Morrison’s Liberals nabbed just 54, while independents and third parties – led by the Greens, who secured their best election results yet – have netted 11 thus far, according to ABC. Labor needs 76 seats to form a majority government.
Labor will ensure that Defence has the resources it needs to defend Australia and deter potential aggressors. Labor supported the Strategic Update 2020, including $270 billion of capability acquisition, and supports the acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines. Labor will keep Australia’s defences strong by treating defence personnel with the respect they deserve. Labor led the push for a royal commission into veteran suicide – to ask the hard questions and, hopefully, to find some answers. Labor will also deliver new Veterans hubs across Australia to provide one stop shops for access to a range of services.
Labor will deepen engagement with closest neighbors, and will ensure that the Quadrilateral consultations deliver in our relationships with India, Japan and the United States. Australia will also support new arrangements, such as AUKUS.
Albanese married Carmel Tebbutt, a future Deputy Premier of New South Wales in the year 2000. The couple first met in NSW Young Labor in the late 1980s. The couple shares one child together in their 19 years of marriage. Their only child Nathan Albanese had completed his HSC exams and turned 18 when Carmel ended their relationship. He is presently dating First State Super financial worker Jodie Haydon. In June 2020, the couple was first seen kissing at an upmarket Sydney restaurant. The duo first met at a dinner event in Melbourne in March 2020.
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