Anthony Norman Albanese is an Australian politician serving as the 31st and current prime minister of Australia since 2022.
88 Facts About Anthony Albanese
2.
Anthony Albanese has been leader of the Australian Labor Party since 2019 and the member of parliament for Grayndler since 1996.
3.
Anthony Albanese was born in Sydney to an Italian father and an Irish-Australian mother who raised him as a single parent.
4.
Anthony Albanese attended St Mary's Cathedral College before going on to the University of Sydney to study economics.
5.
Anthony Albanese joined the Labor Party as a student, and before entering Parliament worked as a party official and research officer.
6.
Anthony Albanese was elected to the House of Representatives at the 1996 election, winning the seat of Grayndler in New South Wales.
7.
Anthony Albanese was first appointed to the shadow cabinet in 2001 by Simon Crean and went on to serve in a number of roles, eventually becoming Manager of Opposition Business in 2006.
8.
Anthony Albanese is the first Italian-Australian to become prime minister, the first Australian prime minister to have a non-Anglo-Celtic surname, and is the last of the 16 Australian prime ministers who have served under Queen Elizabeth II.
9.
Anthony Albanese was sworn in on 23 May 2022, alongside four senior frontbench colleagues.
10.
Anthony Albanese's government legislated a national anti-corruption commission, and made major changes to Australian labour law.
11.
In foreign policy, Anthony Albanese pledged further logistical support to Ukraine to assist with the Russo-Ukrainian war, has attempted to strengthen relations in the Pacific region, and held a high-level meeting with Chinese president Xi Jinping, overseeing an easing of tensions between the countries and leading to easing of trade restrictions put by China on Australia.
12.
Anthony Albanese oversaw the official commencement of the AUKUS security pact between Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
13.
Anthony Albanese was born on 2 March 1963 at St Margaret's Hospital in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst.
14.
Anthony Albanese is the son of Carlo Albanese and Maryanne Ellery.
15.
Anthony Albanese's mother was an Australian of Irish descent, while his Italian father was from Barletta in Apulia.
16.
Anthony Albanese's 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.
17.
Anthony Albanese made contact with his father in 2009, visiting him a number of times in Italy, and he took his family there as well.
18.
Anthony 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.
19.
Anthony Albanese's grandfather died in 1970, and the following year his mother married James Williamson.
20.
Anthony Albanese was given his stepfather's surname, but the marriage lasted only 10 weeks, as Williamson proved to be an abusive alcoholic.
21.
Anthony 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.
22.
Anthony Albanese attended St Joseph's Primary School in Camperdown and then St Mary's Cathedral College.
23.
The election to replace him was closely disputed between the Labor Left's Hard Left and Soft Left groupings, with Anthony Albanese being elected with the backing of the Hard Left, taking on that role for the next six years.
24.
In 1987, Anthony Albanese joined his boss Tom Uren on a visit to South-East Asia, which included: a meeting of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok, Thailand; an Anzac Day dawn service at the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery with John Carrick; and a tour of Cambodia alongside Bill Hayden's daughter Ingrid.
25.
Anthony Albanese then travelled extensively in 1988, visiting Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Western Europe on a Contiki tour, and Eastern Europe and Scandinavia as a backpacker.
26.
Sometime during his 20s, Anthony Albanese took part in a tour of the United States organised by the State Department, with a thematic focus on the interaction of advocacy groups with the US Government.
27.
In 1990, Anthony Albanese bought a semi-detached two-bedroom house in the Inner West Sydney suburb of Marrickville.
28.
When Jeannette McHugh announced she would not recontest her seat of Grayndler at the 1996 election, Anthony Albanese won preselection for the seat.
29.
Anthony Albanese subsequently turned his attention to campaigning for same-sex marriage.
30.
In 1998, Anthony 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.
31.
In December 2006, when Kevin Rudd first became Leader of the Labor Party, Anthony 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.
32.
Anthony Albanese was responsible for managing legislation through the House in the first hung parliament since the 1940s.
33.
Shortly before the ballot, Anthony Albanese came out in support of Rudd, stating that he had always been unhappy with the manner of Rudd's removal.
34.
Anthony Albanese 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.
35.
That same ballot saw Anthony Albanese elected by the caucus as Deputy Leader of the Labor Party, and the following day Anthony Albanese was sworn in as deputy prime minister.
36.
Anthony Albanese held this role until Labor's defeat at the 2013 election, and was replaced by Warren Truss on 18 September.
37.
In September 2014, Anthony Albanese was given the additional role of Shadow Minister for Cities.
38.
The day after, Anthony Albanese announced his candidacy in the subsequent leadership election.
39.
Anthony Albanese led the Labor Party into the 2022 federal election.
40.
However, the next day, Anthony Albanese tested positive for COVID-19, forcing him to isolate at home in Sydney.
41.
Anthony Albanese faced Morrison in two further debates, hosted by Channel Nine and Channel Seven, respectively.
42.
However, unlike his predecessor, Anthony 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.
43.
Labor was victorious over the incumbent Liberal-National Coalition at the federal election on 21 May 2022, with Anthony Albanese becoming the 31st prime minister of Australia.
44.
Anthony Albanese is the first Italian-Australian prime minister in the country's history.
45.
Anthony Albanese secured confidence and supply from several crossbenchers in the event that he was unable to form majority government.
46.
In September 2022, the Anthony Albanese government passed legislation to write this climate target into law.
47.
Anthony Albanese's government entered a bid for Australia and its Pacific island neighbours to host the 2024 United Nations Climate Change conference.
48.
In March 2023, the Anthony 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.
49.
On 27 May 2022, Anthony Albanese sent correspondence to the Fair Work Commission confirming that his government would seek to make a submission to the Commission in support of an increase to the minimum wage.
50.
Anthony Albanese has pledged to hold a referendum, which if successful, will enshrine an Indigenous Voice to Parliament to assist the government with Indigenous issues, and recognise Indigenous Australians in Australia's constitution.
51.
Anthony 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.
52.
At the meeting, Anthony 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.
53.
Anthony Albanese said he would not "publicly intervene" to prevent WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from being extradited to the United States.
54.
Later in June, Anthony Albanese attended the 2022 NATO Madrid summit to discuss security threats facing the Pacific region.
55.
The next day, Anthony Albanese travelled to Ukraine to meet with president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, making him the first Australian prime minister to make a diplomatic visit to Ukraine.
56.
Anthony Albanese pledged a further $100 million in aid to assist with the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian War.
57.
On 26 September 2022, Anthony Albanese travelled to Japan to attend the state funeral of former prime minister Shinzo Abe.
58.
The relationship between Australia and China started to improve since Anthony Albanese became prime minister.
59.
In November 2022, Anthony Albanese held a bilateral meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, bringing an end to the longest diplomatic freeze in 50 years between Australia and China.
60.
In February 2023, Anthony Albanese hosted his New Zealand counterpart Chris Hipkins, who undertook his first state visit.
61.
Anthony Albanese confirmed that his government would amend the deportation policy to take into account individuals' connections to Australia and the length of time they had lived in the country.
62.
On 13 March 2023, Anthony Albanese travelled to San Diego to officially commence the AUKUS security pact with president Biden and United Kingdom prime minister Rishi Sunak.
63.
Anthony Albanese has described his political views as progressive, and is aligned with the Labor Left faction.
64.
Anthony Albanese is a republican, and supports replacing Australia's current constitutional monarchy.
65.
Anthony Albanese has done her duty with fidelity, integrity, humanity and, as she sometimes lets slip, a sly sense of humour.
66.
Anthony Albanese has stated that this recognition should come before any referendum regarding Australia's status as a constitutional monarchy vs a republic.
67.
Anthony Albanese is in favour of legalising voluntary euthanasia; in December 2022, his government repealed the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997, which prevented the territories of Australia from legalising euthanasia.
68.
Anthony Albanese is a supporter and advocate for LGBT rights, and has regularly participated in the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras since 1983.
69.
When Labor Party members were granted a conscience vote on the Marriage Amendment Bill 2012, which would have legalised same-sex marriage in Australia, Anthony Albanese voted in favour of the bill, which was unsuccessful.
70.
Anthony Albanese 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".
71.
In 2017, Anthony Albanese voted in favour of the Marriage Amendment Act 2017, the bill which ultimately legalised same-sex marriage.
72.
Early in his political career, Anthony Albanese supported drug decriminalisation, telling Parliament in 1997 that "drug use by individuals is a health issue, not a criminal issue".
73.
Anthony 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".
74.
Shortly before the 2022 election Anthony 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".
75.
In February 2022, Anthony Albanese condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, remarking in a press release that it was a "grave moment for humanity".
76.
In May 2022, Anthony Albanese said Australia's relationship with China would remain "a difficult one".
77.
In 2000, Anthony Albanese married Carmel Tebbutt, a future Deputy Premier of New South Wales.
78.
In June 2020, it was reported that Anthony Albanese was in a relationship with Jodie Haydon.
79.
Anthony Albanese said they had met at a dinner event in Melbourne a year after his separation from Tebbutt.
80.
Anthony Albanese is the first divorcee to be appointed prime minister.
81.
Anthony Albanese describes himself as "half-Italian and half-Irish" and a "non-practising Catholic".
82.
Anthony Albanese is a music fan who, not long after becoming prime minister, attended a Gang of Youths concert at the Enmore Theatre and previously intervened as transport minister to save a Dolly Parton tour from bureaucratic red tape.
83.
Anthony Albanese stated he had phoned the NRL chief executive, David Gallop, as well as other league officials, to advise them against the idea.
84.
Anthony Albanese then implored officials at Souths to help stop the suggestion from gaining momentum.
85.
Anthony Albanese is a fan of Australian rules football, and supports the Hawthorn Football Club.
86.
Anthony Albanese was injured in a side collision while driving in Marrickville, New South Wales, on 8 January 2021.
87.
Anthony Albanese 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".
88.
Shortly following this accident, Anthony Albanese lost over 18 kilograms by cutting out carbohydrates and reducing his alcohol intake, in an effort to be "match fit" for his election campaign.