After Labor lost the 2013 election, Albanese ran against Bill Shorten in the leadership election. He lost to Shorten. After Labor was defeated in the 2019 election, he was the first to become a candidate for the leadership after Shorten resigned.[4] He was soon elected unopposed as leader on 30 May 2019 and later became the 34th Opposition Leader.[5]
In May 2022, the Labor Party won the most seats in the 2022 federal election with Albanese becoming the new prime minister.
Early life
Albanese was born on 2 March 1963 in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst.[6] He is the son of Carlo Albanese and Maryanne Ellery.[7][8][9] 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. He later discovered that he had two half-siblings.[8]
When Bill Shorten announced his resignation as Leader of the Labor Party on 18 May 2019, after Labor's unexpected loss in the 2019 election, Albanese announced his candidacy of Labor Party leader.[17][18] Albanese became party leader on 30 May since no one else ran against him, with Richard Marles as his deputy.[19] Aged 56 when he took office, he is the oldest first-time Opposition Leader in 59 years.[20]
Albanese led the Labor Party to victory at the 2022 federal election on 21 May, becoming prime minister–designate shortly afterwards.[21][22] Albanese is the first Italian-Australian prime minister in the country's history.[23] He is the fourth Labor leader to be appointed prime minister, directly after being the opposition leader, since World War II.[24] He was sworn-in as prime minister on 23 May 2022.[25]
On 30 June 2022, Albanese met with French president Emmanuel Macron in Paris to "reset" relations between France and Australia.[26][27] 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.[28]
In 2000, Albanese married Carmel Tebbutt, a future Deputy Premier of New South Wales.[32] They have one son.[33] Albanese and Tebbutt separated in January 2019.[34] In June 2020, it was reported that Albanese was in a new relationship,[35] with Jodie Haydon.[36] While some prime ministers divorced after leaving office, Albanese is the first divorced person to become prime minister.[37]
Albanese describes himself as "half-Italian and half-Irish".[38] "Albo" is a well known nickname for Albanese used by his supporters and media.[39]
Albanese was injured in a car crash while driving in Marrickville, New South Wales, on 8 January 2021 with serious injuries. The other driver was a 17-year-old who received a ticket for negligent driving.[40] Emergency workers told Albanese that if the teen's car had hit just 30 centimetres either side of where it did, he would have been killed.[41]
In April 2022, Albanese tested positive for COVID-19.[42]
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