Anthony Albanese

Born in Sydney in 1963, Albanese studied economics and worked as a party official before entering Parliament in 1996 for the inner-west seat of Grayndler. He climbed the Labor ranks through infrastructure and transport portfolios, backed Kevin Rudd's return in 2013, and served three months as deputy prime minister before the party's election loss that year. He lost a 2013 leadership bid to Bill Shorten despite winning the membership vote, then waited six years until Shorten's resignation handed him an unopposed path to the top in 2019. His first term navigated inflation, renewable energy expansion, industrial relations reform, a social media ban for under-sixteens, and the Robodebt royal commission, alongside an AUKUS security pact and careful diplomacy with China. The 2025 landslide gave him room to tackle housing costs, recognise Palestine, and steer through a Trump-era tariff fight and an Iran oil crisis - all while nudging a left-aligned party steadily toward the centre.