Anthony Albanese: Who is Australia’s prime minister-elect?

Anthony Albanese has led his Labor Party to victory in the national election in Australia, ending nine years of conservative rule.

Anthony Albanese, the only child of a single mother who was raised in a working-class neighbourhood of Sydney, has led his Labor Party to victory in the national election in Australia, ending nine years of conservative rule.

Albanese, nicknamed “Albo”, will be sworn in as prime minister after his Labor party claimed its first electoral win since 2007.

I think people have had enough of division, what they want is to come together as a nation and I intend to lead that,” he said referring to the divisive politics under conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrisson.

Earlier, Prime Minister Morrison conceded defeat as he congratulated Albanese on his victory.

Albanese first became a minister after Rudd’s 2007 election victory and rose through the Labor ranks, finally taking over the opposition leadership after the party’s crushing loss in 2019.

Albanese, who has described 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, referred to his own humble upbringing in the Sydney suburb of Camperdown.

The Labor party under Albanese has proposed to establish a Pacific defence school to train neighbouring armies in response to China’s potential military presence on the Solomon Islands on Australia’s doorstep.

Asked to describe what he can bring to the job of prime minister, Albanese said: “Integrity and the capacity to take responsibility.”.