New Australian PM Albanese moulded by humble upbringing
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E-mail Xinhua, May 23, 2022
Australia's Labor Party leader Anthony Albanese was sworn in on Monday as the country's 31st prime minister, which marks the culmination of a political career that has spanned almost 30 years.
Albanese's center left Labor Party on Saturday night claimed victory in the general election, defeating the governing conservative Coalition and Scott Morrison.
It comes 26 years after Albanese, 59, was first elected as a Member of Parliament for Grayndler division in the state of New South Wales. He served in the government as a cabinet minister from 2007 to 2013 and as the Deputy Prime Minister in 2013.
Albanese, commonly known as "Albo," was raised by a single mother in public housing on a pension. He has repeatedly referred to the lessons he learned in a working-class upbringing during the election campaign.
"My mother dreamt of a better life for me. And I hope that my journey in life inspires Australians to reach for the stars," he said in his election victory speech on Saturday night.
He is also known as the representative of multicultural Australia. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), he was the "only candidate with a 'non-Anglo-Celtic name' to run for prime minister in the 121 years the office has existed," as his father was reportedly an Italian.
"I want Australia to continue to be a country that no matter where you live, who you worship, who you love, or what your last name is, that places no restrictions on your journey in life," he said.
Long considered a future Labor leader, Albanese ran unopposed for the job following the party's defeat in the 2019 election.
His time as the opposition leader was characterized by restraint.
Albanese ran a small target campaign and capitalized on mistakes made by Morrison in his response to bushfires and flooding and the coronavirus pandemic.
After nearly nine years of conservative Coalition rule, Albanese has promised big change under a Labor government, committing to reducing emissions by 43 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, cracking down on corruption and boosting Indigenous rights.
"I want to unite the country," he said on Saturday. "I think people have had enough of division, what they want is to come together as a nation and I intend to lead that."
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