Anthony Albanese will surge into the final sitting of parliament for the year, buoyed by the success of his round of international summitry and meetings with other world leaders, particularly Xi Jinping.

Timing always matters. The prime minister’s week of high diplomacy even coincided neatly with the good news story of Sean Turnell, finally released from a Myanmar prison after 650 days as part of a release of 6000 prisoners. This is another obvious goal for Penny Wong as foreign minister, particularly after the near invisibility of her predecessor, Marise Payne.