By Olivia Ireland
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancee Jodie Haydon are eyeing an outdoor wedding in the spring with friends and extensive family in attendance rather than a Catholic Church ceremony, despite their shared upbringing in the faith.
In an interview with Australian Women’s Weekly, Haydon said the wedding “will be small, intimate” in spirit, but the pair noted the bride in particular came from a big family.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancee Jodie Heydon in a photograph from the Australian’s Womens WeeklyCredit: Alana Landsberry/AWW
“I know,” Haydon said. “I say small and intimate, but now you know how large our family is … Well, that’s what we’re aiming for.”
She said the wedding would be “possibly outdoors, in the second half of this year, with our family and loved ones … And you can be sure [Albanese’s dog] Toto will make an appearance.“
The article, which makes clear that any wedding will take place well beyond the next election, has been published just as the prime minister and treasurer are out promoting the government’s economic record following Tuesday’s interest rate cut.
On WSFM radio on Wednesday morning, Albanese conceded that “neither of us doing much planning at the moment”.
“We’re waiting to get through the election, our focus is on that. And after that, of course, it’s now a bit over a year. I, of course, proposed on Valentine’s Day last year and it’s lovely having that certainty and it’s just fantastic at my time in life to find someone I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Albanese was married to former NSW Labor deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt from 2000 to 2019. Women’s Weekly reported the pair would adhere to the traditional Catholic prohibition on divorcees being remarried in church.
Both leaders have done a series of soft-focus media appearances in the run-up to an election that is due by May.
The prime minister proposed to Haydon at his official residence in Canberra on Valentine’s Day last year after dinner at an Italian restaurant. He said he made the decision knowing that he would not be prime minister forever.
“The thing about our relationship is that we enjoy spending time together,” Albanese said. “Just us. So, when it became clear to me that Jodie was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and that I couldn’t imagine a life without her, I made the decision.“
He told the magazine he asked his son Nathan for his opinion before he proposed.
“I respect him and have a good relationship with him, and with his mother. So I asked him to think about it, and then he came back to me and Nathan was supportive. He wants me to be happy, and Nathan and Jodie have a really nice relationship as well.“
Haydon, who is head of strategic partnerships at Teachers Mutual Bank, said she planned to continue working full-time. “I have my own professional path, and my own identity and purpose,” she said. “When I am at work, I’m simply Jodie, not the prime minister’s partner.”
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news, views and expert analysis. Subscribers can sign up to our weekly Inside Politics newsletter.