The Australian’s Australian of the Year: Passion and purpose have served PM well

Anthony Albanese is one of only four men who have returned Labor to government from opposition in the post-World War II era.

Anthony Albanese. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

Anthony Albanese is one of only four men who have returned Labor to government from opposition in the post-World War II era – a feat that places him alongside Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke and Kevin Rudd.

The May election victory ended nearly a decade in the political wilderness for the ALP and came as the nation emerged from the shadows of a once-in-a-century pandemic that had closed down businesses and confined Australians to their homes for months on end.

Running on a platform of government integrity, climate action, wages growth, aged-care reform and constitutional recognition for Indigenous Australians, Mr Albanese defeated Scott Morrison in a campaign which also heavily targeted the former prime minister’s character flaws.

While his own campaign was marked by a number of mistakes – he could not name the official cash rate or the unemployment rate – Mr Albanese has experienced a surge in support since winning office.

He has also moved swiftly in government to implement his new economic, climate, cultural and international agenda.

With Foreign Minister Penny Wong, Mr Albanese smoothed over Australia’s ties with the ­Pacific and France while beginning to repair the relationship with Beijing and re-establishing contact at both a leader-to-leader and ministerial level.

One of his first actions was to enshrine Labor’s 43 per cent emissions reduction target into law and, in November, the government passed a bill establishing a National Anti-Corruption Commission.

Mr Albanese has committed to holding a referendum this year to establish an Indigenous voice to parliament and advance the cause of reconciliation.

In economic policy, he strongly advocated for a minimum-wage increase that matched inflation, has committed Labor to funding a 15 per cent pay increase for aged-care workers, and will extend paid parental leave to 26 weeks by 2026.

Yet many challenges still lie ahead for Labor, including its response to the unfolding energy crisis, the Defence Strategic Review due in March, and the direction it will take in the May budget.

Mr Albanese said the two principles that would guide his time in office were “no one left behind” and “no one held back”.

From council housing in Camperdown to the Prime Minister’s Sydney residence at Kirribilli House, Mr Albanese makes no secret of his humble beginnings.

His early successes as Prime Minister, as well as his lifetime of service to politics, have earned Mr Albanese a nomination as The Australian’s Australian of the Year for 2022.

We encourage our readers to put in a nomination for The Australian’s Australian of the Year, which was first won in 1971 by economist HC “Nugget” Coombs. Prominent Australians can be nominated by filling out the form above, or sending an email to [e-mail]. Nominations close on Friday, January 20.