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Six days can change everything. On Saturday night, Anthony Albanese cooked pasta for friends at his home in the Sydney suburb of Marrickville without knowing how the outcome of the federal election would decide his fate.
On Friday morning, he was leading the government in briefings with department heads after a lightning visit to a world summit in Japan where he was warmly welcomed by leaders who supported his position on the need for further action on the issue. climate change.
The images here, taken by Alex Ellinghausen, the Canberra photographer for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald, capture one of the busiest weeks in Australian politics.
As the results began to arrive, anxiety became a relief for Labor supporters gathered at the Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Club. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Election night began with a tense group of Labor supporters gathered at an RSL club in Sydney, their faces revealing their anxiety over whether the night would end in triumph or despair. The memory of his defeat in 2019 was still fresh enough to contain his spirits.
People hugged, kissed and cried. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
The mood in the room in 2019, at a hotel in Melbourne’s Essendon Fields district, began with high hopes and turned into pain as the hours passed. Supporters of the work gathered in a large auditorium and watched a large television screen in disbelief at his defeat.
Last Saturday, however, the tension started early and eased as the hours passed. When the results began to arrive, the anxiety turned to relief.
People hugged, kissed and cried. And then cheering. When Labor supporters are hurt, they do a lot. When they win, they have an intense party.
The Labor crowd watching Scott Morrison cede the election. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Once the audience saw Scott Morrison grant the election, they could not wait for Albanese to appear on stage to claim victory.
It was about midnight when he spoke. One of his first comments was to try to calm the crowd down, just to be heard.
Albanese claims victory with his partner Jodie Haydon and his son Nathan by his side. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
The pace never slowed down from that moment on. And the timing was dictated by Morrison. The former prime minister had known for weeks that the Quad summit with leaders from the United States, Japan and India would be held on May 24. In any case, he called for elections on May 21, although the May 14 elections would have given the government more time to prepare for the summit. Albanese had also known Quad time all along, but not Morrison.
This set the stage for events that led Albanese to be sworn in as prime minister as soon as possible.
Albanese, with Governor-General David Hurley in the House of Commons, had to be sworn in as prime minister as soon as possible. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
The interim Labor ministry took shape on Monday morning when Albanese and his deputy, Richard Marles, Senate leader and Secretary of State Penny Wong, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Finance Minister Katy Gallagher were sworn in.
Acting Ministry of Labor (LR): Finance Minister Katy Gallagher, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Foreign Minister Penny Wong. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
At 3 a.m., Albanese was aboard a RAAF KC-30 plane heading to the Tokyo summit to meet with US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio. Kishida and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
At 3 a.m. at the swearing-in ceremony, Albanese and Wong were aboard a RAAF KC-30 aircraft en route to the Tokyo Quad Leaders Summit. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
While Albanese had spoken to Biden on the phone on Sunday, he had other calls during the flight. One was a conversation with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in which both leaders spoke of support for the AUKUS alliance on nuclear submarines and greater ambition for climate change. Johnson was one of the key figures last year who had wanted Morrison to go beyond Australia’s emissions target for 2030. He was now talking to a new prime minister who was willing to do so.
Albanian climate policy was already softening relations with other leaders.
The Quad summit began Tuesday morning with the “family photo” to bring the four leaders together before the processing of their public statements or the sensibilities of their private discussions. Here, in Kantei’s offices and at the Prime Minister’s residence in Tokyo’s Akasaka district, the Albanian welcome was all about the body language of his counterparts.
The welcome to Albanese was all about the body language of his counterparts: U.S. President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
The family photo of the summit is usually a “grab and smile” with little real heat. This one was different. As soon as Biden saw Albanese approaching, he smiled and extended his hands in welcome. He put his arm around the new prime minister and seemed to share a joke.
The Quad summit began on Tuesday morning with a “family photo” of the four leaders: (a lr) Albanese, Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Modi. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
On three occasions, in fact, Biden joked with Albanese in front of the cameras. Because? He was sending a public signal about the warmth of the relationship. Morrison’s incendiary claims in recent months that Albanese and Marles were “Manchurian candidates” aligned with Beijing have come to an end.
Biden did his best to welcome Albanese. The second occasion was in the opening statements of the formal meeting where Biden joked about the frantic agenda of the Prime Minister.
“You swore, you got on a plane and if you fall asleep while you’re here, that’s fine. I don’t know how you do it!” he joked.
The third moment came at the bilateral meeting between Albanese and Biden in the afternoon in another part of the Kantei venue.
Biden put his arm around the new prime minister and it looked like they were sharing a joke. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
When Albanese talked about his trip to the United States when he was young and revealed that he had met with the National Rifle Association, Biden stood up, pretending to leave his conversations in disgust.
Albanese burst out laughing and stretched his arms in feigned commotion before Biden was on hand to shake his hand. The room burst out laughing. Just hours later, when leaders left the summit, the world learned that a man had shot and killed 19 students and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, and injured 17 more.
Biden pretends to leave his bilateral meeting with Albanese. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
The Quad was an undoubted success for Albanese. He assured that his opening statements would offer full support to the security association while sending a new message about climate change and the importance of the issue for the Pacific island nations. This was stated in the formal statement at the end of the meeting.
Albanese doesn’t always feel comfortable with the glare of media attention. He will surely never forget the shouts and screams made by some journalists during the election campaign. He could sometimes feel visibly frustrated with the multitude of cameras, especially when a boom microphone hit him in the head.
The Quad was an undoubted success for Albanese. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
And he had a very private moment as soon as he finished his flight visit.
Back in Sydney on Wednesday night, he traveled alone to the cemetery where his mother, Maryanne, is buried. The day of his flight to Sydney was the 20th anniversary of his death.
“I traveled to the cemetery last night to see her and chat,” she said in an interview Thursday morning. But it was not a time for cameras.
On election night, Albanese thanked her mother, Maryanne, for saying “we were disgusted”. Back in Sydney on Wednesday night, she traveled alone to the cemetery where she is buried to “give a talk”. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Six days after his election victory, Albanese held another discussion with a world leader. This time it was with French President Emmanuel Macron, the leader who will be remembered in Australian politics for calling Morrison a liar for last year’s decision to terminate Australia’s submarine contract with France in favor of the AUKUS alliance with the United Kingdom and the United States.
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“I don’t think so, I know,” Macron said when asked if Morrison had lied to him. Albanese used these words during the election campaign and will probably quote them again. His phone call with Macron was followed by statements from both parties about rebuilding the relationship.
It was certainly another time to savor Albanese the first six days after his victory.
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