Australians awoke on Sunday to a new prime minister in Anthony Albanese, the centre-left Labour Party leader whose ascension to the nation's top job was said to reflect the changed fabric of the country today.
Albanese is a politician molded by his humble start to life as the only child of a single mother who raised him on a pension in gritty inner-Sydney suburbia.
He is also a hero of multicultural Australia, describing himself as the only candidate with a non-Anglo Celtic name to run for prime minister in the 121 years that the office has existed. He has promised to rehabilitate Australia's international reputation as a climate change laggard with steeper cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.
His financially precarious upbringing in government-owned housing in suburban Camperdown fundamentally formed the politician who has lead the centre-left Australian Labor Party into government for the first time since 2007. He is still widely known by his childhood nickname, Albo.
"It says a lot about our great country that a son of a single mom who was a disability pensioner, who grew up in public housing down the road in Camperdown can stand before you tonight as Australia's prime minister," Albanese said in his election victory speech on Saturday.
"Every parent wants more for the next generation than they had. 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 added.
Albanese repeatedly referred during the six-week election campaign to the life lessons he learned from his disadvantaged childhood. Labor's campaign has focused on policies including financial assistance for first home buyers grappling with soaring real estate prices and sluggish wage growth. Labor also promised cheaper child care for working parents and better nursing home care for the elderly.
Albanese this week promised to begin rebuilding trust in Australia when he attends a Tokyo summit on Tuesday with US President Joe Biden, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Albanese said he will be completely consistent with Morrison's current administration on Chinese strategic competition in the region.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison acted quickly after Saturday's election despite millions of votes yet to be counted because an Australian prime minister must attended a Tokyo summit on Tuesday with US, Japanese and Indian leaders. "I believe it is very important that this country has certainty. I think it's very important this country can move forward," Morrison said. "And particularly over the course of this week with the important meetings that are being held, I think it is vitally important there's a very clear understanding about the government of this country," he added.
-Inputs from PTI