Do we like Anthony Albanese?
Our score: 7 out of 10. A long record on the right side of marriage equality, hate laws and housing, held back by a promise to LGBTQ+ students he parked and big gas approvals.
Start with his mum, because he always does. When Pauline Hanson attacked his late mother's long run in social housing in September, Albanese came back hard, saying “kindness isn't weakness”. That public-housing story is the spine of his pitch, and the record backs it: he has consistently voted for federal action to lift the supply of public housing, per They Vote For You.
The recent mess is a podcast. On Bush Deep he was handed a crude shag-marry-date game and named Kylie Minogue, and independents and opposition MPs accused him of sexism. His office put out a statement on 6 July saying “I apologise unequivocally for the comments”. Cringe, yes, and fixed fast, but it's the second clumsy-remark week in a few months.
The Qantas row is allegation territory. Author Joe Aston's book The Chairman's Lounge alleged that Albanese called then-CEO Alan Joyce asking for flight upgrades. His office said he had “not ever” done so and that all travel was declared and on the public record. No finding has gone against him, so it stays a claim and a denial.
Now the harm check, and here's the asterisk. After 2022 Labor promised to wind back religious schools' ability to expel or sack LGBTQ+ students and staff, then he reportedly told caucus he'd only move with Peter Dutton's support. Equality Australia's CEO called that a “crushing blow”. On the record he has consistently voted for same-sex marriage, but only a mixed 55% on transgender rights and protections, per They Vote For You.
On the planet he's mixed. He has voted consistently for a carbon price and the Paris Agreement, but his government gave conditional approval to Woodside's North West Shelf extension in 2025. He said gas has “an important role to play” in the transition, while Vanuatu's climate minister warned approval would break international law and the Greens accused him of appeasing fossil fuel donors.
On migrants and hate, he's clearly on the right side. He told Hanson's push for a monocultural Australia that “Modern Australia is not a monoculture, and never has been.” After the Bondi Hanukkah shooting in December 2025 he announced a package of legislative reforms to crack down on hate, and he has consistently voted for criminalising hate speech and hate symbols. He also admitted “Governments aren't perfect” on what more could have been done.