Anthony Albanese says he is bringing “Australian character” to his Prime Ministership, making light of wearing a T-shirt when disembarking from an aeroplane after a recent meeting with Donald Trump in Washington.
Addressing the media on the last day of the APEC summit in South Korea, Mr Albanese said the Aussie way appealed to world leaders — including the US president — whom he met in Washington last week and sat next to during a dinner at the summit on Wednesday.
“We have got on very well in the phone conversations that we’ve had as well,” Mr Albanese said of Mr Trump.
“I deal with people on an equal basis.
“I think Australians are like that.
“And I bring the Australian character to my Prime Ministership.”
Asked what the Australian character was, Mr Albanese replied: “I think we’re all a bit different, but we’re all pretty relaxed, and we’re all straight talking.
“We’re less formal than some cultures.
“That’s the truth. Some of us even wear T-shirts when we get off planes.”
Liberal leader Sussan Ley this week attacked Mr Albanese for being snapped in a Joy Division tee after he disembarked at Sydney Airport last week.
She claimed the origins of the name of the band were steeped in antisemitism.
“The name (of the band) was taken from a wing of a Nazi concentration camp where Jewish women were forced into sexual slavery,” Ms Ley said, in comments not supported by all of her frontbench.
It has been a triumphant few weeks on the world stage for the Australian Prime Minister.
Mr Albanese has been widely praised for his visit to the White House, which resulted in the two leaders signing a multibillion-dollar deal to give the US greater access to Australia’s critical minerals reserves.
After the two leaders sat next to each other at a dinner in South Korea, Mr Trump was again full of praise for his seemingly new Aussie bestie.
“We’re working together on rare earths, but we’re working on a lot of things together, and it’s all working out very well,” Mr Trump said of Mr Albanese.
Apart from formal and informal meetings with Mr Trump, Mr Albanese has also in South Korea managed to speak to Chinese president Xi Jinping on the side lines of the APEC summit.
Australia continues to tread the political tight rope with China, joining hands with the US and the UK in an AUKUS deal aimed at improving security in the Indo-Pacific.
At the same time, China is a major trading partner of the nation – also WA’s biggest trading partner as a huge importer of iron ore.
“They’re a major economy,” Mr Albanese said of China.
“They’re Australia’s major trading partner.
“It’s an important relationship for Australia.
“If we look at our exports, about 30 per cent go to China. It is in Australia’s interest to engage with China.”
https://thewest.com.au/politics/anthony-albanese-claims-donald-trump-likes-his-aussie-character-while-defending-joy-division-shirt-c-20543860
