New York: During his first term in office, the Coalition accused Anthony Albanese of being hooked on international travel. It was a petty attack, ignoring the fact international diplomacy is hard work, not a luxury, and that Albanese’s time spent abroad was about the same as his predecessors. The biggest event on the international relations calendar didn’t even make it into his diary.

Albanese didn’t attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York in his first three years as prime minister, regarding it as less central to Australia’s interests than regional summits like the Pacific Islands Forum and Association of South-East Asian Nations. After being re-elected with a thumping majority in May, Albanese decided now was the time to make his debut at UN headquarters, a gleaming mode

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