Jodie Haydon earned the nickname Australia’s unofficial ‘First Lady’ after the 2022 election, but after accepting Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s romantic Valentine’s Day proposal, she’s about to become official.
The 45-year-old trade unionist watched him work hard in the opposition for two years before taking power, supporting him through the highest and lowest moments during their four-year relationship.
The couple met in 2020, at a time when Albanese was recovering from a painful and unexpected divorce.
Four years on, and as the Prime Minister reaches his political peak with his popular Stage Three fiscal adjustments, they have announced their commitment.
Here’s everything you need to know about Mr Albanese’s biggest fan.
Anthony Albanese proposed to his partner Jodie Haydon and she said yes
Mrs Haydon and Mr Albanese walk through the hostel grounds after announcing their engagement.
Haydon shows off her engagement ring
Who is Jodie Haydon?
Ms Haydon was born in Bankstown, west of Sydney, to parents who were schoolteachers and grew up on the New South Wales central coast.
He dropped out of university and began a career in the retirement industry, where he worked for 20 years in various banking and finance positions.
She now works as a women’s officer at the New South Wales Public Services Association.
In addition to her career, she also took over as Chief Patron of the National Portrait Gallery in August 2022, replacing Jenny, the wife of former Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
The position is a customary honor for spouses of prime ministers and Haydon’s appointment was revealed in the prime minister’s register of interests.
In mid-2023, she also took on a new role as an Ambassador for Redkite, a charity supporting families affected by childhood cancer.
Redkite offers emotional, financial and practical help for families who have a child under 18 living with cancer.
Anthony Albanese with his son Nathan (left) and Jodie Haydon
How did Jodie Haydon and Anthony Albanese meet?
The once-divorced prime minister met Haydon in early 2020 at a conference in Melbourne where the then-opposition leader was speaking.
Albanese asked the crowd if there were any other South Sydney fans present and financial worker Ms Haydon, who lives in her electorate of Grayndler, shouted: “Up with the Rabbitohs.”
He later introduced himself and they decided to go for a drink when they got back to Sydney.
He courted his new girlfriend with a Night out at Young Henrys Brewery in Newtown.
Anthony Albanese says goodbye to Jodie Haydon before leaving for a visit to Ukraine in 2022
During her tenure, Jodie has been by Anthony Albanese every step of the way, earning her the nickname “Australia’s First Lady.”
‘We had what I thought would just be a drink at Young Henry’s in Newtown, and we got on really well. That’s how it started,” she told Women’s Weekly.
Father-of-one Albanese had recently separated from his ex-wife Carmel Tebbutt after 19 years of marriage and 30 years together.
Albanese admitted he “didn’t see it coming” when Tebbutt decided to end their marriage on New Year’s Day 2019.
“I needed to stop trying to understand it and just accept it and accept that it was a decision that had been made and that she was moving on with her life in a different direction and I needed to do the same,” he said.
“You can tie yourself in knots trying to understand another person’s decisions and thought processes.”
Albanese and his ex-wife Carmel Tebbutt, former deputy premier of New South Wales. The potential future prime minister said he “didn’t see it coming” when Tebbutt ended her marriage on New Year’s Day 2019.
Anthony Albanese’s ex-wife Carmel took care of his dog Toto during the 2022 election campaign
The moment Jodie Haydon fell in love with Anthony Albanese
Haydon, who has never been married or had children, said she was not looking for a relationship, but realized she had fallen in love with Albanese when he was in a car accident in January 2021.
His Toyota was hit by a Range Rover and he was rushed to hospital for x-rays, but he was not seriously injured.
Haydon recalled arriving at the crash scene in Marrickville after a phone call and seeing her boyfriend’s wrecked car.
“I saw the car wreck before I saw him and I thought ‘I couldn’t survive this.'” “He was very scary and in that moment you realize how much you love this person – the fear of losing them,” he said.
“When I jumped into the ambulance and saw Anthony, I knew the depth of my feelings for him.”
Anthony Albanese is pictured kissing Jodie Haydon at the China Doll restaurant in Sydney’s Woolloomoolo Wharf in 2020.
After the accident, Haydon was by her side as she embarked on a fitness quest, losing a staggering 18kg in less than a year by cutting out carbs, increasing her exercise and giving up alcohol for three months.
‘I am very proud of Anthony’s discipline and motivation to improve his health. This was a decision we made a while ago, after a near-death experience, to make the most of life and have every opportunity to be healthy and happy.’
“As his partner, I have seen how exhausting life as a politician can be, it is completely exhausting both mentally and physically.”
Haydon said he hopes all Australians try to take care of themselves as best they can and that Albanese’s lifestyle changes can motivate others to follow his example.
“I hope his actions can inspire others to do the same.”
What are Jodie Haydon’s political views?
Haydon supports the Labor Party and has been a member “on and off” since he was thirty.
In the past, she had stated that she wanted to avoid making political comments as an associate of the Prime Minister, but used her LinkedIn account to freely air her progressive views.
He called for the date of Australia Day to be changed, with one post saying: “Sovereignty has never been ceded.” “It always was, always will be Aboriginal land.”
She has also advocated for teacher pay rises, supported asylum seekers, and described outspoken feminist Grace Tame as inspirational among her posts.
Ms Haydon advocated in this LinkedIn post for changing the date of Australia Day. Mr Albanese does not share this opinion
Haydon, a signatory to the Women in Super ‘Make Super Fair’ campaign, called on the government in 2019 to make a series of changes to pension rules to protect women and people on low incomes.
He suggested an additional government contribution of $1,000 a year be deposited into the super accounts of people on low incomes to “better support those with inadequate retirement savings”.
Ms Haydon also urged the government to remove the $450 monthly income threshold and also publish a gender impact statement for any changes to the age pension or retirement income policy.
The monthly earnings threshold (the minimum amount an employee must earn before an employer must pay super) was lifted on 1 July 2022.
Now, an employer must pay retirement on all income.
A closer look at the Make Super Fair campaign reveals it is aligned with Albanese’s decision to double the super contribution tax rate from 15 to 30 per cent for the richest 0.5 per cent of Australians.
A campaign mission statement said modeling determined that the additional contributions Haydon proposed would cost approximately $2.7 billion each year and would be targeted specifically to low-income people.
“The majority (of the target group) are women and need help from the government to achieve financial security in retirement,” the campaign stated.
“It is estimated that the Government spends $30 billion annually on super tax concessions and the majority of current super tax concessions are paid to high-income earners, who do not need government help to achieve a comfortable retirement.”