After being re-elected with a thumping majority in May, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese decided now was the time to make his debut at UN headquarters, a gleaming modernist complex beside the East River in midtown Manhattan.

Albanese’s trip aimed to both deepen Australia’s involvement at the UN, positioning Australia as a good global citizen and enhancing its status on the world stage. Second, to build ties with Donald Trump’s conservative-populist administration and secure his first meeting with the US president.

USSC Director of Foreign Policy and Defence Dr Lavina Lee is quoted in this article in the Sydney Morning Herald saying, “We should view ourselves as more than a middle power. That’s a big bugbear for me.”