Prime Ministers Athony Albanese and Jacinda Ardern trade vinyl records after meeting in Sydney

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese traded records with New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern after meeting in Sydney this week.

The pair met for dinner in the New South Wales capital last night (June 9), ahead of formal meetings today. Taking to Instagram after the dinner, Ardern shared photos of Albanese with some new vinyl from New Zealand label Flying Nun, including releases from Aldous Harding, The Clean, Reb Fountain, and the label’s own compilation album ‘AK79’.

“Just finished up a lovely dinner with the new Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese,” she wrote. “He was kind enough to gift me Midnight Oil, Spiderbait and Powderfinger on vinyl, so we left him with a few Flying Nun treats in return.”

It’s the first official meeting for the Prime Ministers since Albanese’s Labor party won the recent Australian election, taking over from Scott Morrison’s Liberal government. Ardern is the first foreign leader to visit Australia since Labor’s victory last month.

As reported by the ABC, it’s expected that the two leaders will discuss topics including climate change, the conflict in Ukraine, and China’s recent activities in the Pacific, including its security deal with the Solomon Islands.

Last week, Billy Bragg shared his support for Albanese on social media, after the Australian Prime Minister quoted the lyrics to his song ‘To Have And To Have Not’ at his first Ministry.

“Some of us just sing about making the world a better place – he now has the responsibility of delivering on that promise,” Bragg wrote alongside a picture of the pair.

“The people have given him a mandate for change – to create a new Australia committed to acting collectively in the common good. I know Albo is the right person for the job. He has a socialism of the heart.”