‘She Said Yes!’: Australian PM Albanese Engaged to Partner Jodie Haydon

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced on Thursday (Feb. 15) that he proposed to his partner Jodie Haydon.

Albanese took to Instagram to announce his engagement after he posted a selfie with Haydon, saying that he proposed to her on Valentine's Day.

"She said yes," the caption read.

According to the Australian public broadcaster ABC, the prime minister specifically designed the engagement ring. The proposal made Albanese the first Australian prime minister to be engaged while in office.

The ABC also reported that Albanese and Haydon met during a business dinner in Melbourne in 2020.

Albanese was previously in a 19-year marriage that has since ended prior to meeting Haydon. He and his ex-wife share an adult son together.

In a press conference outside The Lodge, the prime minister's official residence in Canberra, Albanese and Haydon expressed their gratitude to the public for their congratulatory remarks.

"We are thrilled and excited to share this news and look forward to spending the rest of our lives together," they told reporters.

The date of the wedding is yet to be determined, Albanese added.

Who is Jodie Haydon?

Haydon is a resident of New South Wales's Central Coast region who had a career in the superannuation industry before she became a women's officer for the New South Wales Public Service Association in 2022.

In a 2022 News Corp interview, she insisted on continuing her own career pursuits and not following her now-fiance in politics.

"My job will be to focus on my day job and allow Anthony to focus on his," she said at the time.

Haydon has previously been outspoken in her support for women's rights and safety, such as backing the Respect@Work report's implementations.

She also accompanied Albanese on his official foreign trips as prime minister, including a trip to Washington last year.

Peter Dutton Congratulates PM Albanese in Parliament

Meanwhile, Australian Opposition Leader Peter Dutton congratulated Albanese's upcoming wedding during Question Time in Canberra's Parliament House.

"We look forward to our version of the royal wedding some time in the future," he said.

When Albanese responded to "[k]eep checking [his] mailbox," he responded that he would do "[w]hatever it takes" to be in the wedding.

"Jodie's a lovely person, so I wish them every happiness," Dutton told Sydney radio station 2GB. "It's obviously a special relationship that they've got, and I wish them every success"

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