Albanese: The Good and the Bad

Why the world must get behind UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese—and hold Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to account.

Dichotomies often exist as comparisons, but rarely do they manifest so starkly in public life. It's uncommon for two globally significant figures to share a surname and cultural heritage yet stand worlds apart in what they represent."

But that’s exactly what the world sees with UN Special Rapporteur on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Francesca Albanese, and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese—two figures whose contrasting responses to the Gaza crisis highlight how political posturing can eclipse moral courage.

Globally, the surname Albanese symbolises two radically divergent paths. On one side is Francesca Albanese, whose fearless advocacy has earned her admiration from human rights defenders globally. On the other is Anthony Albanese, whose equivocation and refusal to condemn war crimes in Gaza have drawn sharp criticism and exposed the moral hypocrisy of the so-called Western liberal order.

Francesca Albanese has proven a formidable figure at the UN. Appointed in 2022, she’s the first woman to hold the mandate overseeing human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Her legal expertise, unwavering commitment to international law, and moral clarity have made her one of the most principled voices on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Recently, she authored a landmark report declaring Israel’s actions in Gaza to amount to a plausible case of genocide. She called for targeted sanctions, arms embargoes, and international prosecution. Her work hasn’t been without controversy—drawing fierce attacks from pro-Israel lobby groups and governments seeking to silence criticism under the guise of combating antisemitism.

But the attacks only reinforce the impact of her work. The campaign against her is an inadvertent endorsement of her effectiveness and the threat she poses to those who fear accountability.

Despite the relentless smears, Francesca Albanese has held the line. Her calls for justice are grounded firmly in the Geneva Conventions and the Rome Statute of the ICC. She speaks for the silenced: children buried beneath rubble in Rafah, journalists bombed while reporting, doctors shot in the line of duty. Simply, she speaks where others—particularly those in power—have remained cowardly silent.

Her refusal to equivocate is her greatest strength. “What we’re witnessing isn’t just a war—it’s the destruction of a people,” she said in Geneva earlier this year. “States that continue to provide weapons to Israel while watching this unfold are complicit.”

While many Western leaders—including Anthony Albanese—have dodged, delayed, or deflected questions on Palestine, Francesca Albanese has placed international law and moral integrity front and centre. By doing so, she’s become a target not just for online harassment and disinformation, but for governments that fear the legal implications of her findings.

From South Africa to Malaysia, Bolivia to Brazil, and from grassroots movements to veteran diplomats, she’s become a symbol of resistance against impunity. Her work is essential— for Palestine, humanity and the future of international law.

Contrast that with Anthony Albanese, and the difference couldn’t be starker. The Australian PM has disappointed not only Palestinians and their supporters but many within his own progressive base. Promising a more principled foreign policy after the Morrison years, Albanese entered office pledging to restore Australia's moral standing on the world stage.

Instead, he’s presided over one of the most morally vacant responses to the Gaza crisis in the Western world.

While the death toll in Gaza at 400,000—many of whom are children—Albanese's government abstained on key UN resolutions calling for an immediate ceasefire. He’s refused to condemn Israel’s bombing of hospitals and refugee camps, failed to support South Africa’s genocide case at the ICJ. And under pressure from lobby groups, launched a campaign of fear against Australians who support Palestine—going so far as to consider anti-BDS legislation.

In May, Foreign Minister Penny Wong reinstated funding to UNRWA—only after months of delay and international pressure, despite an internal review finding no wrongdoing. Meanwhile, the government has failed to address Australian arms manufacturers supplying parts for weapons used by Israel.

Where Francesca Albanese has used her platform to speak the truth, Anthony Albanese has used his to avoid it.

His refusal to call out war crimes in Gaza undermines Australia’s international credibility. It places Australia on the wrong side of history—aligned not with the victims of injustice, but with the perpetrators. His unwavering support for “Israel’s right to defend itself,” even as entire neighbourhoods in Gaza are flattened, echoes the tired justifications used to enable Western-backed violence for decades.

What’s disturbing is that these two figures—who share a surname by coincidence—symbolise opposite global legacies. One embodies the pursuit of justice and accountability. The other, political convenience and moral cowardice.

Francesca Albanese is a voice for justice. She’s a reminder international law means nothing if it can’t protect the most vulnerable. Anthony Albanese, however, has been a disappointment—a leader whose silence in the face of mass atrocity makes a mockery of his progressive credentials.

The world must stand behind Francesca Albanese. Her work is critical in an age where legal institutions are under siege by powerful states seeking impunity. Supporting her isn’t just about Palestine—it’s about defending dignity, justice, and the rule of law.

History will remember Francesca Albanese as a truth-teller. Whether Anthony Albanese is remembered as a leader of moral courage—or cowardice—remains to be seen.