Anthony Albanese says Australia’s UN Security Council bid could help ease cost of living and inflation

Australia having a seat at the United Nations Security Council will be able to help with the cost of living back home, the prime minister insists.

Anthony Albanese launched a formal bid for Australia to serve a two-year term on powerful UN body in 2029 and 2030.

A vote for the spot won’t be held until mid 2028, but lobbying efforts will intensify during the prime minister’s visit to New York for the UN General Assembly.

The prime minister said Australia’s role on the council would be able to benefit ordinary citizens.

“Engagement with the world matters. It matters because it makes a difference to the cost of living, to inflation, to Australians’ way of life,” he told reporters in New York on Monday, Australian time.

“That is why we can’t afford to not be engaged with the world, because it has a direct impact on the quality of life of Australians on a day-to-day basis.

“We have an opportunity through this potential seat on the UN Security Council to play a key role in shaping the global issues that really matter to Australians.”

Australia has served on the security council five times since the UN was established following World War II.

The most recent stint was in 2013 and 2014, where Australia was able to lead a response to the Russian downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

Mr Albanese said the role Australia played during that period was evidence of what a spot on the council could achieve.

“We do need to stand up to the Middle East conflict. I think there is a role for middle powers to engage, and Australia has done that as we’ve engaged with the war in Ukraine in the coalition of the willing,” he said.

Two countries are elected to the security council from the Western Europe and Others Group, which includes Australia.

So far, only Australia and Finland have put their hands up for a spot on the council, but other countries from the bloc could still launch bids.

Even if the two countries run unopposed, Australia would still need support from two-thirds of the 193 UN member states to be successful.

Of the 15 members on the security council, China, France, the US, UK and Russia are permanent members, while the remainder serve two-year terms.

The prime minister said he was optimistic of getting support from Pacific nations, as well as Southeast Asian countries in the ASEAN pact.

Part of the campaign will seek to leverage Australia’s role in the Pacific and action on climate change in the region.

The campaign, called “we listen, we partner, we protect” will also focus on aiming to boost the voices of middle powers and smaller nations in the UN.

Action taken by Australia to be the first country in the world to ban people under 16 from using social media will be at the forefront of the campaign, as well as recent efforts to place guardrails on the expanding use of AI.

Mr Albanese also unveiled former News Corp head of broadcasting Siobhan McKenna as Australia’s next consul-general to New York.

Ms McKenna is currently the chair of Australia Post and has also had a role as chair of the NBN.

She will take up the role later in the year.

“Siobhan is someone who will bring a great deal of financial and economic capacity to the role,” Mr Albanese said.