Australia launches campaign for two-year seat on UN Security Council

Declaring Australia was “in a pretty strong position” to nab one of the two spots available, the prime minister released a slick video to accompany the campaign in New York on Sunday, local time, where dozens of world leaders were gathering for this year’s UN General Assembly.

While launching the bid, Mr Albanese named former News Corp executive Siobhan McKenna as Australia’s next consul-general in New York, one of the country’s most sought-after postings.

“Siobhan McKenna is a professional, and she will do an outstanding job representing Australia and the Australian government here in New York,” Mr Albanese said.

Ms McKenna — a former top lieutenant of Lachlan Murdoch — is currently the Australia Post chair and will succeed businesswomen Heather Ridout, whose term expires in December.

Campaigning under the banner “We listen. We partner. We protect” for the UNSC seat, Australia plans to leverage its position as a first mover when it comes to online safety and tech regulation, as well as its leadership on climate change, as this year’s COP31 president of negotiations.

Speaking to reporters at the UN headquarters, Mr Albanese said having a seat at the table would enable Australia to influence the way the world responded to emerging challenges, including AI.

“Australia’s voice on the council matters, so we can be a part of shaping some of these biggest issues which are facing the world and our nation,” Mr Albanese said.

On Sunday, Mr Albanese urged the “two giants”, the US and China, to cooperate when it came to AI, as US Donald Trump again dismissed calls to regulate the increasingly powerful technology.

Pre-empting critics at home, Mr Albanese said the campaign would be “very modest” and sought to remind voters that Australia was not immune to global crises, including the conflict in the Middle East, which is hammering Australia’s economy and sending fuel prices soaring.

“That’s why 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 said.

“And 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.”

So far, only Australia and Finland have nominated for the two non-permanent positions on the 15-member council from 2029.

A secret ballot will take place in mid-2028. To succeed, a country must secure a two-thirds majority of UN General Assembly members, or at least 128 votes if all 193 members vote.

“We’re in a pretty strong position. We’re well regarded around the world,” Mr Albanese told Insiders on Sunday.

Australia last held a non-permanent spot in 2014 and used the position to push for an international inquiry into the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, in which 298 passengers and crew were killed, including 38 Australians.

The UNSC is responsible for maintaining international peace and security and seeks to mediate disputes using peaceful methods.

But it persistently faces criticism of its ability to handle global crises, particularly because Russia and China both have veto rights along with the other permanent members.

Mr Albanese acknowledged it was an institution that needed reform and to be made more effective.

But with ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, and rising strategic competition, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said having a seat at the table would give Australia the chance to advocate for a world governed by rules, not by force.

“A safer world is one governed by rules, not power and force alone. Australia’s vision is a world where all countries have the freedom to decide their own future,” Senator Wong said in a statement.

“As an active and ambitious middle power, we have a practical contribution to make to international peace and security.”

“There’s a need for middle powers such as Australia to exercise the influence that we have.”