Who is ‘Albo’?

“Albanese’s story has now become an international symbol of social redemption, tenacity and political passion. As a son who grew up in a rented flat…” – Corrieri Bari.

Many Italians were interned as enemy aliens by the Curtin Labor government during the Second World War in Australia. While Anthony Albanese has publicly acknowledged his Italian ancestry, he has never made a public statement about the injustice of the internment of Italians as enemy aliens and fascists by the Curtin Labor government during the Second World War.

A photo taken on the cruise ship: from the right, Maryanne with her brother and friends; standing on the left, Carlo Albanese. Anthony Albanese is Maryanne and Carlo’s son.

Albanese’s father, Carlo Albanese, was born in Barletta, in the region of Apulia (Puglia), Italy, on 2 November 1931. The birth date and place are supported by his conscription record (lista di leva) provided below.

It identifies:
Name: Carlo Albanese
Date of birth: 2 November 1931
Place of birth: Barletta
Father: Ruggiero Albanese
Mother: Annunziata Francesca

Barletta Mayor Cosimo Damiano Cannito renewed his invitation to Anthony Albanese to return to his father’s birthplace and, at the same time, announced his intention to confer honorary citizenship upon him. This initiative had already been set out in an official letter sent in 2022 to the Australian Embassy in Italy, and is now becoming more concrete. – Corrieri Bari.

Barletta is a historic port city on the Adriatic coast of northern Puglia where Carlo was born in 1931. It was part of the Kingdom of Italy under the Fascist government of Benito Mussolini. Carlo spent his early childhood under Fascist rule, during the Second World War, and reached military age in the early years of the post-war Italian Republic. There is no evidence that Albo’s father was a fascist.

During the late 1940s/early 1950s, Carlo came of age in the new Italian Republic; a period of compulsory military service. In 1962 Albo’s father worked as an assistant steward aboard the TSS Fairsky, where he met Maryanne Ellery. Anthony Albanese was born in Sydney in 1963

So Barletta was a town ruled by Fascism during Carlo Albanese’s childhood. Thousands of Italian migrants to Australia were interned under extremely harsh conditions by the Curtin Labor government. The authorities claimed they were fascists even though the youngest was only 16 years of age.

Social fascism in Australia under the White Australia policy?

Lives of women and children during internment of their Italian husbands and fathers. Some of the women fought back by going out cutting cane’.  Alex: ‘the grade 7 kids all came to help plant the cane’ Rosa the chop-chop machine: ‘That was a dangerous bloody thing’ Anna ‘I couldn’t turn in time and 1 left the tractor there balancing like this, above the creek’ Gemma C Q ‘the black car cruising around with the gadget on the roof picking up any sounds if you had, you know, a wireless or whatever’
Cristina David Rowe, “Fashion in the Field”, 2015. One of the all-women cane cutter gangs (Halifax) in North Queensland. Mercer Lane, Ingham laneway project led by Karen Venables, JK’s Deli, Ingham. (all names are pseudonyms)

The Italians interned in concentration camps during World War II were abandoned by the Catholic Church, despite a large Italian-speaking community and prominent leaders such as Daniel Mannix and James Duhig holding considerable public influence. James Duhig supported Mussolini’s invasion of Abyssinia in 1936 – 37.

No attempt was made to intern James Duhig, despite his support for Fascist Italy. When Labor’s Arthur Calwell became Minister for Immigration on 2 February 1945, Italian Australians were still being interned, although the numbers had begun to decline.

Ian Curr, 8 July 2026

Here are the relevant parts of Prime Minister Albanese’s family tree:

Carlo Albanese
    Born: 2 November 1931
    Barletta, Italy
    Died: 2014, Barletta

    Education/early life:
    • Raised in Barletta during the Fascist era and post-war transition

    Military:
    • Italian national military service — probable
      Estimated period: early 1950s
      (exact dates, unit and rank not known)

    Civil occupations:
    • Assistant steward, TSS Fairsky (1962)
      Sitmar Line passenger ship
    • Later reported employment in Italy:
        – school caretaker/janitor
        – maître d’ in a restaurant

    Marriage:
    • Married in Italy, 1963
    • Wife’s name private

    Children:
    • Son (private)
    • Daughter (private)

Relationship with:

Maryanne Ellery
Born: Australia, 1936
Died: 2002

    Occupation:
    • Secretary / clerical worker

  Anthony Norman Albanese
        Born: 2 March 1963
        Sydney, Australia

        Occupations:
        • Research officer
        • Labor Party official
        • Member of Parliament for Grayndler (1996–present)
        • Cabinet minister
        • Deputy Prime Minister of Australia (2013)
        • Leader of the Australian Labor Party
        • Prime Minister of Australia (from 2022)

        Married:
       
Carmel Tebbutt
Born: 1964

Occupations:
            • Teacher
            • Community worker
            • NSW Labor politician
            • NSW Minister
            • Deputy Premier of New South Wales (2008–2011)

 Son: Nathan Albanese
                Born: 2000
                Occupation:
                • Private individual

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