Anthony Albanese was spotted being wined and dined by Dan Andrews in a luxury Melbourne restaurant just days before he was due to meet Donald Trump.
The pair were pictured tucking in to a long lunch last Wednesday at the upmarket eatery Gimlet at Cavendish House in Melbourne’s CBD.
They reportedly caught up over several hours while enjoying drinks as their security detail kept a discrete eye.
Footage of the two leaders, first published by the Herald Sun, showed both men chatting and looking relaxed in open-neck shirts.
Albanese was helped into his overcoat by a member of staff before leaving by a side entrance, while the former Victorian Premier picked up the bill.
The high-end restaurant, where half a southern rock lobster baked in saffron and sauce rouille costs a cool $320, plays frequent host to celebrities and world leaders.
Former US President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle dined there during his speaking tour in 2023, while pop star Harry Styles was also spotted in the restaurant during the Melbourne leg of his tour in the same year.
Albanese and Andrews are old friends and once shared a flat together in Canberra in the late 1990s.
Anthony Albanese was spotted being wined and dined by Dan Andrews in a luxury Melbourne restaurant just days before he was due to meet Donald Trump
The pair were pictured tucking in to a long lunch last Wednesday at the upmarket eatery Gimlet at Cavendish House in Melbourne’s CBD
‘Daniel Andrews is a friend of mine and he’s been a friend of mine for a long period of time,’ Albanese told 3AW in February.
‘We shared, famously, shared a flat for a little while in Canberra when he was a staffer.’
However, the lunch may not sit well with some, as Andrews remains a deeply divisive figure in Victoria.
The former premier has effectively been banned from several Melbourne businesses and social venues due to ongoing resentment over his hardline leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Among his critics is former AFL player Paul Dimattina, who owns Lamaro’s Hotel in South Melbourne.
He told Daily Mail Australia Andrews was not welcome at his venue, slamming the prolonged lockdowns that crippled small businesses and the hospitality sector.
Mr Dimattina said Andrews was ‘easily the most hated person in Victoria’.
The backlash hasn’t been limited to restaurants.
Albanese and Andrews are old friends and once shared a flat together in Canberra in the late 1990s
Jim Penman, founder of the Jim’s Mowing franchise, also announced Andrews was banned from using any of their services, urging franchisees to follow suit.
Mr Penman went so far as to say Andrews should consider leaving the state altogether.
The long lunch with Andrews came just days before Albanese flew abroad for a week of meetings with world leaders.
He flew first to Fiji on Friday to meet his ‘dear friend’, the Prime minister of Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka, before he travelled on to Seattle for a meeting of world business leaders.
He is now at the G7 summit in the mountainous Canadian town of Kananaskis where he will cross paths with the US President, just days after the Pentagon announced it was launching a review into the $368bn AUKUS submarine deal.
Albanese was undaunted by the scale of his task as he confirmed the much-anticipated meeting to reporters in Seattle on Saturday, local time.
‘Obviously, there are issues that the US president is dealing with at the moment, but I expect that we will be able to have a constructive engagement,’ he said.
‘We’ll have a discussion as two friends should.’
Albanese said he would raise tariffs and emphasise the importance of the AUKUS security pact.
Both men have already spoken on three occasions but Tuesday’s arrangement is the first time they will meet in person.
Australia is facing 10 per cent tariffs on goods exported to the US and – like all US trading partners except the UK – 50 per cent tariffs on aluminium and steel sent to America.
Supplies of critical minerals and access to the Australian market for US beef could be used as bargaining chips during the talks.
Albanese did not want to make ‘grand declarations’ prior to the meeting, but he reiterated he would put forward Australia’s interests.
‘It is also in the interests of the United States for Australia to be treated appropriately,’ he said.
