Anthony Albanese, Jacinda Ardern Trade Aus & NZ Vinyl At First Meeting

Music fan Anthony Albanese, aka the Australian Prime Minister, and New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern have met for the first time as leaders of their respective countries, converging for talks in Sydney and discussing important matters backed by what we can only imagine is a killer soundtrack.

Sure, global political issues such as economic shock, stagflation and the ripple effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are all pressing, but what are the best Australian and New Zealand albums?

Ardern has taken to social media to describe a wholesome exchange of vinyl between the two.

The Kiwi leader will fly home with Midnight Oil, Spiderbait and Powderfinger albums, while Albanese adds Aldous Harding, The Clean, Reb Fountain and AK79 to his collection.

Not a bad selection from Albanese, although there are a few additions to the list we'd like to make...

"Just finished up a lovely dinner with the new Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese. He was kind enough to gift me Midnight Oil, Spiderbait and Powderfinger on vinyl, so we left him with a few Flying Nun treats in return," Ardern shared.

"Looking forward to the formal meeting we have scheduled for tomorrow, there’s a lot on the agenda!"

The Australian Labor Party has made a strong stance on arts in Australia, with new Minister for the Arts Tony Burke declaring that "the nine-year political attack on the arts and entertainment sector is now over," in his first statement in the position.

He continued to say, "I am determined to deliver a better future for Australia’s creative sector. These are important jobs that deliver the essentials of Australian culture. This is a sector that has been hit hard by COVID-19 and rebuilding will take time. I don’t intend to waste a moment."