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Anthony Albanese has shared a throwback photo with his mother who raised him on his own as he vows to tackle the increasing cost of living.
The snap shows the Labor leader celebrating his 29th birthday in 1992 alongside his single mother Maryanne who died of a brain aneurysm ten years later.
Mr Albanese grew up in social housing in Camperdown, inner-west Sydney where his mother lived on a disability pension due chronic arthritis.
The Labor leader (right) grew up in social housing with his single mum (left) in Sydney
Mr Albanese has been pointing out high petrol prices in a series of Twitter posts in recent days
He believed his Italian father Carlo Albanese was dead until he was 15 and only met him at age 46 in 2009, seven years after his mother died.
Mr Albanese posted the throwback picture on Tuesday in a Twitter post intended to show he knows how hard life can be when money is tight.
'Growing up, we didn't have a lot of money to splash around. I was brought up by my mum, who was on a disability pension. So when the price of anything went up, we noticed. That's when you had to start making choices,' he wrote.
'Whether you can go away for the holidays. Whether you can afford new clothes for the school year. For too many families, this is happening today. The price of everything is going up, but wages are going nowhere.'
Although he had a modest upbringing, Mr Albanese has earned at least $140,000 a year (in today's money) since becoming an MP in 1996. He currently earns $390,820 as Leader of the Opposition.
Federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese (right) with his mother Maryanne Ellery and son Nathan
In the year to September inflation in Australia rose by three per cent - less than Europe and the US but still a significant figure, especially for low and middle income families.
Alcohol and tobacco prices increased 4.4 per cent and petrol prices soared 24 per cent to new record highs due to increasing global demand for oil after Covid lockdowns.
Mr Albanese has been pointing this out in a series of Twitter posts where he has invited concerned voters to share pictures of high petrol prices that have reached over $2 a litre in some areas.