What was claimed
Anthony Albanese has announced he plans to resign as Prime Minister of Australia soon.
Our verdict
False. There is no public record of him making any such announcement.
AAP FACTCHECK - A viral claim that Anthony Albanese has announced imminent plans to resign as prime minister is false.
AAP FactCheck could find no credible reports to support the claim.
A September 6, 2026, Facebook post claims Mr Albanese said, "I’M STEPPING ASIDE SOON".
"ALBANESE DELIVERS THE SHOCK THAT HAS THROWN CANBERRA INTO TURMOIL," the post reads.
It includes a photo of the prime minister with a banner that reads: "'I WILL BE LEAVING SOON' ANTHONY ALBANESE REVEALS PLANS TO STEP DOWN AS PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA."
The photo of Mr Albanese was taken by an AAP photographer at a press conference in Sydney in May 2019.
However, the claim and associated quotes are fictional.
The prime minister's official website has no media statements or transcripts matching the claim or quotes.
Mr Albanese was asked on 7NEWS podcast The Issue in April whether he planned to leave the role of prime minister voluntarily (timestamp 31 minutes eight seconds).
In a lengthy answer, the prime minister responded that he intended to contest the 2028 federal election (timestamp 33:14).
"I don't have a plan beyond getting to the budget, getting to the rest of this term," he said in the interview.
"I intend certainly to be a candidate at the 2028 election."
7NEWS separately reported that Mr Albanese said that he would step down when he "stops growing as a person".
"Then I'll know it is time to watch the footy every Saturday rather than do this job," he reportedly said.
However, this quote does not appear in the podcast that aired or the official transcript of the interview.
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