Former United States President Barack Obama has arrived in Australia — his first visit Down Under in five years.
It’s understood a private jet carrying the 44th president of the US and his wife, Michelle, touched down in Sydney overnight.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese posted a photo of himself beaming alongside former Mr Obama as they stood under umbrellas against the backdrop of a rainy Sydney Harbour on Monday.
The last time Mr Obama, whose presidency ran from 2009 to 2017, visited Australia was in 2018 where he spoke at a private event at the Art Gallery of NSW.
So what are he and his wife Michelle here for this time?
An evening with Barack Obama
Mr Obama is here as part of a speaking tour that is taking in Sydney and Melbourne.
He’s expected to discuss strength in leadership and techniques for navigating an unpredictable future.
The cheapest tickets to the events – An Evening with President Barack Obama cost $195 while premium ticket packages are $895.
Former foreign minister Julie Bishop will moderate the discussions in Sydney on Tuesday night and in Melbourne on Wednesday night.
Heavy security for Barack Obama in Australia
It’s understood Mr Obama was invited to meet Mr Albanese at Kirribilli House.
He addressed the meeting briefly when speaking to media on Monday.
“I had a very positive meeting with [former] president Obama this morning in Sydney, talking about the global economy and what was occurring,” he said.
Mr Obama’s security-heavy entourage was spotted around Sydney on Monday.
The theatre in Sydney’s Darling Harbour which is hosting Mr Obama’s event on Tuesday night has warned patrons to arrive early due to increased security measures being in place.
During Mr Obama’s presidency, which ran from 2009 to 2017, he had four different counterparts in Australia – Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, and Malcolm Turnbull.
Each of them has held speaking events. Last year, Ms Gillard reflected on her iconic not now, not ever speech at an event marking its 10 year anniversary.
Tony Abbott joined the global speakers’ circuit in 2015, Mr Turnbull has spoken about a number of topics around the world including cybersecurity, and Mr Rudd, who has just started work as Australia’s ambassador to the US, has enjoyed a number of paid public speaking engagements in the past.
Life after presidency
Mr Obama has remained active in politics through his support for the Democrats in the US since leaving the White House in 2017.
Along with his wife, he heads up the Obama Foundation, which operates a variety of programs.
