World 'cannot expect' US to lead, Albanese says in UN speech

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called on the world's middle powers and smaller countries to stand up alongside the superpowers, in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

In a wide-ranging speech that touched on topics including climate change, the recognition of a Palestinian state, Australia's expulsion of Iranian ambassadors, and more, Albanese warned the world risked being ruled by dictators and war, as he called for the UN to reform how it operated.

"The creation of the international rules-based order owes much to the post-war leadership of the United States of America," Albanese said.

"For the region Australia calls home, that stability has underpinned a generational economic transformation.

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"But we cannot ask – and should not expect - any one nation to uphold the rules or guarantee the security on which all of us depend.

"We all have a role to play in making sure that the system which has enabled the rise of new powers, safeguards the rights and aspirations of every nation big and small."

Albanese took to the podium just hours after sharing a selfie taken with a beaming US President Donald Trump, who yesterday castigated the UN with a bellicose speech in which he warned against immigration and described climate change as a "con job".

This is a breaking news story. More to come...