The Prime Minister had made a sure-footed start. His travels met some carping but few would seriously doubt relationships with the Pacific island nations needed to be repaired.
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And the war in Ukraine might seem a long way away, but it might yet draw Australia in if it expands, so Mr Albanese's travels to Europe were justified, too.
But he is discovering (if he didn't know already) that political honeymoons don't last long for new governments.
Saturday's hastily-convened meeting of the national cabinet revealed some tensions.
Some momentum had built among Labor MPs and some state leaders to reverse the government's decision to halt the $750 payments to workers who had to isolate due to COVID.
Technically, it was a Coalition decision, but Mr Albanese's government initially decided not to extend the stop date beyond the end of June - and then changed its mind.
Money was the reason for ending the payment in the first place. The disaster payment that ended on June 30 cost nearly $1.9 billion since it was introduced in August 2020.
Times have changed since then. There are vaccines and there are anti-viral drugs to soften the symptoms of COVID. Through the wondrous efforts of scientists, it is no longer the death sentence it once seemed.
The rationale for keeping the payment is strong - but not as strong as it was. But there are still reasons why a payment may be desirable.
Without it, infected workers with mild symptoms might choose to hide their illness for fear of losing income. They may be tempted to keep working, so endangering those they meet during their daily lives.
It may be that Mr Albanese needed to reverse his decision on these grounds, but he also needs to remember the rationale for many other spending programs is also strong.
Labor governments are sometimes accused of being spend-thrift. To get elected, they have to convince voters they can keep a tight rein on public finances.
Accordingly, Mr Albanese' backtrack should have been because of a sensible rethinking about the payments, not because of political pressure from his own side. It may have been. It's hard to tell.
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Mr Albanese is also under fire from the Greens, who are already saying the government's efforts to curb climate change are less than satisfactory.
He will not satisfy all demands, but if he wants to succeed, he has to stand up to them.
His reversal is a worrying sign that he has not done that.
