'I asked on the balcony': PM reveals Lodge proposal to Jodie Haydon

Mr Albanese has become the first Australian prime minister to get engaged while in office after proposing to his long-term partner on Wednesday night after a quick dinner at the highly-rated Canberra restaurant, Italian and Sons.

No wedding date has been set, while congratulations have flown thick and fast including in Federal Parliament where Opposition Leader Peter Dutton referred to the impending nuptials as "our version of the Royal Wedding".

The couple addressed the media at The Lodge after question time on Thursday, Ms Haydon sporting a diamond engagement ring designed by Mr Albanese.

"It is such a joy to be able to share this news with people. It is wonderful I found a partner who I want to spend the rest of my life with," Mr Albanese said.

"Last night was a very great occasion here at The Lodge. We could not be more happy."

Ms Haydon acknowledged the intense interest and well-wishes from around the world.

"I just want to thank everybody for such warm congratulations today from our friends to our family, from people that we don't know. It's just been overwhelming. Beautiful," she said.

Asked cheekily if there would be an "election wedding", the couple laughed with Ms Haydon pointing to the announcement being less than 24 hours old while Mr Albanese said: "We are living in the moment.

"I put down a lot of planning and thought went into everything from the date, obviously, Valentine's Day, and the ring that I helped to design and where to do it?

"I asked on the balcony of one of the balconies here at The Lodge. We will now have those discussions between us which I think people would understand and sort out those details but we just want to live in the moment at this point."

Earlier, the couple dined at the Braddon restaurant Italian and Sons, with co-owner Pasquale Trimboli, regarding the Valentine's Day booking for a politician on a sitting day as "really unusual".

He said the Prime Minister posed for a selfie, but did not give the game away as the couple was tucked away for privacy in a restaurant corner.

"I even had a chat with Mr Albanese and said, 'I suppose you'll be going back to work tomorrow' and all that sort of thing," he said.

"And he's made a little comment, 'Oh yeah, yeah it's business as usual tomorrow' and, you know, 'back to work' and obviously he had a lot of things on his mind and he seemed quite pensive and a little bit, you know, a quick dinner. And obviously, he had a lot of other things going on."

Italian and Sons is a top Canberra restaurant popular with politicians and political staff, while it is on the same Braddon street where Barnaby Joyce had his late-night mishap last week with a planter box.

Mr Trimboli said Lonsdale Street had "really been put on the map in the last seven days."

"It's an honour to be part of folklore history in a way, isn't it? It'll be in the history books, let's put it that way," he said.

"It is not often that you get the Prime Minister to dine in your restaurant prior to an engagement. First ever as well."

This will be Ms Haydon's first marriage, while Mr Albanese was previously married to former NSW deputy premier, Carmel Tebbutt.

Tony Burke was there when the couple met in 2019 at a function in Melbourne where Ms Haydon professed her love for Mr Albanese's beloved South Sydney Rabbitohs NRL team.

"The PM went over to say 'hi' and we are where we are now," the minister told the ABC.

Mr Dutton has congratulated the couple and jested in Parliament that he would do "whatever it takes" to get to what he called "our version of the Royal Wedding".

"I will be there, throwing roses out in front of you, Prime Minister. Whatever it takes to get an invite to the gala wedding," he said.

Treasurer Jim Chalmers described Mr Albanese and Ms Haydon as "two great people in a wonderful loving relationship", while Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who recently became engaged herself, said: "Love is a beautiful thing. I'm so happy for you both!"