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The next tropical cyclone to develop in Australian waters won't be known as "Anthony" as originally planned.
The Bureau of Meteorology this week shuffled the name to avoid any confusion with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. The next cyclone will be titled "Alfred".
Following Tropical Cyclone Zelia in Western Australia last week the next name on the list was planned to be the prime minister's first name "Anthony".
READ MORE: Chance of tropical cyclone developing off the coast of Queensland
"When a name matches a prominent person of the time, we reorder to the next name starting with that same letter to avoid any confusion, " a bureau spokesperson said.
But the bureau plans to retain the long tradition of alternating alphabetically with male and female names, and the next cyclone will be titled "Alfred".
The moniker could go to the low-pressure system sitting in the Coral Sea off North Queensland, if it grows to tropical cyclone level over the weekend.
The next female name on the list is "Bianca".
Since 1963, the bureau has been christening tropical cyclones in Australia with human names.
READ MORE: Why the Bureau of Meteorology gives human names to tropical cyclones
During the past six decades, some of the most destructive cyclones in Australian history have been named Tracy, Larry, Ada, Glenda, Mahina and Debbie.
Initially, the cyclones were only given female names – with the first official names being Audrey and Bessie in 1964.
The tradition of naming tropical cyclones dates to the 1890s, when Queensland meteorologist Clement Wragge began giving tropical cyclones names in alphabetical order using the Greek alphabet, mythological characters and politicians he didn't like.
But then this practice began to fade and Australia only began doing it again in the 1960s.
After 1975, the bureau broadened its options to include male names.
Authorities decided to name tropical cyclones to raise public awareness of the powerful weather systems and to help the bureau easily communicate information and warnings.
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