GREG CAMPBELL, MAYOR OF CLONCURRY: Good afternoon and welcome to Cloncurry. I’d like introduce and welcome the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to Cloncurry, as well as Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Minister for everything Local Government and Regional Australia, Kristy McBain. And to all of you. This is a fairly huge, significant event that’s been impacting the Cloncurry Shire and the Greater North West region at the moment. A weather event that has dropped over a year’s worth of rainfall in two or three days, and in places [INDISTINCT].

The Albanese and Crisafulli Governments have today committed an additional $38 million towards large-scale disaster recovery efforts for flood affected communities across north-west Queensland.

Targeted investments will be made across programs and projects that will assist the recovery of flood affected farmers and communities, including:

When the first platypus specimen arrived in England around 1799, the scientists at the British Museum thought it was a hoax. They spent hours looking for stitches and glue, trying to prove that this furry, duckbilled, web-footed animal sent from the other side of the world was nothing more than a clever forgery.

The platypus did not fit into any of the old categories that European scientists used to classify every other animal they'd come across.

EMMA MCBRIDE, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND SUICIDE PREVENTION: Thank you everybody for coming here today to The Entrance on the Central Coast of New South Wales. I'm delighted to welcome back the Prime Minister and my good friend and colleague, Dr Gordon Reid, who's joining us after doing a shift in the local ED yesterday. Today is a really significant day when we, what comes into effect, one of our major election commitments.

The Albanese Labor Government is delivering cheaper medicines, 1800MEDICARE and more mental health support for Australians this New Year.

Cheaper medicines

From today, general patients will now pay no more than $25 per PBS script. The last time PBS medicines cost no more than $25 was 2004 – more than 20 years ago.

This is a more than 20 per cent cut in the maximum cost of PBS medicines and will save Australians over $200 million each year.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: I am joined this morning by the AFP Commissioner and Minister Tony Burke. And firstly, I did want to make some comments about natural disasters that are occurring in two places around Australia. Firstly, Tropical Cyclone Hayley has intensified to Category 4, and is located around about 150kms northwest of Broome, with sustained winds of some 165 kilometres per hour. It is expected to potentially reach land this evening.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thank you for joining us. Just over two weeks ago antisemitic terrorists tried to tear our country apart, but our country is stronger than these cowards. They went to Bondi Beach to unleash mass murder against our Jewish community. We need to respond with unity and urgency rather than division and delay. I have just come from another meeting of the National Security Committee here this morning, and today we will release the terms of reference for the Richardson Review conducted by Dennis Richardson.

REVEREND BILL CREWS: Welcome everybody. The biggest press conference I ever did was when John Singleton headbutted somebody in a pub and there was the media everywhere. But it's a bit like that today. But I'd like to welcome you all here and say, the message here for Christmas is in the place where you least expect it, when you least expect it, and who you least expect it from, new hope comes. And that's what happens here.

Today the Labor family mourns one of our great sons. 

Nick Bolkus came to public life as a young man, with a young man’s idealism and sense of urgency, and he held true to those principles and that sense of purpose right through his long and distinguished career.

Fittingly for the first Greek Australian to serve as a Cabinet Minister, Nick Bolkus was a passionate believer in democracy and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

The Albanese Labor Government is delivering on its election commitment to support the critical work of the Reverend Bill Crews Foundation and secure its future in supporting vulnerable Australians.

A new $10 million investment will help Reverend Crews and his team of volunteers provide more free meals, support those impacted by family and domestic violence, and deliver literacy programs for the most vulnerable Australians.