ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Thanks for joining us. Today, Australia pauses to remember the 35 people whose lives and futures were stolen from them at Port Arthur 30 years ago. We think of everyone whose world was shattered by the loss of those innocent victims. We think of, and thank again, the first responders, and we think of the broader Tasmanian community as well. We think of Walter Mikac, who channelled his devastating loss into a call for national action on gun law reform.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will welcome the Prime Minister of Japan, Her Excellency Sanae Takaichi, to Australia from Sunday 3 May to Tuesday 5 May 2026.

This will be Prime Minister Takaichi’s first official visit to Australia since taking office.

This year marks 50 years since the signing of the Basic Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Australia and Japan – the foundation for our relationship of trust and friendship today.

The Albanese Government is taking the next step to ensure Australian journalism is sustainable now and into the future.

Draft legislation to establish a News Bargaining Incentive (NBI) is now available for consultation.

The proposed legislation addresses a limitation in the long-standing News Media Bargaining Code which allows digital platforms to avoid their obligations by removing news from their service.

I am pleased to announce I intend to recommend to the Governor-General that she appoint Ms Meghan Quinn PSM as Secretary of the Department of Defence.

This is a historic appointment with Ms Quinn becoming the first woman to substantively hold the position of Secretary of the Department of Defence.

Ms Quinn has a distinguished career as a senior leader in the Australian Public Service and is currently the Secretary of the Department of Industry, Science and Resources.

Thirty years after the Port Arthur massacre, the terrible, indiscriminate cruelty of that day remains beyond understanding. 

Australia pauses today to remember the 35 people whose lives and futures were so pitilessly stolen from them just because they happened to be there.

We think of everyone whose world was shattered by the loss of those who had been the bright centre of their lives, their love left desperately wrapped around an absence. 

On Anzac Day, we pause to carve out a sacred moment from the noise of daily life and, together, acknowledge our debt to Australians who have gone to war in our name.

In every corner of the world made hallow by our fallen, and at marches and war memorials across Australia, from the biggest cities to the smallest country town, we gather in respect and reflection, gratitude and reverence, solemnity and pride.

Every Anzac Day, we pause to carve out a sacred moment from the routines of daily life and, in solemnity and pride, come together as a nation to acknowledge our debt to Australians who have gone to war in our name.

At war memorials across our continent, from the biggest cities to the smallest country town, Australians begin gathering before first light. We gather in respect and reflection, gratitude and reverence. And we gather in every corner of the world made hallow by the sacrifice of our fallen – from Kokoda to the Western Front to the Dardanelles.

On Anzac Day, we pause to acknowledge the debt all of us owe to Australians who have gone to war in our name.

Across our continent, from the biggest cities to the smallest country town, and in every corner of the world made hallow by the sacrifice of our fallen, we gather in respect, reflection, gratitude and pride.

One hundred and eleven years after the first Gallipoli landing, Anzac Day has come to stand for every generation of Australians who have served.

TIM LESTER, HOST: To answer our questions, who better than the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, welcome to The Issue. 

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good to be with you. 

LESTER: You're a newlywed in The Lodge. Now that's unique in and of itself. So, how is newlywed life going for you and Jodie with a war on in the Middle East and the threat of a global recession and everything else you've got to deal with for your day job?

The Albanese and Rockliff Governments are protecting jobs and critical manufacturing capability at Liberty Bell Bay during its administration process.  

EY have formally accepted both Governments offer to jointly provide a $3 million loan, on a 50:50 basis, to support workers while administrator EY continues to conduct an expedited sale of the facility.  

This support is about providing workers with more certainty in what has been a very difficult time for the community.