The Albanese Government will invest $10 million to support upgrades to the Birthing, Maternity and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Royal Darwin Hospital, ensuring Territory families can continue to access high-quality maternity care close to home.

This investment will increase the hospital’s capacity to meet growing demand while improving the experience of women, babies and families. Following Healthscope’s closure of private maternity services in 2025, an additional 250 babies are expected to be born at Royal Darwin Hospital each year.

MARION SCRYMGOUR, MEMBER FOR LINGIARI: It's great to be here, back home, at Wurrumiyanga. It's always fantastic for me to come back home to my mob on the Tiwi Islands. And it is with great pleasure to be here, both with the Prime Minister and also Minister for Indigenous Australian Malarndirri McCarthy. Also, the Member for Solomon, who has come over to see this great part of my electorate. But I'll now hand over to the Prime Minister.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Can I begin by saying that Islamophobia has no place in Australia. Every Australian deserves to be safe, respected and at home in our country. And what we have seen is a rise in Islamophobic attacks and abuse directed at Muslim Australians. Hate directed at one community, hurts us all. Because our diversity is one of Australia's great strengths. And we won't, as a nation, let hatred divide us. It's clear that we need to do more.

Every Australian deserves to feel safe, respected and at home as they go about their day-to-day lives.

Islamophobia has no place in Australia. Yet, we have seen this evil grow and the number of hateful attacks continuing to steadily rise.

It is not the Australian way, it destroys the character of our nation as a country built on fairness, respect and a fair go. It must stop.

Today, we announce the Albanese Government’s response to the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia’s report – A National Response to Islamophobia. 

HAMISH MACDONALD, HOST: The Prime Minister's here. Very good morning to you.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Good to hear from Dave Faulkner. Not what I was expecting.

MACDONALD: Well, he was pleased, but maybe you could explain for listeners how this will actually work because artists have said, you know, and said many times that they just don't stand a chance when it comes to negotiating with huge companies like Anthropic.

SARAH FERGUSON, HOST: Prime Minister, welcome.

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

FERGUSON: What is driving this switch to more central control of artificial intelligence? Is it voter angst about the impact on their jobs, on their communities, on their safety?

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respect to elders past, present and emerging.

It’s great to be back at Sydney University, a place that holds so many fond memories.

When I was studying economics here in the 1980s, the world was being taught the meaning of economic rationalism. 

Thatcherism in Britain, Reaganomics in the United States.

Yet here in Australia we were making a different choice and moving in a different direction.

The Albanese Labor Government will introduce a world-leading artificial intelligence framework to ensure Australia can capture the opportunity, share the benefits and keep Australians safe.

We will do that the Australian way – without undercutting conditions, dividing communities or damaging our environment.

The Government will introduce a set of Australian Standards for AI, building on the Data Centre Expectations, with our values as the benchmark to ensure AI works in Australia’s interests.

It is an incredible honour for me to be here today in the Sydney Opera House to celebrate the life of Richard Scolyer AO.

United within the walls of one great national treasure to celebrate the life of another national treasure. And what a truly remarkable life it was.

In the great constellation of the Australian story, Richard was without question one of our bright stars.

A medical revolutionary in the service of humanity.

A man of courage, curiosity, generosity and kindness.

A man grounded in the love of his family.

The Albanese Labor Government is strengthening skills and training for Australians – with Free TAFE enrolments surging past 800,000.

Since the Government established Free TAFE in 2023 there have been more than 814,000 course enrolments, with strong growth in enrolment and course completion numbers across the country in qualifications that are building the numbers of skilled workers in priority industries – including nursing, aged care, construction, cyber security and early childhood education.