Five years on from the fall of Kabul our thoughts are with the people of Afghanistan, who continue to face violent repression at the hands of the Taliban, as well the Afghan community in Australia and around the world.

We acknowledge the brave contribution and sacrifices made by more than 39,000 Australian Defence Force and civilian personnel who conducted or supported operations in Afghanistan over 20 years.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: It's great to be here in Castle Hill with Minister for Energy and Climate Change Chris Bowen, with a fellow who's known to everyone, Ian Thorpe, a legendary Australian and a brand ambassador for Fox, who are a battery company, with Dave McElrea from the Smart Energy Council, and our host Kunal Kapoor from RKS Energy Solutions.

KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, thanks for your time.

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

GILBERT: Congratulations. It's quite a milestone. You've passed Paul Keating now, and you're the fourth longest-serving Labor Prime Minister in this nation's history. How do you reflect on that milestone?

More than 500,000 Cheaper Home Batteries have now been installed under the Albanese Labor Government’s program – helping households and businesses store cheap solar, cut power bills and take pressure off the grid.

Australia already has the highest uptake of rooftop solar in the world, with more than one in three Australian households having solar on their roof.

The Cheaper Home Batteries Program is helping households get more out of that investment, by making it cheaper to install a battery and use more of the energy they generate at home. 

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Late last night, I had a very productive, constructive and lengthy and substantial phone call with President Trump of the United States. The President and I exchanged views on a number of global and regional issues, including the conflict in the Middle East and recent developments in the Pacific.

MERYL SWANSON, FEDERAL MEMBER FOR PATERSON: Good morning, everyone. It is a bright, sunny day here in Tomago, but it is a great day for Australia. And I just want to firstly thank the workers and their families here at Tomago Aluminium, who have been resilient and patient with both their Federal and State Governments. And I particularly want to thank the unions, the AWU, the AMWU, and the ETU, who have worked on site to get a great result today too. But my first thanks goes to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

On behalf of the Government and the people of Australia, I extend my sincere condolences on the passing of former Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, H. E. Mr Zhu Rongji.

Mr Zhu oversaw milestone achievements in the development of China’s modern market economy, including accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, which unlocked prosperity for so many Chinese people.

Well, it is fantastic to be back here at Tomago. 

I stood here on not quite this sunny a day, it must be said, for those of you who remember that amazing thunderclap that occurred, and it rained torrentially that day. 

But it was also a bright day. 

It was a bright day because we promised that our government had your back. 

More than 1,000 Hunter jobs are secure, after the Albanese and the Minns Labor Governments have jointly contributed $2.5 billion to secure the future of aluminium smelting in the region.

The joint investment will deliver a long-term renewable energy solution for the Tomago Aluminium smelter that supports commercially sustainable operations beyond 2028 and accelerates decarbonisation of more than 10 per cent of NSW’s electricity grid, supporting and securing the future of one of the state’s most important industrial assets.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: It is my great pleasure to welcome the General Secretary and State President of Vietnam, Tô Lâm, in what is his first official visit to Australia. Australia and Vietnam are close friends and trusted strategic partners. Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing economies in our region. Its success creates opportunities for both of our countries, and our trade relationship is stronger than ever.