I am pleased to announce the Governor-General has accepted my recommendation to appoint Mr Michael Lye as Secretary of the Department of Social Services.

Mr Lye has had an extensive career in the Australian Public Service and has a proven track record of implementing complex reforms, particularly in the area of social policy.

He has served as Deputy Secretary, Ageing and Aged Care, at the Department of Health and Aged Care since 2019, and has previously held senior positions at the Department of Social Services from 2013 to 2019.

The Albanese Labor Government welcomes China lifting the remaining suspensions on two Australian meat processing establishments, paving the way for full resumption of red meat exports to China.

This development follows the lifting of suspensions on eight beef processing facilities over the past year.

The Government has consistently advocated for the final two establishments in Queensland to be able to resume exports into China.

MICHAEL WIPFLI, HOST: On this Tuesday morning, a very special phone call has come through and we want to welcome this man because he's done an amazing job on the topic of social media and raising the age. We're going to get to that, but we want to welcome the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. Hello buddy.

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

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Today, we are releasing the Government’s Response to the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, setting out a plan for real, meaningful and enduring reform for defence personnel, veterans and their families.

The Albanese Government has today released its response to the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, setting out a plan for real, meaningful and enduring reform for Defence personnel, veterans and families.

RICHARD KING, HOST: Good morning, Prime Minister.

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

KING: Yeah, likewise. Well, firstly, I think it was 47 pieces of legislation passed by the Senate last week. I think 31 on that Thursday. Massive –

PRIME MINISTER: 45, but close enough.

KING: Okay. Was it 45?

PRIME MINISTER: 45.

THOMAS ORITI, HOST: As 2024 draws to a close and summer is upon us, Parliament has had a mammoth final week. A late marathon sitting of the year past 45 pieces of legislation, there was a lot in there, bills on migration, housing reform, social media that ban for those under 16 as well. And that rush on bills has led to speculation from some that Labor could be preparing for an early election. And as many of us are preparing to have a more restrained Christmas in the meantime, the Government's conceded there's more work to do to help ease cost of living pressures.

When it comes to the wellbeing of our young people, I don’t want Australia to wait around on the rest of the world – I want Australia to lead the world.

In what was an incredibly busy and productive week, I was proud to deliver on our commitment to support parents and protect young people by setting a minimum age of 16 years for social media.

It’s all about making sure children have a childhood and parents have peace of mind.

What we have done is more than set a new minimum age – we are setting a new community standard.

DAVID SPEERS, HOST: Prime Minister, welcome to the program.

PRIME MINISTER: Good to be with you.

SPEERS. So, are these environment laws gone for good or does it remain your intention to implement them?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's our intention to proceed with them, but we'll proceed with them on the basis of our values that we put forward. These laws could have been carried at any time over recent months if the Parliament had the numbers to vote for them.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, everyone. We know the real value of what happens in here is the difference that it makes to people's lives out there. And my government has always been focused on making Australians lives better. We know that we have more work to do on cost of living, but we're making progress. We understand the pressure that people are under as a result of the global inflation surge. But the action that my government's taken, led by these two fine economic Ministers here with me this morning, is making a positive difference.