When Australia became ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner in 1974, my predecessor Prime Minister Gough Whitlam described ASEAN as “unquestionably the most important, [and] the most relevant” group in our region.

Half a century later, Australia and Southeast Asia have both changed profoundly.

We are both more diverse – and we are more engaged.

Our economies are more open, more modern – and more connected.

Our prosperity and security and stability more intertwined.

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

I am proud to lead a Government that will give every Australian the opportunity to vote Yes for Recognition, Listening and Better Results on the 14th of October.

And I thank the Minerals Council and so many of the firms here tonight for the positive and constructive role that you have played in the national conversation to date.

I acknowledge and welcome all my colleagues here tonight, from across the Parliament.

Sammy J, Host: Now, Melbourne and Prime Ministers haven't always gone hand in hand. The last Prime Minister from Melbourne was Julia Gillard. That was ten years ago, and after that, she went straight back to Adelaide. Twenty years before that, we had Bob Hawke, but he retired to Sydney. Before that, it was Malcolm Fraser. So, we're talking nearly half a century since a true Melbourne-ite inhabited The Lodge, which is why get a little bit suspicious when Prime Ministers start swanning around our laneways and sipping our coffees and riding our trams like they own the place.

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

I’m proud to lead a government that will give all Australians the chance to vote in a referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution.

I know that Arnold Bloch Leibler has a longstanding and genuine commitment to reconciliation and recognition.

You put your values into action.

GED KEARNEY, ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND AGED CARE: Good afternoon everybody. I’m Ged Kearney, I’m the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care and it's really wonderful to be here with the Prime Minister to mark the opening of this amazingly beautiful building, the new global home of CSL. CSL has a long and wonderful rich history in this country. It serves our people so very well in the many areas of biomedicine that it works and it's a great honour to have been here at the opening. And with that, I'm going to hand over to the Prime Minister.

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

I’m proud to lead a government that will give all Australians the chance to vote in a referendum to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the Constitution.

Great to be here with my colleague Ged Kearney.

And thank you to Brian McNamee and to Joy Linton.

Not only for the warm welcome but for your leadership of CSL – one of Australia’s most essential and successful biotech companies.

LIAM, HOST: Prime Minister, good morning. How are you?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. What a lovely introduction.

LIAM: Thank you, it just popped into my head. Now Albo, I mean, let's get the tough question out of the way early. Did you jinx the Matildas by calling that public holiday a little too early?

ANDREW CLENNELL, HOST:

Prime Minister, thanks for joining us.

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

CLENNELL: So you've had a few wins lately - Labor leader, Prime Minister, AUKUS at national conference. Is the Voice where it stops?

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

Delegates

We've always been at our best as a nation when we've looked to the future with excitement and optimism – that's when we make progress.

Right now, the chance to be our best is once again calling out to us.

The chance to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians in a way we’ve never been able to before.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: It's great to be here at the FIFA Fan Festival site in Brisbane. Tonight, of course, the Matildas will play against Sweden for the bronze medal in the Women's World Cup. It has been an extraordinary period for women's football, but for women's sport in general. The idea 20 years ago, if you could have predicted that women's team sport would be played in front of packed crowds with cheering Australians at live sites right around the country, it would have been seen as being optimistic. The truth is that the Matildas have inspired a nation.