The Albanese Government has reached a major milestone – six months ahead of schedule – with more than 35,000 Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) workers now in Australia.
In the October 2022 Budget, the Government committed to reaching 35,000 workers by June 2023. Latest data shows the milestone was reached in December.
XAVIER ELLIS, HOST: Mr Albanese, welcome to Triple M Perth.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: What a lovely welcome Xav and Michelle, that was great.
ELLIS: Now mate, you're not gonna let the cat out of the bag, you didn't fly over to help look for the radioactive ten-cent piece that was missing, did you?
PRIME MINISTER: All I can say is, I arrived and they found it.
MICHELLE ANDERSON, HOST: Ah, very good point.
NATALIE LOCKE, HOST: Nathan, Nat and Sean and the Prime Minister, just casually dropping by on Thursday morning. Albo, welcome back.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: We get the music and all.
LOCKE: Of course you do.
PRIME MINISTER: An intro to kick off the show.
SHAUN MORRIS, HOST: Do you know all the words?
PRIME MINISTER: Of course I do.
LOCKE: To the second verse, do you know the second verse?
I pay my respect to elders past, present and emerging and I recommit, on behalf of the government that I'm proud to lead, the implementation of the Uluru Statement from the Heart in full.
Later this year, Australians will have the choice of voting Yes in a referendum that will advance reconciliation, that is about just two things: recognition and consultation.
Nothing more, but absolutely nothing less.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: From tomorrow, you will see evidence of why a change of government matters. From tomorrow, ten days paid domestic and family violence leave will be available to working Australians. It will make an enormous difference. This is the change that has come from the front line. Those people who work in family and domestic violence, providing support, particularly for women and children fleeing violent circumstances, have pointed out for a long period of time that a woman shouldn't have to choose between her job and her safety.
I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respect to their elders, past, present and emerging.
I want to acknowledge my colleagues here who have worked so hard to make this a reality. Katy Gallagher, the Minister for Women, but also the Finance Minister. There’s a good bit and a bad bit of that job, one she says yes, one she says no. Amanda Rishworth, who’s the Minister for Social Services, Tony Burke, who is the Minister for Workplace Relations.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will welcome the Prime Minister of New Zealand, The Rt Hon Chris Hipkins, to Australia on 7 February.
This visit will mark Prime Minister Hipkins’s first international trip as leader.
Australia values the priority that both countries place on the bilateral relationship. As partners and allies, our bilateral agenda is unparalleled in its scope.
I am pleased to have accepted an invitation to deliver the keynote address at the 20th Shangri-La Dialogue on 2 June in Singapore.
Convened by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Shangri-La Dialogue is the region’s premier strategic forum that brings together top government and thought leaders from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond to discuss regional security dynamics and challenges.
The Albanese Government is today announcing the start of an Expression of Interest (EOI) period to establish seven Medicare Urgent Care Clinics (Medicare UCCs) in the state.
The Australian and Tasmanian Governments are making it easier for Tasmanians to see a doctor by delivering an innovative four-year program to support stronger rural healthcare in the state.
Under the program, GP Registrars, including Rural Generalist trainees, will have the option of being employed by the Tasmanian Health Service as salaried employees, allowing them to do their final placement in GP practices across the state instead of changing new employers with each placement of 6 or 12 months.