PROFESSOR DOUG HILTON, DIRECTOR OF WEHI: Welcome, everybody. Welcome Prime Minister, Minister, Assistant Minister, it's wonderful to have you. And I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land here in Parkville, who are the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation and pay my respects to their elders, past and present.
NEIL MITCHELL, HOST: The newly, well recently newly elected Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese. Good morning.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Good to be with you.
MITCHELL: And congratulations. We haven't spoken since. Thank you. Congratulations.
PRIME MINISTER: Thank you. Thank you very much.
MITCHELL: We're looking inflation could be seven per cent. Is it fair to say wages won't be able to keep pace with inflation for the next year?
PATRICIA KARVELAS, HOST: The US has confirmed a dramatic pivot back towards Australia's neighbourhood, boosting support for Pacific nations in a bid to counter China's growing influence. Vice-President Kamala Harris will address the Pacific Islands Forum today, after Washington announced two new embassies would open and hundreds of millions of dollars of support would start to flow. Our Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will be among the leaders gathering for the summit. He's just moments away from wheels up on route to Suva and he joins you now.
Fijian Prime Minister Hon. Josaia V. Bainimarama and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese MP have launched a major infrastructure project to enhance Fiji’s maritime capabilities.
Building on the long-standing Vuvale Partnership, Fiji and Australia will construct the new Maritime Essential Services Centre (MESC) in Lami, Fiji.
The MESC will house the Republic of Fiji Navy Headquarters, Suva Radio Coastal Station, Fiji Maritime Surveillance Coordination Centre, and Fiji Hydrographic Office.
ALLISON LANGDON, HOST: Prime Minister, very good morning to you. Your first significant loss as a PM. How does it feel?
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, thanks very much. It's great to be here in Suva, and it is fantastic to be participating in the Pacific Islands Forum. We have a very senior delegation here, myself with the Foreign Minister and with Minister Pat Conroy. And I look forward to listening over the next two days to the concerns that Pacific Island leaders have.
NATALIE BARR, HOST: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has embraced political challenges in the Pacific, moving quickly to mend broken relationships in the region during his trip to Fiji. With all eyes on a bilateral meeting with the Solomons Islands, he hugged his counterpart with open arms. It comes after Australia with a controversial security pact the nation signed with Beijing. In a push to counter China’s growing influence, the United States has announced it'll spend almost $1 billion to support Pacific nations.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thank you very much for joining us. It has been a very successful meeting of this Pacific Islands Forum. And it has been a great pleasure and honour to represent Australia here. We are family when it comes to the Pacific. And there was a good spirit of cooperation and dialogue, speaking about our common interests. Australia's new position on climate change was particularly well-received, and that is reflected in the communique.
The Australian and New South Wales governments have extended the support committed following the extensive floods in NSW in February and March to include those impacted by the most recent July event.
Funding will go towards grants for primary producers, small businesses, not-for-profit organisations and councils, clean-up efforts and expanding the property assessment program in disaster-declared areas.
The investment also builds on the support already provided to the 37 disaster-declared local government areas under the Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).
Federal Government disaster payments are available now to eligible residents in eight additional local government areas (LGAs) affected by the severe storms and flooding that continue to impact large areas of New South Wales.
The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) and Disaster Recovery Allowance (DRA) is now available in the local government areas of Cumberland, Mid Coast, Muswellbrook, Nambucca, Newcastle, Port Stephens, Randwick and Warren, which brings the number of LGAs receiving disaster payments as a result of this event to 37.