Prime Minister Anthony Albanese today announced the Commonwealth Government has committed $6 million towards this year’s Western Australia Telethon fundraising appeal.

Telethon is an annual televised fundraising appeal in Western Australia and is broadcast live for 26 hours.

Now in its 55th year, over the past five decades Telethon has raised more than $457 million for sick and disadvantaged children.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: I do want to begin by talking about the floods on the East Coast that continue to have a real impact on people, on households and on communities and I do want to urge people in flood affected communities to continue to monitor warnings and to updates closely. I spoke to Mark Coulton the local MP in Western New South Wales. He's very concerned about communities such as Moree that are really under threat and the impact throughout New South Wales, going now into Queensland, Victoria, and of course Tasmania are significant indeed.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Tonight, Jim Chalmers will deliver the new Government's first Budget. It will be delivering on our commitments, it will be strengthening our economy, providing cost of living relief for families without putting pressure on inflation. You'll see a delivery of the strong commitment we gave to cheaper child care during the election campaign, which arose from my first Budget Reply. You'll also see paid parental leave. We want a family-friendly Budget that delivers for working Australians.

The Albanese Government is accelerating the growth of the critical minerals sector and supporting clean-energy technologies through new initiatives as part of efforts to reach net zero.

A new National Critical Minerals Strategy is being developed in consultation with industry and community stakeholders, including traditional owners.

Australia has some of the world’s largest reserves of critical minerals and a new National Critical Minerals Strategy will set out a clear vision for the sector.

ZANETA MASCARENHAS, MEMBER FOR SWAN: Good morning and welcome everyone. It’s fabulous to be here at Curtin University. My name’s Zaneta Mascarenhas, I’m an engineer by trade, studied at this University, and also the Member for Swan. It’s great to have Prime Minister Anthony Albanese here, as well as the Minister for Resources, Madeleine King, and a shout-out to all the researches that are here and of course, Harlene Hayne. It’s so wonderful to be here and WA is so important to Australia and so is Curtin University.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: I begin, as we do in Australia, by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we're meeting and I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging. I'm absolutely delighted to welcome you, Prime Minister, to Australia for our bilateral meeting. Indeed, this is our fourth meeting. And I've only been Prime Minister for five months. But not only are we becoming friends, but today you have become friends with some furry Australians.

1. Prime Minister Albanese and Prime Minister Kishida met today in Perth and reaffirmed the vital Special Strategic Partnership between Australia and Japan. The leaders reiterated their commitment to realise a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific region that is inclusive and resilient.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and His Excellency Mr Kishida Fumio, Prime Minister of Japan, have today signed a landmark Joint Declaration on Security Cooperation (JDSC), renewing a 2007 commitment to closer defence and security cooperation. 

The updated JDSC charts a path for closer cooperation between Australia and Japan over the next decade, reflecting the strong and growing strategic alignment of the two countries.

Australia and Japan have signed a new partnership on critical minerals to help build secure supply chains for critical minerals, which are crucial elements of clean energy technologies needed to help both countries meet net-zero commitments.

The new Critical Minerals Partnership was signed by Minister for Resources and Minister for Northern Australia Madeleine King and Hirohide Hirai Japan’s Vice Minister for International Affairs, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, during the Australian visit of Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida.

Joint clean-up funding, more operational support and wider relief payment eligibility has been made available today as tens of thousands of Victorians continue to deal with widespread flooding across the state.

Victorians whose homes and businesses are destroyed or damaged in the floods can have their properties cleared of hazards, and made safe, at no cost – thanks to joint funding from the Australian and Victorian Governments.