AMANDA KELLER, HOST: Well, what a few weeks our next guest has had. Six weeks on the campaign trail, got COVID halfway through, wins an election, becomes Prime Minister of Australia, jets off to Japan to meet the likes of Joe Biden, comes back home, moves home, gets caught in his PJs, swears in a new Government, moves house, jets off to Indonesia. Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. Hello.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. It has been a bit busy, hasn't it?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Thank you very much for joining us. And I'm delighted to welcome Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, to be meeting with her here in Sydney today. And we had a wonderful dinner together last night and got to see Vivid across our beautiful harbour. And I can't think of anything better than the first foreign leader to welcome to Australian shores being our friend from New Zealand, and my personal friend from New Zealand as well.

I am delighted to welcome New Zealand Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon Jacinda Ardern, to Australia and to meet with her in Sydney today.

Australia and New Zealand share a uniquely close relationship. It is a relationship of whanau—of family. That’s why it’s fitting that Prime Minister Ardern is the first foreign leader I’ve met with as Prime Minister on Australian soil.

We are countries with common culture and values, shared interests and outlooks.

The Australian Government has finalised negotiations with Naval Group to conclude the Attack class submarine program.

The former government made the decision to terminate the contract on the basis of advice about capability requirements for the Australian Defence Force—advice that was accepted by Labor in Opposition.

We have reached a fair and equitable settlement of €555 million (around $830 million) with Naval Group.

Now that the matter is resolved we can move forward with the relationship with France.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. I'm pleased to announce this morning that the Australian Government has reached a settlement with the Naval Group to conclude the Attack class submarine program. The former government made the decision to scrap the contract on the basis of advice about the capability requirements for the Australian Defence Force, advice that was accepted by Labor in Opposition. But the way that decision was handled has caused enormous tension in the relationship between Australia and France.

Today we mourn the passing of Lady Anna Cowen AM, wife of former Governor-General the late Sir Zelman Cowen.

Gracious and caring, Lady Cowen was personally driven by her genuine interest in people.

In 2015, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for vice-regal support patronage and support roles, as well as personal, significant service to youth, medical research, educational, historical and cultural organisations.

I thank Lady Cowen for her contribution to our national life. The Government extends its heartfelt condolences to Lady Cowen’s family.

MELISSA ARGENT, CEO OF ROCKPOOL RESIDENTIAL AGED CARE: Good morning. My name is Melissa Argent and I'm the Chief Executive Officer of Rockpool Residential Aged Care. I would like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on where we meet, past, present and emerging. Prime Minister, Minister, welcome to Rockpool Residential Aged Care. It is with great pleasure that we have invited you, and you've accepted, to come today for us to showcase this incredible Australia's first five-star, green-star aged care facility here in Brisbane's north in Carseldine Village.

I am pleased to announce I will meet with New Zealand Prime Minister the Rt Hon Jacinda Ardern during her visit to Sydney on 9–10 June.

Prime Minister Ardern will be the first foreign leader I will meet in Australia since the election.

The Australia–New Zealand relationship is unique in its closeness. We are partners and allies, and we share a relationship of family. Through our single economic market, our people-to-people ties and our shared interests in the region and around the world, Australia and New Zealand stand together.

It is a great honour to be here with you at Hasanuddin University.

After I was elected leader of the Australian Labor Party in 2019, the first international visit I made was to Indonesia. I am very pleased to return here as Australia’s Prime Minister.

It’s so good to be back.

Every time I return to Indonesia I am reminded of your warmth. 

I arrived in somewhat different circumstances this time, but even if my personal situation has changed, your warmth has not.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Well, thank you very much for joining us and I do want to thank JJ or Professor Jumpa, a proud graduate of James Cook University in marine biology, for the warm welcome here to this university, Hasanuddin University, a university with 40,000 students, one in which 152 alumni from Australian universities are teaching right here. This is a practical example of the people‑to‑people exchange, which is how you build relations between nations and across cultures, and we need to extend that in the future.