Good evening, everyone.

Khem cho.

I am very pleased to be here in India.

It gives me great pleasure to acknowledge that Deakin University will be the first overseas university approved to establish a branch campus in India.

It’s a great honour for Deakin University – and for Australia, too.

The campus will be built at the new GIFT district not far from here, and will offer students the opportunity to study cyber security and business analytics with Deakin.

PRIME MINISTER: Today is a very busy day, where I’ll be here in Ahmedabad, then to Mumbai, and then to Delhi. It's a day of three parts as well, a day where we begin by celebrating the cultural links between Australia and India with a visit for the opening of the fourth cricket test, which is celebrating as well 75 years of test cricket between Australia and India, going back to when Donald Bradman was the captain of the first Australian cricket team at that time. And it will be a real opportunity for, once again, to cement those relations.

JOHN GRIMES, CEO SMART ENERGY COUNCIL: Prime Minister, welcome and we're absolutely honoured by your presence today. This is a really important initiative. This is Australian industry, Australian business and research, actually collaborating with the fantastic, massive market of India to develop the smart energy industry that's going to power the Australia economy and the Indian economy in the future. We have 34 companies, Australian companies, represented on this tour today, today is the first day.

Can I welcome our guests, my fellow Australians who are here in very large numbers, but thank our Indian hosts for the very warm welcome that we've had here.

I feel as though I've been in India for some time, but we did arrive just a few hours ago, yesterday. But we have done an enormous amount, and this morning, myself and Prime Minister Modi have shared an intimate occasion with 100,000 people at the magnificent stadium there in Gujarat.

Distinguished guests from the Indian food and beverage, film, tourism and hospitality industries.

Namaskar.

Good afternoon, everyone — it’s wonderful to see you all here.

Thank you to Don Farrell, Australia’s Minister for Trade and Tourism, for bringing us together— and Austrade and the Australian Food and Wine Collaboration for showcasing such an outstanding selection of Australian products.

Distinguished guests from the Indian food and beverage, film, tourism and hospitality industries

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, should the $3 million super earnings tax changes be indexed to stop it capturing hundreds of thousands of Australians in a decade's time?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Look, we've made it very clear what our position was yesterday. This will impact less than half a per cent of the population who are superannuants, impact less than 80,000 people. This is a sensible, modest change being put forward in order to make the superannuation system more sustainable. And what's more, it will come in after the next election.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to India from 8 –11 March at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Prime Minister’s visit to Ahmedabad, Mumbai and New Delhi will further deepen our strategic, economic and people to people ties with India, a close friend and partner to Australia.

MARY DOYLE, LABOR CANDIDATE FOR ASTON: Good morning everyone. I just wanted to say thank you to the Prime Minister for coming all the way out here to Aston, and particularly to Boronia and for launching my campaign. It's been wonderful. And we're working very, very hard over the next few weeks, and always actually, for the people of Aston. So over to the Prime Minister, thank you Anthony.
 

ANTHONY ALBANESE PRIME MINISTER: This is a celebration of unity. A bridge symbolises bringing people together. And this is about bringing together the Australian community, celebrating diversity, but also acknowledging that around the world, at WorldPride, that many people still suffer because of who they are, because of their sexuality.
 
JOURNALIST: Is that why you think it's so important for Sydney to hold this as a visual symbol that change can happen?
 

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 am proud to lead a government committed to the Uluru Statement from the Heart, in full.

Later today, I’ll be on my way to India.

I’ll be joined on that trip by 25 CEOs and business leaders – in transport, resources, finance, higher education, architecture and energy – one of the biggest and most significant Australian business delegations to ever visit any of our trading partners.