ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning.

STUDENTS: Good morning.

PRIME MINISTER: You can do better than that. Good morning.

STUDENTS: Good morning.

ANIKA WELLS, MINISTER FOR COMMUNICATIONS: Good morning, PM.

PRIME MINISTER: Anika Wells is the Minister for Communications, and I'm the Prime Minister, and welcome to Parliament House.

The Prime Minister will be on leave for five days from Monday 1 December 2025.

During most of this time, the Deputy Prime Minister will be Acting Prime Minister. 

The Deputy Prime Minister is expected to travel to Papua New Guinea from Tuesday morning to Wednesday afternoon. During this time Minister Wong will be Acting Prime Minister.

Today we announce the appointment of Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP as Australia’s Special Envoy for International Human Rights.

As Special Envoy, Mr Dreyfus will renew Australia’s tradition as a global champion for human rights – a role we have played since we were an original signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

I am pleased to announce the Governor-General has appointed Ms Victoria Anderson as the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Ms Anderson has an extensive career in the Australian Public Service, most recently as Deputy Secretary of the Small Business, Corporate and Law Group at the Department of the Treasury.

Prior to this, Ms Anderson held senior roles in the Department of Education, Skills and Employment and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: When we came to government, we promised we would reform Australia's broken environmental laws. Today, we deliver that promise. The sensible, responsible and balanced laws are good for business and good for the environment. Today, I can announce our Government's landmark environmental law reform will pass the Parliament today, heralding a new era for the environment and productivity in Australia. We have consulted extensively with the business community, with environmental groups and with community organisations.

The Albanese Government’s landmark environmental law reforms will pass the Parliament this week, heralding a new era for the environment and productivity in Australia.

More than five years after Professor Graeme Samuel handed down his independent review into the nation’s 25-year-old environmental laws, the Government’s Environment Protection Reform Bill will be passed with the support of the Greens in the Senate.

More than 3 million Australians will have their student debt cut by 20 per cent by the end of next week, wiping almost $16 billion in total.

Today alone, more than 1.5 million Australians will see their student debts cut by 20 per cent. That’s around half of all people with a student debt.

It continues the ATO’s roll out of the Albanese Labor Government’s cut to student debt.

For someone with the average HELP debt of $27,600 this will see around $5,520 wiped from their debt.

Formal agreement has been reached for COP31 to be hosted by Türkiye in Antalya, with the Pacific’s interests advanced by Australia assuming the role of President of Negotiations in the lead up to and at the meeting.

Australia will have “exclusive authority in relation to the negotiations”, to shape and guide global decision making in support of the multilateral system and global trade and investment in clean energy industries.

The Pacific will host a special pre-COP for leaders and others, bringing attention to the existential threat climate change poses to the region.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Firstly on Tropical Cyclone Fina, I’ve been in touch with our local MPs there, including of course Luke Gosling, Marion Scrymgour, and Minister McCarthy, but also Lia Finocchiaro the Chief Minister as well has been engaged.

The Commonwealth is providing every bit of support that is requested, and NEMA of course, its creation has made a real difference to the capacity to respond very quickly. But our thoughts are with people back in the Northern Territory and Darwin and surrounds as well.

Australia, Canada and India today agreed to enter into a new trilateral technology and innovation partnership: the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation (ACITI) Partnership.

The three sides agreed to strengthen their ambition in cooperation on critical and emerging technologies, to complement existing bilateral initiatives.