ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Late last night, I had a very productive, constructive and lengthy and substantial phone call with President Trump of the United States. The President and I exchanged views on a number of global and regional issues, including the conflict in the Middle East and recent developments in the Pacific.
MERYL SWANSON, FEDERAL MEMBER FOR PATERSON: Good morning, everyone. It is a bright, sunny day here in Tomago, but it is a great day for Australia. And I just want to firstly thank the workers and their families here at Tomago Aluminium, who have been resilient and patient with both their Federal and State Governments. And I particularly want to thank the unions, the AWU, the AMWU, and the ETU, who have worked on site to get a great result today too. But my first thanks goes to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
On behalf of the Government and the people of Australia, I extend my sincere condolences on the passing of former Premier of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China, H. E. Mr Zhu Rongji.
Mr Zhu oversaw milestone achievements in the development of China’s modern market economy, including accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, which unlocked prosperity for so many Chinese people.
Well, it is fantastic to be back here at Tomago.
I stood here on not quite this sunny a day, it must be said, for those of you who remember that amazing thunderclap that occurred, and it rained torrentially that day.
But it was also a bright day.
It was a bright day because we promised that our government had your back.
More than 1,000 Hunter jobs are secure, after the Albanese and the Minns Labor Governments have jointly contributed $2.5 billion to secure the future of aluminium smelting in the region.
The joint investment will deliver a long-term renewable energy solution for the Tomago Aluminium smelter that supports commercially sustainable operations beyond 2028 and accelerates decarbonisation of more than 10 per cent of NSW’s electricity grid, supporting and securing the future of one of the state’s most important industrial assets.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: It is my great pleasure to welcome the General Secretary and State President of Vietnam, Tô Lâm, in what is his first official visit to Australia. Australia and Vietnam are close friends and trusted strategic partners. Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing economies in our region. Its success creates opportunities for both of our countries, and our trade relationship is stronger than ever.
Australia and Vietnam have agreed to bolster defence and security cooperation to support our shared commitment to a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, His Excellency Mr To Lam issued the Joint Statement on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Australia and Vietnam, reinforcing cooperation on shared priorities including defence and security.
Australia and Vietnam have agreed to strengthen cooperation across education, trade and innovation, to enhance the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, His Excellency Mr To Lam issued a Joint Statement on Deepening the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between Australia and Vietnam on priorities including economic engagement, climate, energy and science.
TÔ LÂM, GENERAL SECRETARY AND PRESIDENT OF THE SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM: The Honourable Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, I am much delighted to return to the beautiful country of Australia on this state visit. I'd like to extend my sincere thanks to the leaders and people of Australia and you personally for the warm welcome extended to me and the high-level delegation of Vietnam.