Welcome back, friends.

And tomorrow's Budget, of course, will be a big night.

And for Jim and Katy and all the team, all the Ministers who've put this together, congratulations.

This will be a night of which you can all be very, very proud.

There will be, of course, two main things that have driven our government for the last two years that we'll celebrate next week.

But tomorrow night - help with the cost of living, the number one priority we have had.

And secondly, though, always having our eye on the future and making our future here in Australia.

National Cabinet met today to discuss housing reforms and agree practical measures to deliver secure and affordable housing to Australians.

First Ministers have bolstered their commitment to critical housing reform measures, by agreeing to sign the new five-year National Agreement on Social Housing and Homelessness, which will commence on 1 July 2024. The agreement reflects a shared commitment to improving social housing and addressing homelessness for Australians.

BRIAN MITCHELL, MEMBER FOR LYONS: Good afternoon and welcome to beautiful northern Tasmania. I'm Brian Mitchell, the Federal Labor Member for Lyons, and I'm joined here today by the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, who's flew in for a fantastic announcement. Today we're joined by Federal Housing Minister Julie Collins and Senator Helen Polley, who's based up here in Launceston. This is a wonderful example of what the Albanese Government is all about in terms of addressing the housing and homelessness crisis facing the country.

The Albanese Labor Government will make significant new housing investments in next week’s Budget to help deliver our comprehensive Homes for Australia plan.

The Prime Minister convened National Cabinet on Friday, where Premiers and Chief Ministers backed the following new measures in the Budget to help Australians build, rent and buy:

The Albanese Labor Government is making more critical investments in Tasmanian infrastructure to improve road safety and cut travel times.

In next week’s Budget, we are investing more than $219 million in a roads package for the state.

This will fund over $124 million for new projects, including:

Not long after becoming Prime Minister, I sat down with the Canberra Times and said I intended to be based in Canberra and maximise my time here as much as I could.

The relaxed nature, the ease of getting around, our important and enthralling cultural institutions and the weekend walks up Mount Ainslie or around the lake - when I get time to experience Canberra I see the huge benefits of living in our great national capital.

When residents and visitors move around Tasmania, they move by road.

From the welltrodden Heritage Highway connecting Hobart to Launceston to a scenic day drive through Cradle Country, locals know better than most the importance of good roads.

Last year we lost more than 30 people on Tasmanian roads with more than 300 critically injured. This is not good enough.

We're determined to make Tasmanian roads safer and that's why in Tuesday's Budget we are investing more than $219m to the state's road infrastructure.

KIERAN PERKINS, CEO OF THE AUSTRALIAN SPORTS COMMISSION: Good morning, everybody. My name is Kieran Perkins. I'm the CEO of the Australian Sports Commission, and I have to say, this is an absolutely extraordinary day for us. This announcement this morning is the largest investment into the Australian Institute of Sports since inception, and certainly as we think about the pathway onto our home games in Brisbane 32, we know that this is going to put all of our sporting community onto the front foot to make sure that we have a wonderful and successful games.

NIGE JOHNSON, HOST: For the last four minutes or so, the Prime Minister of this country has been sitting on hold listening to the Hoodoo Gurus as a direct result of stuff that we've done here in this room.

KRISTEN DAVIDSON, HOST: Yes.

JOHNSON: That freaks me out just a little bit, but let's hope he stayed on hold.

DAVIDSON: Good morning, everybody.

JOHNSON: And a very good morning to Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese. Good morning, sir

Western Australia is one of the powerhouses driving the economic strength of our nation.

This week was my 20th visit to WA since becoming Prime Minister. Federal Ministers are regular visitors and, of course, the Government is all the better because of the impressive array of MPs and senators from the West. Crucially, we have held three Cabinet meetings in WA, including one in the Pilbara.

In the two years since Labor was elected, the West – from Perth to the Pilbara – has been at the heart of our decision making because we know when WA succeeds, the nation succeeds.