ROSS SOLLY, HOST: Prime Minister, thank you so much for joining our live broadcast. You're with Ross Solly and lovely to have you with us tonight. What a night. And some incredible recipients tonight. You must be very, very proud of those Australians.

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

Your Excellency, distinguished guests.

My fellow Australians.

And, in particular, can I welcome the 24 of you who took your seats at this ceremony as citizens of Brazil, France, Germany, India, Nigeria, the Philippines, South Africa, the United States, Sri Lanka and Vietnam but will leave here as our fellow Australians.

It’s an honour to share this moment with you and your loved ones.

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

Friends, how special it is to come together like this on the eve of Australia Day.

As we take up our anthem’s invitation to rejoice, we take the opportunity to reflect, and to celebrate the modern nation we are so privileged to call home.

To contemplate all that our nation is – and all that it can yet become.

A nation that is not an accident, or the mere jackpot of good luck.

Australia Day is an opportunity to celebrate everything we've built together and to be optimistic for the future we can shape together.

It's a chance for all of us to reflect on how lucky we are to live in the greatest country on earth and to think about what we can do to make our nation even better in the years ahead.

Australia Day is an opportunity to celebrate everything we've built together and be optimistic for the future we can shape together.

Whether you are someone whose ancestors have loved and cared for this land for 60,000 years, or whether you are making the pledge of commitment as a new citizen today, all of us belong to the greatest country on Earth, and all of us can take pride in a national story written by the courage of our people.

From those who serve in uniform and keep us safe to farmers battling unforgiving country.

Thank you, Laura, and can I join in paying my respects to the memory of Ken Randall and offer my condolences to his family and friends.

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

I acknowledge all my colleagues joining me here today.

Everywhere we’ve been this summer, the work of building Australia’s future is underway.

A $7.2 billion investment to boost productivity and make the Bruce Highway safer.

The Albanese Labor Government and Allan Labor Government have come to an historic agreement that will put all public schools in Victoria on a path to full and fair funding.

As part of the agreement, the Commonwealth will provide an additional 5 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) to Victorian public schools.

This will lift the Commonwealth’s contribution from 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the SRS by 2034.

This will see around an estimated $2.5 billion in additional Commonwealth funding to Victorian public schools over the next 10 years.

The Albanese Labor Government and the South Australian Labor Government have come to an historic agreement that will put all public schools in South Australia on a path to full and fair funding.

As part of the Heads of Agreement signed today, the Commonwealth will provide an additional 5 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) to South Australian public schools.

This will lift the Commonwealth’s contribution from 20 per cent to 25 per cent of the SRS by 2034.

The Albanese Labor Government is building the workforce Australia needs for the future by backing apprentices to complete their trade in the residential housing sector.

The Government will provide a $10,000 incentive payment – doubling the current level of support – to encourage Australians to train for jobs in this critical sector.

The new Key Apprenticeship Program will establish a Housing Construction Apprenticeship stream in response to the Strategic Review of the Australian Apprenticeship Incentive System.

The Albanese Government is building Australia’s Future providing an additional $2 billion to the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) to support Australian households, workers and businesses capitalize on our natural resources and make the shift to cheaper, clean, reliable, renewable energy.

This new investment, provisioned for in MYEFO, means the CEFC can also offer significant savings for households and small businesses making the switch to renewable energy.