ERNESTO TANMANTIONG, PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF JOLLIBEE FOODS CORPORATION: Prime Minister Albanese, it is our joy to welcome you to Jollibee. Distinguished guests, friends from Australia, the Philippines, it’s a jolly good day. You know, Jollibee got a small ice cream parlours in the Philippines. Today, we have gone to nearly 2,000 stores across 17 countries, and we are proud and excited to mark another milestone in our global journey as we bring Jollibee to Australia. This morning, right here in Jollibee Biopolis, we signed exclusive franchise agreements with our partners, Happy Food Group will bring Jollibee to Victoria, while Lucky Bee Australia will introduce Jollibee to New South Wales. Together, our partners aim to open 35 stores within the next five years, representing an estimated $60 million Australian dollars in investment and creating approximately 900 jobs for Australians. To our franchise partners, thank you for believing in Jollibee and sharing our vision. In the Philippines, we have a beautiful world, bayanihan. The spirit of the community comes together to help one another succeed. In Australia, you have a similar value that you call mateship. Today, bayanihan meets mateship, united by shared belief, we are stronger together. So, to Ambassador Innes-Brown and the entire Australian Embassy, we thank you for your valuable support, and to our international business team led by Dennis, thank you for your passion, dedication, and commitment to making our global ambitions a reality. Prime Minister, thank you for taking time to visit us today and for celebrating the milestone, important milestone with us, we look forward to bringing our great tasting food and the joy of eating to communities across Australia and to becoming part of the everyday and special moments of Australian families. May I now have the honour and privilege to ask Prime Minister Albanese to share a few words with us.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thank you for what is such an exciting announcement. And what it represents is a benefit of the increased economic relationship between Australia and the Philippines. 35 stores, 900 direct jobs, tens of millions of dollars of investment, but as well, of course, the flow-on impact because of the supply chain, will be literally thousands of jobs in Australia. And Jollibee also will be a source of pride for Australians of Filipino background. There are some 400,000 Australians trace their heritage to the Philippines, and they're proud of that. And we can see here, with the welcome that we've received, how enthusiastic the workers are here for being a part of this today, but being a part of what is a symbol of the Philippines. It is known when you see Jollibee anywhere in the world, you know that is Filipino success, and that is a fantastic thing. So, thank you so much for the welcome. I was so excited when I heard, and people such as my Deputy Minister in the Senate, our Minister for Trade, is of course married to a Filipino and comes here very regularly, Don Farrell and Nimfa will be so proud that a bit of the Philippines is coming to Australia. And I have had the benefit of having Jollibee. It's fantastic food, fantastic food, fantastic food. Thank you for the welcome.