Press conference - Parliament House, Canberra

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Well, there is no greater honour than to wear our nation's uniform and serve our country in the Australian Defence Force. And today we're pleased to recommend to Her Excellency the Governor-General a number of senior command changes within the Australian Defence Force. The Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AO RAN, will be appointed as Chief of the Defence Force.

Appointment of leadership positions in the Australian Defence Force

The Australian Government is pleased to recommend to Her Excellency, the Governor‑General, a number of senior command changes within the Australian Defence Force (ADF). Subject to the Governor‑General’s consideration and approval, these changes will take effect from July 2026.

The Chief of the Navy, Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AO RAN will be appointed as the Chief of the Defence Force.

Television interview - ABC News Breakfast

JAMES GLENDAY, HOST: Now we can bring in the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, who joins us now from Canberra. Prime Minister, welcome back to our program.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good to be with you, James.

GLENDAY: Donald Trump says he is now planning a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. We understand that's meant to take place from midnight our time tonight. Do you wake up in the morning at the moment and pick up your phone and think, goodness me, what is the President up to now?

Television interview - Today Show

SARAH ABO, HOST: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will embark on his second fuel security mission within a week, as Iran–US peace talks collapse.

KARL STEFANOVIC, HOST: And the PM joins us now live from Canberra. PM, good morning to you. Look, first up, the news overnight –

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Good to be with you.

STEFANOVIC: Do you support the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz?

Visit to Brunei and Malaysia

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from 14 to 17 April 2026.

The visit is part of the Government’s efforts to work with regional partners to maintain the two-way flow of energy supplies, fertiliser and other critical goods.

In Brunei Darussalam, Prime Minister Albanese will have an audience with His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah to discuss energy, food security, and the flow of essential goods between our countries.

Press conference - Sydney

MR LAWRENCE WONG, PRIME MINISTER OF SINGAPORE: Let me extend a very warm welcome to Prime Minister Albanese and your delegation to Singapore. It's very good to see you again, my friend. I would have preferred, of course, for us to meet under more favourable circumstances. Unfortunately, these are difficult times, not just for Australia and Singapore, but for countries everywhere. The conflict in the Middle East is disrupting global supply chains and energy markets. The effects are rippling across the global economy.

Joint statement on economic resilience and essential supplies

We, the Prime Minister of Australia, the Honourable Anthony Albanese MP, and the Prime Minister of Singapore, Mr Lawrence Wong, reaffirmed the strength of the relationship and the deep reservoir of strategic trust between our two countries, as reflected in the Australia-Singapore Comprehensive Strategic Partnership 2.0 (CSP 2.0).

The enhanced CSP 2.0 sets out the ambitious next phase of cooperation, which underpins shared prosperity, security and stability. Our discussions today enable enhanced cooperation on emerging and evolving issues.

Doorstop - Singapore

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: It’s wonderful to be here in Singapore. And I thank Foreign Minister Balakrishnan for the warm welcome, once again, back to Singapore. Australia and Singapore are strategically aligned. We share values and we share a relationship of trust between each other. And that is why it's so important that at difficult times in the world we can rely upon each other. We provide about 32 per cent of LNG to Singapore. Singapore provides about 26 per cent of refined fuel for Australia.

Press conference - Lytton, Queensland

KARA COOK, MEMBER FOR BONNER: Good morning everyone and welcome to the Ampol Lytton Refinery. My name is Kara Cook, I'm the local Federal Member here, and it's my great pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Anthony Albanese here, and of course Minister Chris Bowen as well. We've just had a wonderful tour of the facility. This is a really important facility in my electorate employing almost 1,000 people on site at the moment, and also of course really important nationally as one of only two refineries across the country.