SYLVIA JEFFREYS, HOST:  It is being described as one of the darkest days in Australian political history. Federal Independent MP Helen Haines struck by a car outside her electorate office in Wangaratta, Victoria, in what's suspected to be a targeted attack.

DAVID WOIWOD, HOST: Joining us now is Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Good morning to you, Prime Minister. Of course, our thoughts are with Helen Haines and her family this morning. Do you have any update on her condition?

SARAH FERGUSON, HOST: Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joins me now in the studio. Prime Minister, welcome.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good evening.

FERGUSON: What's the very latest you know about Helen and how she is?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good evening. Tonight, I want to update Australians on a serious incident that has occurred in Victoria. This afternoon, Helen Haines, the Member for Indi, was attacked outside her electorate office in Wangaratta. All of our thoughts are with Helen, her family, her friends, her team, and her community at this extremely difficult time. We are praying for her full recovery. I want to thank the first responders for their extraordinary work. There is a major police investigation underway, and I can confirm that a suspect is in custody.

It is wonderful to be back here again at Telethon.

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the land on which we're meeting, and pay my respect to Elders, past, present, and emerging.

I acknowledge too, the most important people who are involved in tonight's event and the events over the next 36 hours  – the kids we're helping, represented by the fabulous little stars that we saw before in the video, Aidan, Olivia, and Paige.

The Albanese Government has committed $6 million to the Channel 7 Telethon Trust for 2026 to help improve the health and wellbeing of Australian babies and children.

Telethon is an annual televised fundraising appeal in Western Australia and is broadcast live for 26 hours.

For almost six decades, Telethon has raised more than $778 million for sick and disadvantaged children in Western Australia.

To mark 100 years since our national parliament first met in Canberra, the 48th Australian Parliament will sit for a day at Old Parliament House in April next year.

The special sitting day will see Question Time, legislation and other statements return to the Chambers of Old Parliament House for the first time in decades.

In 1927, the “Provisional Parliament” was opened in Canberra and our national parliamentarians continued to meet in that building until 1988.

Learning from our democratic history and institutions is more important than ever. 

Thank you so much, JP.

I also join in acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the Land on which we meet, and I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, as well as to all First Nations people with us here this evening.

To the Governor-General, Your Excellency, it is wonderful to be with you as well.

And I think you are doing an extraordinary job, and I say, more than fulfilling the confidence that I had in you.

Thank you so much to Prerana and to Peter for giving us a powerful beginning for this morning's events and discussions. And thank you to Auntie Serena and her niece and nephew for once again giving us a wonderful Welcome to Country. And I join with her in acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we're meeting, past, present and emerging. I acknowledge Dr Anne Aly, our fantastic Minister for Multicultural Affairs, and I acknowledge other Members of Parliament, Senators who are here, and I thank all the sponsors who are here as well, who of course make this possible.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Your Majesty, it is an absolute honour to welcome you to Australia. We had a very good meeting last year in New York, where we discussed the full range of issues confronting not just our nations, but confronting the world and humanity. Unfortunately, some of those are of course, still going because we do live in a time of increasing global uncertainty, particularly with the escalating conflict in the Middle East. We share your condemnation of the Houthi attacks against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.