We are delighted to announce that Sydney will be the host city for the upcoming ASEAN-Australia Special Summit.
The event, expected to be held in March 2018, will mark the first time Australia has hosted a summit with ASEAN.
The summit is an historic and unprecedented opportunity to strengthen Australia’s strategic partnership with ASEAN and deliver tangible economic and security benefits to Australia.
I look forward to welcoming His Excellency Mr Joko Widodo, President of the Republic Indonesia, and Her Excellency Mrs Hj Iriana Joko Widodo, to Australia from 25–26 February.
The visit will highlight Australia’s deepening economic and strategic links with Indonesia. The bilateral relationship with Indonesia is vitally important to both countries and has never been stronger.
I am pleased to announce that Dr James Renwick SC has been appointed as Australia’s acting Independent National Security Legislation Monitor.
The Independent National Security Legislation Monitor is an important and valued component of Australia’s national security architecture, responsible for ensuring that national security and counter-terrorism legislation is applied in accordance with the rule of law and in a manner consistent with our human rights obligations.
NEIL MITCHELL: On the line, the Prime Minister. Mr Turnbull, good morning.
PRIME MINISTER: Good morning Neil.
NEIL MITCHELL: Other issues, but first, penalty rates – will you attempt to change or block the fair work decision on penalty rates?
PRIME MINISTER: No, Neil, we respect the decision of the independent umpire.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we’ve just seen an extraordinary story of Australian innovation, advanced manufacturing. The most advanced microphones in the world made here, right from the start.
You have seen those brass and aluminium bars in the shed. Out of this manufacturing process here in Sydney, here in Australia, you have the most advanced microphones in the world.
PRIME MINISTER: Mr President, welcome to Australia, to Sydney.
We had a very, very warm dinner last night at our home. Lucy and I were thrilled to see you and Iriana and of course your Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi. We had a very good dinner, a very good discussion, a very relaxed evening.
We’ve had a very nice walk in the Botanic Gardens this morning and the President and I met lots of Australians who were being very fit. They were running -
[Laughter]
PRIME MINISTER: President Widodo, welcome.
It’s been a wonderful visit. We had a very relaxed and enjoyable dinner last night at our home with your wife, the First Lady Iriana, and Lucy and Foreign Minister and Defence Minister. We had a walk in the Botanic Gardens this morning.
The warmth with which you were received by all the joggers in the Gardens and by some Indonesian students who were delighted to see us both, shows how warm and strong the friendship between our two countries is.
ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SERVICES AND MULTICULTURAL AFFAIRS: Here in Hume at Bottles of Australia and it is great to have Anton and Rosemary who have welcomed us and given us a tour of their wonderful facility which exports from here in the nation’s Capital all around the world. It is great to have the Prime Minister here and of course the Minister for Energy, Josh Frydenberg, so without further ado I will hand over to the PM.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good afternoon. I'm here with the Minister for Justice, the Minister Assisting me on Counter-Terrorism, Michael Keenan, and Andrew Colvin, the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police.
This morning, the Australian Federal Police arrested a 42-year-old man in the New South Wales town of Young, in relation to terrorism offences. This operation does not relate to any planned terrorist attack in Australia.
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