Prime Minister Anthony Albanese met today with Acting Prime Minister Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai in Singapore for the 8th Australia-Singapore Annual Leaders’ Meeting.
Australia and Singapore are close friends and long-term strategic and economic partners, with an enduring relationship that has evolved to meet the shared opportunities and challenges facing our region.
LAWRENCE WONG, ACTING PRIME MINISTER OF SINGAPORE: I want to start by welcoming Prime Minister Albanese and his delegation to Singapore. This is the Prime Minister's first official visit to Singapore so we are delighted that you are here. I want to convey greetings from Prime Minister Lee who unfortunately couldn’t be here because of a COVID rebound. He had been looking forward to meeting all of you again since the last meeting in Canberra in October.
THE HON LAWRENCE WONG, ACTING PRIME MINISTER OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Albanese, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Let me once again welcome Prime Minister Albanese on his first official visit to Singapore. Prime Minister Lee is unable to be here today, because he has had a case of COVID rebound. But I'm happy to receive Prime Minister Albanese as my first official visitor in my capacity as Acting Prime Minister. We met before, in 2017, when he was here as a Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellow.
LAWRENCE WONG, ACTING PRIME MINISTER OF SINGAPORE: I'm delighted to welcome Prime Minister Albanese and his delegation to Singapore once again. This is the Prime Minister's first official visit to Singapore as Prime Minister. But, of course, Singapore is no stranger to him. He has visited Singapore many times in various capacities, in 2014, for example, for the World Cities Summit, in 2017 as a Lee Kuan Yew Exchange fellow, and there was also the occasion when I first met him, when I was then in the Ministry of National Development.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Premier McGowan rang me this morning and told me of his intention to announce his resignation as Premier. I want to pay tribute to Mark McGowan, my friend, a confidant, but also an extraordinarily successful premier of Western Australia. During the pandemic Mark McGowan stood strong. He stood strong against the claims that WA people should just open up. He did the right thing in order to keep Western Australians safe.
I begin by acknowledging the Kaurna people as the custodians of the lands and waters of the Adelaide region, on which we meet today. I pay respect to elders past, present and emerging.
It's an important beginning wherever we are on this great land, whichever Traditional Owners we have the privilege of acknowledging.
That such a courtesy has become part of the rhythm of Australian life is a good thing.
But it is just a beginning.
This year, we can take the next step on our journey together as a nation and add even greater substance to that acknowledgement.
DR JANE LOMAX-SMITH AM: One of the things that we find so inspirational about South Australia is that having our own Voice to Parliament, we feel that many of the questions in that fog of fiction may be answered by us. Is that one of the areas that will draw inspiration and support for your plans in the next year?
DAVID BEVAN, HOST: Good morning, Prime Minister.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. Good to be with you.
WILL GOODINGS, HOST: It is the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, who joins us on FIVEaa Breakfast. Prime Minister, good morning to you.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, guys. Good to be with you.