Good morning.

It’s great to be here in Vientiane to mark just over 12 months since I launched Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.

To reflect on the progress we have made – and to renew our ambition for the future.

I’m pleased to welcome the Australian investment mission which is here in conjunction with the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit.

Thank you Prime Minister Sonexay for co-chairing this fourth annual ASEAN-Australia Summit.

I congratulate Laos for its leadership of ASEAN this year and for building an agenda focused on strengthening the region’s connectivity and resilience.

I also thank Laos for its guidance and support as our ASEAN Country Coordinator over the past three years.

And I thank Indonesia for being Australia’s new ASEAN Country Coordinator.

The special summit we held in Melbourne earlier this year celebrated 50 years of Australia’s dialogue partnership with ASEAN.

The Albanese Labor Government has agreed a timetable with China for the full resumption of Australian live rock lobster exports by the end of the year.

This will save the jobs of 3,000 Australians employed in the industry, 2,000 of which are in Western Australia.

The agreement to a timetable for the re-entry of live rock lobster was made during a meeting between Prime Minister Albanese and China’s Premier Li Qiang today on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Vientiane, Laos.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's good to be here in Vientiane for the important regional summits with ASEAN. We're always better when we work together with our close friends and partners. And we know that ASEAN, of course, has an important relationship with Australia. We have our Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 that was developed by Nicholas Moore, and he, together with other business leaders such as Christine Holgate, will be participating this week as well. Stability, peace and future prosperity cannot be taken for granted.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU, PRIME MINISTER OF CANADA: Morning everyone, what a pleasure it is to sit down with, amongst friends here in Laos for the ASEAN meeting, Prime Minister of Australia and Prime Minister of New Zealand, an opportunity, obviously, to talk about, first of all, all the work that we've been doing together in the region and around the world, on growing our economies, on strengthening trade ties throughout the Indo-Pacific, but around the world as well. We're working on some excellent critical minerals initiatives.

LI QIANG, PREMIER OF CHINA: Prime Minister Albanese, it gives me great pleasure to meet you again. As I also say, I feel very warm to meet an old friend, and I want to thank Mr Prime Minister, and the Australian side for the warm hospitality and thoughtful arrangement during my visit to Australia in June. That visit was a great success, and also attracted a lot of attention in both China and Australia.

representing Australia at the ASEAN Summit, and for the Australia-ASEAN Summit as well. This is an important relationship that Australia has with Southeast Asia. It's our second largest trading partner. There are 500,000 jobs in Australia depend upon our trade in Southeast Asia, and the work that Nicholas Moore has done in developing the 2040 Southeast Asia Economic Strategy is so important for Australia. So the next two days is an important opportunity for us to engage with our neighbours in what is, of course, the fastest growing region of the world in human history.

KIERAN GILBERT, HOST: Prime Minister, thank you for your time.

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

GILBERT: The leaders of two peak Jewish groups have written to you and the Opposition Leader, urging you to preference each other above the Greens given their repugnant position on the Middle East, would you consider that?

The Albanese Government is introducing legislation today to keep the National Broadband Network (NBN) owned by the Australian people - ensuring fast, reliable and affordable internet now and into the future for all Australians.

Our Government committed at the election to deliver accessible internet for all, and today we continue to take that forward.

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, and I pay my respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

It’s great to be here with you all this evening.

To celebrate the future of Australian science and to look back on a proud history of these awards.

Back in 2000, one of the very first prize winners was Dr Jim Peacock.

A molecular biologist, he would later go on to be Australia’s Chief Scientist.