I begin by acknowledging the owners of the land on which we gather tonight. I pay my respects to the Motu Koitabu people.

Prime Minister Marape and Mrs Marape, Ministers and distinguished guests.

Gutpela nait long yupela olgeta.

[Good evening to you all].

Thank you, Prime Minister, for your warm welcome and for this wonderful reception. It is an honour and delight to be in Papua New Guinea again.

During my last visit, I had the honour of becoming the first foreign Head of Government to address your National Parliament.

NITA GREEN, SENATOR FOR QUEENSLAND: My name is Nita, I'm a Labor Senator for Queensland. I'm very a proud representative of regional Queensland in particular. So I'm very pleased to be back here in Mackay today with the Prime Minister and with Mayor Greg Williamson. Congratulations on your recent re-election, Greg, it's fantastic to be with you today. We are here to support regional Queensland and to create more jobs in regional Queensland.

Prime Minister Albanese has officially opened Mackay’s Riverside Revitalisation Project which has transformed the former industrial precinct into a destination locals and visitors alike can explore and enjoy.

The $9.7 million project was jointly funded with the Australian Government investing $4.1 million and the Mackay Regional Council investing $5.6 million.

The Prime Minister visited Mackay this morning to join Mayor Greg Williamson, Councillors, council CEO Scott Owen and other stakeholders for the official opening.

MEECHAM PHILPOTT, HOST: That's the Naduri welcome song and that's probably the best time to bring in the Prime Minister. Good morning to you, Prime Minister, welcome to the program.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning. I'm looking forward to being back in Mackay today.

PHILPOTT: Absolutely. Popping into Mackay on your way to PNG. What's happening in Mackay? A bit of infrastructure, I believe. Got an opening there, haven't we?

JAY PETERS, HOST: It's good to see that the Revitalisation Project kicks off today. Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, he's kicking things off. He joins us at the moment. Look, Prime Minister, can we just call you Albo?

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Too many syllables in that for you, is there?

PETERS: I mean, we're thinking AA, but that's something else.

DAVE SHIPSTON, HOST: That's very true.

We gather here in Bondi to grieve for all that has been stolen from us.

All the possibility and potential, all the kindness and humanity.

All the love and laughter of the six lives snatched away on that hardest of Saturday afternoon.

We keep this vigil for them - to honour all they were, to pay respect to all they meant.

We mourn for all the years of joy they should have known.

All the memories they should have had the chance to make.

The new life they would have lived, here in their new country.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will travel to Papua New Guinea from 22 – 25 April to meet with Prime Minister Marape, walk sections of the Kokoda Track and commemorate Anzac Day.

The Kokoda campaign lasted from July to November 1942, with about 56,000 Australians involved. Around 625 Australians were killed and over 1,600 were wounded along the track.

Each year many Australians take the challenge of walking the Kokoda Track, alongside Papua New Guineans, to not only test their limits, but to reflect on the events that took place.

Patients at the new Paula Fox Melanoma and Cancer Centre at Melbourne’s Alfred Hospital will have access to cutting-edge scanning technology that will be able to detect cancers earlier.

The Albanese Government is investing $12 million through the 2024–25 Budget, to purchase and install a Quadra Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Molecular Imaging scanner. The Victorian Government and The Alfred Foundation will match this funding.

This scanner is better able to detect smaller lesions meaning cancers can be diagnosed sooner.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks for joining us, at the end of what has been, in many senses, a dark week for Australia, this has been an element of light. Shining positive vision, here in Victoria, but also providing hope and inspiration for the battle against melanoma and against other cancers. This facility is world class. And I pay tribute to all who've been engaged in the work. Particularly the leadership of Paula Fox, whose vision has been realised today.

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

I had the great privilege of launching this project in June 2022, during my first visit to Melbourne as Prime Minister.  

Back then this Centre was still very much a vision.

A vision of hope — for patients and their families.

What a transformation there’s been since.

The Alfred isn’t a newcomer to healthcare, or research. It’s been at the forefront for more than 150 years. And this building is a masterclass in both.