Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

On behalf of the government and the people of Australia, I congratulate Liz Truss on her election as the new leader of the UK Conservative Party. Shortly, she will be commissioned as the 56 Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. She will be the third woman to hold that historic office. It is a special privilege to be chosen to lead your party, and it's an extraordinary honour to have the chance to lead your country. I can imagine—indeed, I can recall from not so long ago—the powerful mixture of emotions that comes with being elected to such high office.

In June, at the NATO summit in Spain, I had the chance to meet with Ms Truss in her capacity as foreign secretary. We shared a platform as the guest speakers at the NATO summit, convened by the Prime Minister of Spain, to talk about the global challenges which we face, including, of course, the Russian intervention in Ukraine, the strategic competition in our region and the need to uphold the international rule of law. I look forward to having a further discussion with the new Prime Minister shortly.

Ms Truss will walk through that famous black door of 10 Downing Street at a time when the people of Britain are facing very serious challenges. Out of the deep and abiding affection that Australians have for our oldest ally and oldest friend, we wish her well in the service of her country.

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