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

I thank the member for Bean for his question. The welcoming of Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, to this parliament was indeed an auspicious and a good occasion. This is a good relationship between two friendly nations and a good relationship that I have with the Prime Minister of Canada. Our common values and our common purpose underpin the cooperation between our two nations, and cooperation is indeed our clear objective, together announcing new measures to uphold and defend peace and prosperity for our peoples.

Today we've done a number of upgrades of that relationship as well, enhancing collaboration—our shared advantages in critical minerals to shape emerging markets and Australia joining the G7 Critical Minerals Production Alliance. We're backing our shared economic security with a new clean-energy partnership, updating the Australia Canada tax treaty and, importantly, deepening our cooperation on artificial intelligence as we go forward. Our cooperation in defence is strengthening through defence ministers meetings, and I welcome the defence minister to the floor today. Our Arctic Over the Horizon Radar system will be Australia's largest ever defence export, benefiting both of our nations.

As two nations impacted by more frequent and severe natural disasters, together we're boosting cooperation across emergency management, and I thank Prime Minister Carney for the meeting that we had with many of the emergency service workers, the firefighters who we were able to meet with after his address here in my courtyard in Parliament House. I reflected on the deep gratitude that the Australian people have for the support that Canadian firefighters have given to Australia almost every year but particularly during the Black Summer bushfires. The relationship between our firefighters is a true testament of Australians and Canadians having each other's back.

Mr Speaker, we do live in a changing and more challenging world. As middle powers, we need to do more together in order to shape positive change in the world together. That is Australia's pursuit—investing in our relationships, finding new opportunities from within complexity, and building the economic potential of our nation, our region in the world, always acting in the national interest, always focused on the positive difference we can make to those that we serve and represent: the Australian people. Prime Minister Carney and Mrs Fox Carney are welcome guests in this country. I look forward to hosting them at the Lodge, together with Jody, tonight, together with their delegation. It has been a really successful visit. I look forward to building on this relationship.

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