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

President von der Leyen, my friend, on behalf of the people of Australia, it is my great honour and pleasure to welcome you and your delegation to our national parliament. You will shortly become one of only a handful of international leaders to have addressed our parliament, adding your name to a short list that, among others, includes President Obama, Prime Minister Modi, President Widodo, President Xi and Prime Minister Abe. Crucially, you are about to make history as the first woman international leader to address this parliament—an honour that will be forever yours.

Your visit is a defining moment in our bilateral relationship. The Australia-European free trade agreement will be a once-in-a-generation achievement that will create jobs and prosperity for generations to come. This was a logical step for two natural partners, but, as we know, it was not inevitable. It took hard work, it took constructive engagement and it required both sides to see the bigger picture—the wider horizon of shared opportunity. That is instinct that defines us and binds us.

The European Union and the Commonwealth of Australia are both proud, modern democratic creations built on ancient foundations—both born in a spirit of unity, in the understanding that we are better and stronger together. That is the story of the brighter future that Europe chose to seize in the final decades of a century shaped by the devastation of global war and shadowed by the menace of the Cold War. It has been the story of our ancient continent, too, which offered a home and a future for so many diasporas from so many corners of Europe. Through generations of hard work, aspiration and a deep love of this country, European immigrants and their descendants have enriched and shaped modern Australia, and, in so many ways, they are a living link between our continents.

Collectively, the member states of the EU represent the world's second-biggest economy, and you are currently Australia's third-biggest trading partner, with two-way trade already more than $109 billion. Now, thanks to years of patient negotiation, that is set to grow, making you our second-biggest trading partner. Yet there is so much between us that is beyond measure—unquantifiable yet undeniable. Ours is a friendship born out of instinct, a mutual admiration built on respect, values and ideals that Europe gave to us and Australia made our own—ideals that Australians went to fight for alongside Europeans when your great continent was under the shadow of tyranny, ideals that we continue to fight for.

There is so much in the bond between us that cannot be counted but can always be counted on. We turn to each other as friends and the closest of partners not because we have to but because we choose to. As the world grows ever more uncertain, our best way of navigating the new reality is for us to do more together not merely as a safeguard against present volatility or future uncertainty but as the foundation for our future prosperity, resilience, security and stability.

Right now, we're all dealing with the challenges thrown up by the conflict in the Middle East and Russia's illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine, which has brought war to the very edge of the European Union. Every global shock underscores the importance of the second milestone moment in your visit—the signing of the new Australia-European Union Security and Defence Partnership. The partnership will bolster our collaboration on defence industry, maritime security, cybersecurity, countering terrorism and combating hybrid threats such as disinformation. It speaks for our shared commitment to stability and security, anchored in sovereignty.

The challenges the world holds for us are numerous and ever-evolving, but we do not shy away from them; we work to shape them. To that end, Australia will join this round of Horizon Europe, the world's largest pooled fund for research and innovation. It will bring together the best minds of Australia with those from Europe as we work on new technologies, advanced computing, climate and clean energy, health and critical minerals—research that boosts our resilience, strengthens our economies and makes us more secure, research that builds our future.

Madam President, I'm proud that Australia has helped lead the world with our social media ban for under-16s, and I am grateful that you strengthened this effort with your support and with your leadership. Your attendance at the event that Australia hosted at the United Nations—your being there to hear the story of the wonderful Emma Mason, who took heartache and grievance into campaigning to ensure that other parents don't go through what she went through—to witness that extraordinary courage of parents channelling their personal grief into a call for action, and for you to speak as a mother and grandmother as well as a president, was a powerful statement heard by the world. It was proof that, when we work together, there is nothing that is beyond us. That is the truest spirit that binds us and which unites us.

Madam President, you honour us with your presence. You are always welcome in Australia as a partner and, above all, as a friend.

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