It’s an honour to be here among so many incredible leaders, and so many incredible women.

Tonight we honour the extraordinary achievements of rural Australia's women leaders.

This is a night to recognise excellence — and to celebrate resilience.

A lot is asked of rural and regional communities like yours.  

We ask you to grapple with geography in a way most Australians will never have to.

But in facing these challenges — the volatility of the weather, the tyranny of distance — you show us what you’re made of.

You show us how you work together.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Along with the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister, Richard Marles, I am very pleased to welcome Indonesia's Defence Minister and importantly, the President-elect of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto to Australia. I look forward to working closely with you, President-elect Prabowo, to attending your inauguration in October. There is no more important relationship than the relationship between our two great nations.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Well, Your Excellency, President-elect, welcome. Welcome to the Cabinet Room in the Australian Parliament to meet with all of my senior Ministers here. Once again, you are no stranger to our great country, and I have not been a stranger to your great country. I look forward to attending your inauguration in a short period of time which will be a great occasion to cement once again the friendship between our two nations. Our partnership is profoundly important for Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Richard Marles, will welcome Indonesian Defence Minister and President-elect Prabowo Subianto to Australia from 19 to 20 August 2024.

This is President-elect Prabowo’s first visit to Australia since Indonesia’s general election in February 2024.

SABRA LANE, HOST: The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese joins us now. Good morning, Prime Minister.

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

SALLY SITOU, MEMBER FOR REID: It’s great to be here at one of the best Italian festivals in all of Australia. And it's great to have Anthony Albanese, the first Prime Minister to come to Ferragosto here today, and I welcome him.

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.

It such a great pleasure to join you all here in Five Dock for the joy of Ferragosto, and I thank your wonderful local member Sally Sitou for inviting me along today.

It is especially a pleasure to be here with you as Australia’s first Prime Minister with an Italian surname – and as a very proud son of the Inner West.

The story of Italian Australians is deeply and proudly woven into the fabric of our nation.

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.

Good evening, everyone — namaskar.

It’s such a pleasure to be here with you all.

I’d like to thank the India Australia Business & Community Alliance for hosting tonight’s awards, and doing so much to strengthen Australia’s relationship with India over the past decade.

I also acknowledge the High Commissioner of India to Australia, His Excellency Mr Gopal Baglay.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Well, thanks for joining us. It has been an absolute delight to have my friend Prime Minister Luxon here in Australia, to welcome him on what is his third visit to Australia as Prime Minister. Of course, over a long period of time, he's been a regular visitor here to Australia. Today has been an opportunity for us to host the Prime Minister, to talk through the range of issues that our closest of partners have, together.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA: Well, Prime Minister, welcome to you and your delegation. This is your third visit to Australia since your election as Prime Minister, but you and I have known each other for a very long time, and as we commented walking here to this room, we are probably the two leaders of nations around the world who are most ably to be called aviation nerds, and I look forward to a positive discussion today. Our relationship, our economic relationship, has never been firmer.