Doorstop: Commonwealth Park, Canberra

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, happy Australia Day everyone. It's always wonderful to preside over citizenship ceremonies, and 19,000 people today will pledge their allegiance and their loyalty to our great nation of Australia. This is a nation built on the fact that we share this continent with the oldest continuous culture on earth, but where generations of people have come for a better life for themselves and their families and helped to be part of writing the Australian story. It is always a wonderful day and today's the day to celebrate all that we are, to reflect on how we have got to 2026, but also on the 125th anniversary of our Federation, to look forward with love for each other, with hope, with optimism, and with a commitment to national unity going forward. Happy to take some questions.

JOURNALIST: Today's a day of unity. Obviously the Libs haven't got the message. What would your message be to them?

PRIME MINISTER: My focus is on national unity and on the national interest. The Liberals and the Nationals seem to be focused on themselves, and I think they'll be marked down for it. What we're seeing is real indulgence from what used to be called the Coalition, but from people who simply don't like each other. And if you can't govern yourselves, I don't see how you can be an alternative government of the country.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, your speech was on unity. One gentleman at the start of the event heckled you, yelling 'blood on your hands, Albanese'. Was it disappointing to hear that, considering the day of unity?

PRIME MINISTER: I'm focused on the positive here. And overwhelmingly, the feeling here is absolutely wonderful. People come, and at ceremonies right around Australia, more than 400 of them, as well as the other displays that'll take place today, kids doing rides, the fireworks, the music, the cultural celebration, the acknowledgement of traditional owners as well, is what makes Australia Day such a wonderful celebration.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, how will you be celebrating the rest of the day?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'll be going to Sydney later in the day for the Australia Day concert. That is always fantastic, there on the forecourt of the Opera House. Kate Ceberano and other great Australian artists will be performing there and it is just a wonderful day to celebrate all that we are and to give thanks to the fact that we have the great privilege of living in the best country on earth.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, you're heading to East Timor. Can you tell us the purpose of that trip and what you're hoping to achieve?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, that will be a very important trip for a close neighbour. We are of course great friends of Timor-Leste and I will be given the great honour of addressing the parliament of Timor-Leste. I regard that as a great honour, not just for me personally, but more importantly for Australia as well. And I thank Xanana Gusmão, my friend, and José Ramos-Horta as well for the invitation. We'll be heading up there via Darwin tomorrow and we'll be there until Thursday. What we know is that our relations with our neighbours have never been more important than they are today. And Timor, of course, the relationship goes back a long way. But one of my mentors, Tom Uren, was captured by the Japanese and became a prisoner of war on Timor in 1941. And what happened then was that the Timorese helped out so many Australian diggers during that moment of crisis during the Second World War. And I had the great privilege of speaking to many of those former prisoners of war through my friend Tom Uren and hearing firsthand the stories of how grateful they were for the solidarity that was shown.

JOURNALIST: Australians of the Year as well, obviously last night, very important. How does it feel, all of these people from different walks of life achieving such amazing things?

PRIME MINISTER: It is so absolutely wonderful. All the nominees last night, you could have picked any of them, but to see such a diversity - you have an astronaut, a professor who is helping to deal with dementia. You have someone who's run across Australia to raise funds for the homeless, and an Indigenous man who is creating jobs and apprenticeships and opportunity for young Indigenous people from a very small community there in Western Australia. These are great Australians and they will do a fantastic job over the next 12 months. Thanks very much.