Thank you very much, Prime Minister.

Dear Tony,

thank you for the very warm welcome to Canberra and allow me at the beginning a word on the situation in the Middle East. I'm deeply concerned about the conflict.

Iran has to cease immediately its threats, laying of mines, drones,

and missile attacks and other attempts to block the Strait to commercial shipping.

The recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations,

and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces is unacceptable and must be condemned.

I also want to emphasise that freedom of navigation is a fundamental principle of international law.

We will come back to these issues and their structural consequences at the Parliament this afternoon.

Right now, let us focus on the bilateral relationship.

There is something unique about the partnership between Europe and Australia.

It has matured over time, steadily and consistently,

building on individual stories and a shared view of the world, even when worlds apart.

So I'm glad to be here and to demonstrate in person that this is a relationship built for the long term.

And today I am so grateful to say that after almost a decade of work, of patience,

of persistence, we have concluded the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement,

and let me look at four different components. My first point is simple. This is an agreement. It is a win on both sides. So congratulations to you and to Australia.

And congratulations to Minister Don Farrell and Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič.

This agreement is set to add almost $8 billion to your GDP.

It will become easier for Australia to export to the European Union based on high standards.

All Australian industrial goods exports to the European Union will become tariff free.

And Australian citizens will have more opportunities to provide their high quality services to the European Union.

On the EU side, our free trade agreement network continues to grow steadily.

We work hard to diversify our trade relations in an increasingly uncertain world,

and in less than 2 months Europe added nearly 2 billion people to our free trade market with agreements spanning 3 continents from Latin America to India and now Australia. It is a true trade trilogy.

For European Union businesses, this agreement will deliver immediate tangible benefits.

EU exporters, producers, and farmers will save €1 billion in tariffs.

Our exports of goods to Australia are expected to grow by 33% over the next decade.

And our farmers will benefit from greater export opportunities combined as usual with strong safeguard,

with the protection of geographical indications, for example, so it's a perfect balance. My second point is on collective resilience.

Today we are telling an important story to a world that is deeply changing.

A world where great powers are using tariffs as a leverage and supply chains as vulnerabilities to be exploited.

In our story, open rules-based trade delivers positive sum outcomes. Trust matters more than transactions.

It is a story of building strength at home.

And diversifying abroad through a reliable network of agreements that we respect and uphold,

and this is, this is what collective resilience is. This is our common story.

And this leads me to my 3rd point.

Nowhere is the need for collective resilience more evident than in critical raw materials.

The European Union and Australia need reliable supply chains for these crucial inputs.

Australia is one of the world's most important producers.

In contrast, Europe is one of the world's major users,

and this is why I'm very happy that today we agreed to step up our cooperation with 4 major projects.

They cover production of rare earth, lithium, and tungsten.

And we are building on our work with allies towards a bias club and we are building on the critical raw materials partnership we launched two years ago.

And we will apply the same logic to security,

and this is my 4th and final point, the launch of our security and defence partnership.

Europe and Australia share a responsibility beyond our borders.

We know that Europe's security and Indo-Pacific stability are not separate conversations.

A crisis in the Indo-Pacific would cripple global trade directly hitting European industries and growth.

So we have resolutely decided to step up cooperation on defence industry,

counterterrorism, space, and maritime security.

And we are joining forces to fight back against hybrid threats to our democracies.

Because we are both confronted with disinformation and wider attempts to erode public trust here too we must build the collective resilience of our societies,

so I'm very much looking forward to deepening our cooperation.

And finally, the European Union and Australia have cooperated in the research space for many decades, but there is potential for so much more,

and that's why the decision to begin negotiations for Australia's association to Horizon Europe is such excellent news. Having Australia on board.

The EU's flagship programme for research and innovation will benefit both sides, and it will link our brightest minds with long-term,

well funded programmes so that they can be working together to generate the ideas and the products our society needs.

So dear Tony, if you zoom out on the map, the distance between us stands out.

If you zoom in, what unites us, the distance disappears.

We are like-minded in so many aspects, our commitment to democracy and international law,

our shared goal of climate neutrality by 2050 with our your co-sharing of the next COP. Our concern for affordable healthcare and housing.

And even the protection of our children, where Europe is learning from Australia's trailblazing approach to social media.

And this is what our partnership represents cooperation by conviction,

shaping together a new, fairer and stronger world order. Thank you very much. Thank you.