 I'm so pleased to welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs of France, Catherine Colinard, to Canberra, to Australia for her first visit. I appreciate – we appreciate the effort and the effort of her delegation in coming to Australia. Look, France is a power in the Pacific, it's a power in Europe and it's a multilateral power. And this is a very important partnership to Australia. We have an enduring contemporary and forward-looking partnership and we are united in addressing shared challenges globally, but also in Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific. Catherine observed today at the National Press Club that France is a bridge builder. And in this and in so many other things, we are like-minded. We're both countries committed to building a stronger bilateral relationship that's based on our shared interests and our shared values of liberty, democracy, rule of law and the protection of human rights. Before we go to questions, I'll just make a couple of brief remarks. First, we obviously discussed today the Middle East and I again indicate Australia's position. We unequivocally condemn the October 7 attacks. We continue to call for the immediate release of all hostages. Like France, we recognise Israel's right to defend itself and we stress that the way it does so matters. Israel must respect international humanitarian law and it must conduct its military operations lawfully. And we are very concerned about the scale of civilian death that we are all seeing, including children. I'm sure there may be questions on that. So I'll turn to the bilateral roadmap. When I was in Paris, we had discussions about-actually I think the first discussion was at the UN General Assembly, yes, about the bilateral roadmap and we're rising out of President Macron's and Prime Minister Albanese's meeting where they agreed to take this forward. We are launching the roadmap today. It outlines new levels of cooperation to achieve outcomes under the pillars of defence and security, resilience and climate action, education and culture and responding to the needs of our partners in Pacific. It will obviously operate as a roadmap within which or beneath which there will be specific steps taken, one of which we took today, which was the signing of a bilateral agreement on Pacific Development Corporation between our agencies, our portfolios to more effectively meet the needs of our Pacific partners. This is a very important part of the-I think Catherine described it as a reset of the relationship. We've been really pleased to work with the Minister and her portfolio on making sure we can develop this roadmap. I thank her for coming to Australia and I'll hand the podium to her. Thank you, Senator. Happy to be here. It's my first time to Australia. It's an event for me and thank you for being here and your part and thank you for your interest in Franco-Australian relations. It's an additional pleasure to be here. The invitation of a very good colleague and friend, Senator Wong. Last time, yes, we met in New York in the margins of the General Assembly and I already had the pleasure to welcome you to Paris along with you tomorrow, so I had to come to Australia. And this Paris meeting, you know, the Classic 2 plus 2, front-of-air defence meeting, was a milestone between the visit of Prime Minister Albanese to Paris. President Macron underlined the first 2022 and my visit today. Yes, indeed, I shared some thoughts earlier today at the National Press Club, quite a honne of me, springing after you but not trying to meet the depths of your remarks, Penny. It was an opportunity for me to make a few remarks on our strategy for the Indo-Pacific and on what we can do together in a relationship. So let me be very direct and short. The Indo-Pacific is a top priority for France. We are a nation of the Pacific. We are determined to step up, beef up our cooperation with partners in the region, including, of course, with the number one partner for us in the region, i.e. Australia. And we need to do so in order to cope with global challenges and also to preserve the rules-based order that we cherish and can see sometimes shaken. Australia has been a long, for long, will be a very strong partner for France in the region. But we also have an ambition in the Indian Ocean, including with India and Australia in this bilateral format, and we also talked about that today. And as far as Australia is concerned, we stand with our allies and partners, especially when they face unfriendly behaviors. For example, whether to try to exercise or do exercise their right to never get freely. So allow me to wish Senator a proper recovery to the Australian Navy officer that had injured in a recent and serious incident that should not have happened. So today is, I believe, an important moment between our two countries. We are adopting this ambitious roadmap for a profoundly renewed relationship and partnership between our two countries on the eve of the 1880th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, which will come next year. So in order to get there, we've been working hard. It took us 18 months. Senator Wong and our teams did the job requested by President Macron and Prime Minister Albanese in July 2022 when your prime minister visited Paris a few weeks, by the way, after taking office. And our task was to rebuild, reset, use whatever word is appropriate. I don't know which one you prefer. Renew is good. Let's renew then the kind of relationship we had before September 2021. But further than that, to really build a new one and to build a new one around concrete project, and this is what our roadmap is about. Let me give just a few examples. I want to be too long but to flag a few items on what we are doing, which is quite extensive and covering a lot of issues. We launched an Australia Front Centre of Excellence for the Indo-Pacific with three programmes. I want to name those programmes. An Indo-Pacific Studies programme focused on strategic research. A Pacific Shared Knowledge Initiative dedicated to fostering research in such areas like climate change, environment and marine sciences. And a Centre for Energy Transition, well, Green Transition that will bring together both the academic world and companies to support research, training, and help build coalitions to deliver the best energy transition solutions for our countries and the region. And let me add that we do not have anything like this anywhere else in the world. So happy that we could be achieving it first in this respect. We're also launching a partnership for climate and environmental resilience in the Pacific through the signing. And thank you, ladies, a few minutes ago of a letter in turn between the Agence Francaise de développement, AFD, and the DFAT. On defense, because yes, I have just speak about defense, it's part of our history now for the good part. We do have already a very good operational cooperation between our armed forces, and we will enhance this cooperation and this interoperability through reciprocal access to military facilities. This is quite important, and through increased joint activities. And as we speak, two Ministers for Defense are discussing this very moment in New Caledonia during the sixth edition of the South Pacific Defense Minister's meeting that we are proud to host in Noumea. In addition to defense and to the other points I mentioned, the roadmap encompasses a list of very practical corporations on critical minerals, space, and the Antarctica. We see competition increasing. And last but not least, we have decided to be much more ambitious in the field of culture and heritage. Just a couple of examples, and so there I came to Canberra with a digitalized version of the archives of a nearly French scientific explorations. Talking about the years 1792, 1793, we were bold and adventurous then. It is bringing a unique testimony on the Spanish First Nation before the rest of us came to this land. If I recall, 27,000 pages of scientific evidence, including the geography, nature, the animals, the plants there, and the people of that land. So I'm proud that Australia and France have submitted to the UNESCO very recently, just a few weeks ago, in November to register these archives in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register. I'm sure it will work. So it's only the beginning of a journey we want to undertake with you with citizens of French Polynesia, Wallis of Fritunna, New Caledonia in the huge scope of shared memories. And the second example, what we do in culture and heritage, is tomorrow the launch of the France-Australia Cultural Exchange Foundation. One of the ideas we had in July 2022, led by an Australian bond to support, in particular, a program of artistic residences for exchange and projects from Australian and French artists and institutions. And the additional beauty in this program is that the program will be open to other Pacific nations as well. So as you can see, we believe in the potential of the relationship between our two countries. It is huge in all sectors. We would like to cover it in the years to come. And keeping this in mind, I will, I have to, but I will consider opening a French consulate general in Melbourne, if you accept it. Of course. So let's give you another good and ancient and positive relationship we had at the 18th century, and let's bring it forward. Thank you. Before I take questions, can I just add a personal note of things? There's a lot of work required to not just get the roadmap together, but to renew the relationship. I think we all understand the history here. And I do want to just acknowledge Catherine's personal engagement on this. We have appreciated it. You have been a real friend of Australia's, and we are very appreciative of your role in ensuring we are here today, and we are making this announcement. Thank you very much. Mr Packham. Ministers, thank you. Just on the reciprocal access to each other's defence facilities. But how will this operate in practice? Is this just a statement of intent, or will it be underpinned by some sort of RA or a reciprocal access agreement or treaty of some form? How do you envisage it working? I think you will see work on this between defence portfolios in the coming period. So I won't... I don't think we need a treaty for that. We need some sort of... Obviously, the Government of the Agreement, we're working on it. It's a huge achievement. We're still working on something comparative with our nations of the Asia Pacific. We are keen, particularly in the Pacific, to work more closely together, and hence the Deputy Prime Minister's attendance at the conference that Catherine spoke about in New Caledonia. And we do already lots of child exercises, and there's this tradition of working together. But having access to facilities will help, I'm sure. Minister, can I ask about the stall agreement or the stall negotiations of the European Union trade agreement? I appreciate that this is in the end a matter for the European Commission rather than France, but nonetheless as a major player in the European Union, I'd be interested to know whether it was discussed between you at Minister Wong, whether you pressed Minister Calona on the question of agricultural market access for Australia. And Minister Calona, is it your assessment that an agreement could still be finalised perhaps next year, and what would Australia need to give in order to make it a reality? You know, I know you want to ask questions which invite us to negotiate in public, but I'm going to disappoint you. We won't be doing that. And obviously our trade ministers, well, the Australian trade minister and the EU will, you know, reprise this negotiation next year if possible. We've made our position clear, but that's not precluding the bilateral cooperation that we've been discussing today. You must know, Benny, because you don't know yet, that I was asked the same question earlier, the National Press Club. And I gave an answer. Deliver the same answer in France. We couldn't agree. It is the EU negotiating, not France, by the way, on a mandate given by the 27 countries. We cannot agree the offer, the proposal, but they technically call it an offer, could not be accepted by Australia, but we would like to give the conversations going. Now, don't ask me for a calendar. I don't want to put the negotiators under pressure. Just on the issue of the war in the Middle East over the weekend, Emmanuel Macron said, Israel's objective to completely destroy Hamas would result in a decade of war. He called on Israel to clarify its objective and reiterated calls for a ceasefire and has previously said that Israel has no justification along with its millions. Foreign Minister Wong's called for steps towards an entering ceasefire. Did you discuss the differences in language between Australia and France, and did you urge Australia to perhaps adjust its position? And Foreign Minister Wong, do you agree with Macron's assessment that Israel should clarify its objectives in regards to Hamas? I don't think you see much difference in the assessment that we make on the situation in the Middle East. I could subscribe to everywhere that Senator Wong said at the beginning of this press conference, and you will see in the general declaration that it is about to be published, will be published, is published, that we absolutely agree on the language that, yes, terrorist attacks must be condemned and we do condemn them, which means that Israel has the right to defend itself and the duty to do it within the framework of international law and specifically international humanitarian law. Now, when it comes to the future of this conflict, absolutely in repeated manner, we want to see a pose that is the most important or immediate thing we can do, work and continue to working with partners in the region to resume the pose, to make the pose more durable, more sustainable, so it can help aid to be delivered into the Gaza Strip to the population who badly needs that, so it can help the release, the liberation of every single hostage, and so it can create a dynamics that is much needed as well, and that is to lead to a ceasefire and revitalize or restore a political horizon, because again and again, we do believe that peace and security in the region can only come from a political solution in the form of a two-state solution addressing the legitimate needs of Palestinians to have their state and the legitimate aspiration of Israel to have peace with its neighbour. Thanks, Catherine. Look, I think we are extremely closely aligned. I think we both have condemned the October 7 attacks and call for the release of hostages. We both have affirmed that in defending itself the way it defends itself matters. This is in relation to Israel. We have been clear about the importance of international humanitarian law and the conduct of military operations in a lawful manner and the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure. Both countries have expressed our concern about the scale of innocent civilian lives lost, and we both support efforts towards further pauses in hostilities and the next steps towards a sustainable ceasefire, and finally the point that Catherine made, which is the political solution. We both are strongly of the view that a political process towards a two-state solution is the only way to secure security and peace for Palestinians and Israelis. May I just add, so the US Defence Secretary, Lloyd Austin, also said that Israel faces strategic defeat if it fails to heed the warnings of the international community in relation to civilian casualties. Are you going by it to reflect on those comments? I think we're both consistent with what I have said previously about these issues, but I thought it was notable that Secretary Austin, with his experience of urban warfare and his statements, if you drive civilians into the arms of the enemy, you replace a tactical victory with a strategic defeat. I thought it was an important statement. Notable statement. So ministers, I just wanted to ask on the PTNW, so Minister Calvona, we had a report here in October that France TPNW, so we had a report that... Oh, what do you call it? T-I-A-N. Huh? Yes. We like to do things the other way around. It's called The Difference Between English and French. I just wanted to ask about a report saying that a French official said they wanted to press Australia and not signing up to the agreement. I'm just wondering if you raised that and whether it's still your position that Australia shouldn't sign up to the agreement and then what your response to that minister is? Your response to the report? Sorry about the Australian sign up. If you are talking about France's position on this issue, it is quite public and hopefully well known. This treaty goes against the existing architecture on nonproliferation and disarmament. In the current circumstances, in addition, it could undermine the stability of this architecture. And last but not least, it doesn't tag into account the current existing threats. So we're quite opposed to this treaty, not specifically vis-à-vis Australia's looking at it or not looking at it, but as a matter of principle and for the sake of the security and the stability of the international border. And the concerns France raises are consistent with some of the issues we have flagged in relation to the treaty. We understand the motivation of those seeking it. The point we have made is that we will examine it for three things that we think need to be considered. One is verification and enforcement. The second is universality. And the third is the consistency with the architecture that Catherine describes. The nonproliferation treaty, which remains the only international architecture, which applies to both the nuclear states and the non-nuclear states. Thank you all very much. Thank you.