Anthony Albanese to host Quad security dialogue leaders in Sydney

Anthony Albanese has revealed where the next meeting of a crucial security dialogue will be held in Australia.

Anthony Albanese will host the other leaders of the Quad security dialogue at the Sydney Opera House next month.

US President Joe Biden, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will travel to the NSW capital for the meeting on May 24.

The Prime Minister announced the details on Wednesday at a press conference in Sydney where he said the meeting would be held in “Australia’s most recognisable building”.

It will be the first time Australia has hosted the Quad and comes after Mr Albanese attended an earlier summit in Tokyo in May last year shortly after winning office.

Inflation, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, energy policy and strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific region are among the items on the agenda for the leaders’ discussion.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will host the other Quad leaders in Sydney. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

Mr Albanese said the meeting presented not only the opportunity to work with Australia’s security partners but the chance to present “this beautiful city in this wonderful country” to the world.

Events would be organised to showcase Sydney and Australia more broadly during the week of the leaders’ meeting, he said.

Mr Albanese thanked former NSW premier Dominic Perrottet for the work his government did to arrange to have the Quad summit held in Sydney before the state election a month ago.

He said he had continued those discussions with his successor, Labor leader Chris Minns.

In a statement released after Mr Albanese’s announcement, the NSW Premier welcomed the news and said the state looked forward to hosting the heads of state.

“The Quad is among Australia’s most important strategic, economic and diplomatic international partnerships,” he said.

“The Quad is committed to promoting stability, resilience and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region, where all nations can co-operate, trade and thrive.

“This is vital to NSW’s economy. Our businesses have trading ties that extend across the globe.”

Chris Minns welcomed the news that NSW would be hosting the Quad summit. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Christian Gilles

Mr Minns also said his government would “minimise disruption to the Sydney community”, with multiple government agencies, including the Department of Premier and Cabinet, NSW Police and Transport, engaged in handling the event.

Biden flags bilateral US meeting

Mr Albanese also told reporters he had been invited to the US for a bilateral meeting to take place sometime this year, with the details of that trip still being finalised.

Mr Albanese says US President Joe Biden is a friend of Australia. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

But he refused to weigh in on Mr Biden’s recent announcement he would seek re-election later this year, saying only that he would be a “very welcome visitor” in Sydney.

“President Biden, I regard as a friend and he’s certainly a friend of Australia,” he said.

“I don’t comment on the internal politics of the United States. That is a matter for the people of the United States.”

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a statement shortly after Mr Albanese’s press conference confirming the US President’s travel plans.

The Quad leaders would discuss how they can deepen their co-operation on technology, infrastructure, maritime domain awareness and “other issues that matter to the people of the Indo-Pacific”, she said.

Mr Biden will fly to Sydney for the Quad meeting after he attends the G7 summit in Japan from May 19-May 21.