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National

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visits Perth for the first time since election win

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese vows to visit Western Australia regularly. (ABC News: Andrew O'Connor)

Anthony Albanese has thanked West Australians for their support during his first trip to the state since becoming Prime Minister.

Mr Albanese arrived in Perth on Saturday for a brief stop before his visit to Indonesia.

He had dinner on Saturday night with WA Premier Mark McGowan.

He was joined on Sunday morning by WA MPs at Kings Park, where he reaffirmed his election pledge to visit Western Australia at least 10 times in the next 12 months.

Anthony Albanese held a Kings Park press conference, which was attended by WA Labor MPs who helped his government win enough seats to govern outright. (ABC News: Andrew O'Connor )

"This is my fifth visit to Western Australia this year, which isn't bad given that I wasn't able to come for half of this year," he said.

"But I made a commitment as leader of the Labor Party that I would come to Western Australia 10 times a year and I repeat that commitment as Prime Minister.

Mr Albanese promised meaningful engagement with WA. (ABC News: Herlyn Kaur)

"I will endeavour to be a regular visitor here, not just somebody who drops in when there's an election campaign but spends time here because I want to be the Prime Minister for the entire country."

Mr Albanese said he was committed to engaging with WA in a meaningful way.

"I always enjoy my time here … it's an important part of the nation," he said.

"During the pandemic, the success of Western Australia in keeping our economy going was absolutely vital during that period.

"So I say to Mark McGowan and his government, but more importantly to the people of Western Australia, we appreciate the sacrifices that you made during that difficult time in order to keep each other safe, but also it had benefits for our national economy."

'Standing on the shoulders of true believers'

Mr Albanese later attended a celebratory barbecue at the South Perth foreshore where he thanked hundreds of Labor volunteers for their support.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended a community BBQ to thank Labor supporters. (ABC News: Andrew O'Connor)

"Labor Party parliamentarians, whether they've been the prime minister or the newest backbencher, stand on the shoulders of the true believers who make the phone calls, who knock on the doors, who advocate for the cause of Labor … and they argued the case for change," he said.

Mr Albanese also confirmed he would soon have the official dates for a federal cabinet meeting in Perth, as well as one in Port Hedland.

Mr Albanese thanked Labor supporters for their hard work during the campaign. (ABC News: Herlyn Kaur)
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