TRANSCRIPT
Across the Potomac River from Washington DC lies Arlington National Cemetery.
There, lie the remains of 400,000 Americans who served in battle, and their families.
Current events in the Middle East and Ukraine, though, remind us that armed conflict is not just a thing of the past.
After laying a wreath at Arlington, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australian mourns people dying on all sides.
“There is a terrible loss of life, including innocent life of both he Israelis and the Palestinians. And we think that every, every innocent life matters, whether it is Israeli or Palestinian.”
But Mr Albanese's trip to Washington isn't just about about current wars, but possible future ones, too, with the AUKUS defence pact a major issue.
U-S domestic politics is getting in the way, though.
The position of Speaker of the House of Representatives- second in line to the presidency- is currently vacant, after the ouster of Kevin McCarthy.
That means bills before the house relating to the funding of AUKUS submarines are stalled.
Indeed, with no one in charge of the house, no one is even able to approve Mr Albanese's proposed address to it.
Nevertheless, Mr Albanese insists he is having constructive discussions with U-S legislators.
“I"m very confident of a very positive outcome. And that comes from the top- in President Biden's commitment to this. But it also comes from the engagement from congress and senators.”
Opposition Peter Dutton says it is vital Mr Albanese does what he can to steady the AUKUS deal.
“The momentum that we had, when we were in government, when we first signed the deal with he United States and the United Kingdom, the AUKUS deal, seems to have waned. And the government's got to get the deal back on he track. Because, for Australia to be strong... that gives us the greatest chance of peace in our region.”
War isn't the only issue on Mr Albanese's agenda in the United States.
So too is the tech sector.
Microsoft has announced a five billion dollar investment in expanded data centres in Australia for the purposes of cloud computing and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Microsoft's Vice-Chair is Brad Smith. He says this is as big as it gets.
“I think, in many ways, A-I will be as important to the future of the world as inventions like the printing press or electricity. And, when you really study what these inventions meant for the world, what mattered the most was whether other countries put them to good use. Whether they adopted them and used them to remain at the forefront of the competitive opportunities of their time.”
The company will also partner with TAFE to open a new Microsoft Data Centre Academy next year.
The company is promising to train 300,000 Australians for the technologies of the future.
Industry Minister Ed Husic says this is an investment that will pay rich dividends.
“It's estimated that tech investment in Australia, if we get it right, could add up to 630 billion dollars per annum by 2030”
There's also an additional commitment to improve protection from cyber threats from countries like China.
Tiffany Wright of Microsoft Australia and New Zealand defends the company's plan to work directly with Australia's foreign signals intelligence agency.
“So, this is a fantastic opportunity for Australia to supercharge our innovation and productivity through the use of hyperscale cloud and A-I. Now, of course, all technology comes with some risks. And cybersecurity is top of mind, I know, both for the government, and for industry.”
It's all fine by Mr Albanese, too.
“The Australian Signals Directorate do an extraordinary job of making sure that the national interest is served. And they will certainly be doing so in this.”
