“Removing the bottleneck at the level crossing and duplicating the entire eight-kilometre stretch is part of the coaliation plan to deliver infrastructure to the very communities that have been starved of it.”

The launch formed part of Albanese's official visit to Fiji, during which he and Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka signed the landmark Vuvale Union and Ocean of Peace Alliance treaties, deepening cooperation on security, economic development and people-to-people links.

Households have undoubtedly felt the effects of higher interest rates and rising living costs, but the Reserve Bank’s loan-level data show that mortgage arrears remain low.