Received

Andoo Comanche skipper John Winning Jr has celebrated an emotional Sydney to Hobart line honours win with his father but the race yachts still at sea are bracing for a "terribly uncomfortable night" amid strong winds.

Hundred-foot supermaxi Andoo Comanche crossed the River Derwent finish line shortly before 1am (AEDT) on Wednesday, her fourth first-past-the-post win in the past seven races.

She clocked a time of one day, 11 hours, 56 minutes and 48 seconds - almost three hours outside the race record she set in 2017.

Winning Jr was aboard Perpetual LOYAL when she won line honours in 2016, but this was his first success as skipper.

He was sailing alongside his father John Winning Sr, who won Sydney to Hobart line honours on Ballyhoo in 1976.

"It's pretty emotional. These are the types of things that you look back on and say you're glad you got those opportunities," Winning Jr said.

"He's a big golfer and I hate golf, so it's the only sport we can do together."

Winning Jr dedicated the victory to "dear friend", extreme sports venture Andoo X founder Matt Munting, who died earlier this year in a base-jumping accident.

Andoo Comanche, which had not sailed the race since tasting success in 2019, held off a strong challenge from LawConnect down the River Derwent to finish first by about 27 minutes.

Last year's line honours victor Black Jack was third, while nine-time winner Hamilton Island Wild Oats was fourth.

Some 80 yachts still at sea on Wednesday evening were readying for a night of rough weather with a strong southerly tipped.

"Tonight is going to be horrific for them. They are going to have a terribly uncomfortable night. Cruising Yacht Club of Australia Commodore, Arthur Lane, said.

The casualty ward has already started to mount, with the number of retirements from the 109-strong starting fleet increasing to eight.

Veteran sailor David Blanchfield was treated by paramedics for an injury to his leg after arriving in Hobart aboard Moneypenny.

Blanchfield was washed from the yacht's bow to mast at sea overnight, with reports crew members provided first aid and pushed ligaments back inside his leg.

Tasmania Police were tasked with providing assistance to the retired Huntress and Sail Exchange, with the pair suffering broken rudders.

Sydney yacht Celestial was in the box seat for overall handicap honours, after last year copping a time penalty that cost her top spot.

Andoo Comanche, the pre-race line honours favourite, overcame a poor start on Boxing Day to set the pace down Australia's east coast.

Winning Jr said his crew had to navigate some "hairy" moments early on, made more difficult by spectator zones that narrowed the course.

The supermaxi also hit a 10-foot log early in the race which chipped her rudder.

Andoo Comanche is the first yacht to take out Sydney to Hobart line honours under three different owners or skippers.

© AAP 2022

Reflecting on the legacy of the late Bob Hawke, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has pledged to bring Australians together as he outlines his plans for the new year.

Mr Albanese spoke on his vision for a better future, including enshrining a voice to parliament in the constitution and reviving the arts, entertainment and cultural sectors.

"An agenda that deals with immediate and urgent issues but always giving consideration to both anticipating and shaping a better future," he told the Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland on Wednesday.

The six-day celebration of music and culture is being held for the first time in almost three years.

The prime minister gave a memorial lecture on former prime minister Bob Hawke, one of the festival's greatest fans.

"Bob Hawke left a great legacy and that's because he understood that for any legacy to have staying power requires a government that lasts the distance," he said.

Mr Albanese said Mr Hawke's ambition was able to rally a nation and encouraged people to move forward together.

"The words that characterised his leadership -- reconciliation, accord, consensus -- were all about us heading in the same direction as a nation," he said.

"No one's time in government is infinite. The clock is always ticking.

"I firmly believe that a good way to make the best possible use of that time is to carry Bob's example in your heart."

The late-Mr Hawke's second wife Blanche d'Alpuget was in the crowd for the address, as was Arts Minister Tony Burke and Indigenous Australians Minister Linda Burney.

Mr Albanese cited his party's achievements in establishing a stronger climate target, paid domestic violence leave, a national anti-corruption commission and improved gender equality.

He referenced the steps taken to restore Australia's international relationships, particularly with the Pacific region and China.

"We have repaired our international relations and got Australia out of the naughty corner," he said.

"Australia and China are talking again. We are a mature nation. We're not afraid to act like one."

But he said it was only the beginning for his government, seizing on the momentum of his first seven months in office.

"We're just going to keep building on it. We will aim to keep delivering on the commitments that we made to the Australian people," Mr Albanese said.

Boosting local manufacturing, including the critical mineral sector, through a national reconstruction fund, protecting the environment and holding the referendum for Indigenous constitutional recognition in 2023 were all flagged.

Shutting down protesters after allowing them time to chant, Mr Albanese said he would govern for all Australians.

"In a democracy, we actually listen to the majority," he said.

"We will listen. We will consult. We will keep our doors open, along with our ears and our minds."

He pledged to make Australia a renewable energy superpower.

"As a nation, we are blessed with so much sunshine and wind that it would be an act of perversity to not harness them.

"They are there for the taking. With them, we can drive down emissions."

Voters appear to have given the government's momentum a tick of approval.

A new poll commissioned by the Sydney Morning Herald shows Labor's primary vote has lifted to 40 per cent across the nation since May.

The government also had a clear lead against the coalition in the five biggest states, the Resolve poll suggests.

In Queensland, a key battleground state, Labor's primary vote had jumped from 27 per cent to 37 per cent.

© AAP 2022

Anthony Albanese is set to reflect on the past seven months in power and reveal what Australians can expect from his government in 2023.

The prime minister will attend the Woodford Folk Festival in Queensland, a six-day celebration of music and culture, running for the first time in almost three years.

He will give the memorial lecture on former prime minister Bob Hawke, one of the festival's greatest fans.

Mr Albanese will reflect on the former Labor leader's time in government while also celebrating his own government's successes since it was elected in May.

"Bob Hawke left a great legacy and that's because he understood that for any legacy to have staying power requires a government that lasts the distance," he will say.

"No one's time in government is infinite. The clock is always ticking.

"But I firmly believe that a good way to make the best possible use of that time is to carry Bob's example in your heart."

The prime minister will talk about his government's election commitment to hit the ground running.

He will cite his party's achievements in establishing a stronger climate target, paid domestic violence leave, a national anti-corruption commission and improved gender equality.

Mr Albanese will also reference the steps taken to restore Australia's international relationships, particularly with the Pacific region and China.

Voters appear to have given the government's momentum a tick of approval.

A new poll commissioned by the Sydney Morning Herald shows Labor's primary vote has lifted to 40 per cent across the nation since May.

The government also had a clear lead against the coalition in the five biggest states, the Resolve poll suggests.

In Queensland, a key battleground state, Labor's primary vote had jumped from 27 per cent to 37 per cent.

Mr Albanese will use his speech to lament the previous nine years of the coalition government and commit to supporting the arts sector.

He will say the former government did not understand that rather than being a luxury, the arts were "central to our very being".

Looking to 2023, Mr Albanese will pledge to continue building on the momentum his government established in 2022.

"My determination has always been that we will be a government for all Australians," he will say.

"We will listen. We will consult. We will keep our doors open, along with our ears and our minds."

The Woodford festival runs from December 27 to January 1.

© AAP 2022