Prime Minister Robert Abela has declared that the government will turn White Rocks into a national park.

The White Rocks complex in Pembroke was once a military barracks built in the 1960s, but was later turned into a holiday complex. It has since fallen into disrepair. Development of the site was initially attempted back in 1990s by a Nationalist government but failed to gain any momentum and was put on hold. In 2010, there was an attempt to develop the site as a sports village but, again, this did not gain enough interest. In June 2014 the idea of a White Rocks project was reinitiated, but nothing became of it and to this day remains in disrepair.

Now the Prime Minister has declared the government's intention to turn the site into a national park.

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, during his reply to the 2026 Budget, the Prime Minister mentioned Manoel Island, saying that the PN had passed on the island for property speculation. "We will give Manoel Island back to the people. It wasn't an easy decision as there was a contract which is not easy to contest," he said. "We already got a clear and written commitment that the massive development that was planned for Manoel Island will not take place. Instead of development there will be a national family park. We are working to finalise the agreement so that this land would be returned to the people," he said.

Abela here mentioned a second project. "It is not enough that we are going to implement the biggest and most beautiful environmental project on Manoel Island. I believe that instead of one national environmental project, we should have two," he said, which will be implemented simultaneously.

The Prime Minister said that this second such project will be White Rocks. "I will take the decision which no other government before this one had the courage to take. I believe that our country should change the decision and its direction regarding this land."

"We will be cancelling the public call that was issued for the development of this land, and instead we will give this land to the people in the form of an open and green park," he said about White Rocks. Abela also said that the government wants to give a perpetual guarantee that the land will never be built.

Documents related to Stewards-Malta ICC decision will be published once lawyers give permission, Prime Minister says

Documents related to the International Chamber of Commerce's decision in the Stewards-Malta case which was delivered on Monday will be made public once lawyers give permission to do so, Prime Minister Robert Abela also said during his speech.

Abela spoke of the decision which took place on Monday, as he said that an international tribunal had certified that what Opposition Leader Alex Borg and Nationalist Party MP Adrian Delia had said about the Vitals deal was a "myth". Abela further remarked that once the relevant documents are published, Delia would have "an even greater shock than that of yesterday".

The Prime Minister said that Steward had sought €140 million, but that the government had beaten them in this case. "They will get nothing, not even one cent," he remarked. He continued that himself and Justice Minister Jonathan Attard and their technical legal teams got involved hands-on, and had defended the national interest with a sense of national pride.

Abela said that the ICC certified that Steward had provided a service and benefits for what was paid to them, which the Prime Minister added meant that the international tribunal decided that the Maltese people had received fair value for their money. Abela commented that in Borg's address on Monday, the PN Leader had failed to show maturity, and added that instead of admitting that the PN was wrong, Borg had instead been "arrogant towards Chris Fearne and tried to belittle him".

The Prime Minister spoke of Budget 2026 as the best budget under a labour government, and the best budget in the country's history, which he said shows that the government's heart beats with the workers, employers, families, and businesses. "A budget for those most in need... For a strong present so that we can have a better future," he remarked.

He said that the budget builds on the good that has been enacted and adds on to the rhythm. He said that he will never accept the discourse from those who say that Malta's economy should calm down, or that there has been enough growth. "Pausing has never been the belief of a labour government... We can never stop progress, so long as there is one family that needs our assistance."

Abela said that while the government has given people less taxes, more benefits, and more investments, other European governments are currently presenting budgets of austerity which increase taxes and cut benefits. He continued that Malta nowadays has the greatest rate of employment in its history, as he added that this is "just the beginning", and that there are many records yet to be broken.

"Our country's success is not being achieved in a climate of international success," Abela said, as he spoke of how other countries such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom are facing difficult economic situations. "We have the lowest rate of unemployment in Europe," he added.

He said that Malta has more than tripled its economy, and commented that the PN was not even capable of preparing and publishing a pre-budget document. With that in mind, he questioned what would happen if the Opposition were expected to present a budget, as he also added that the PN did not present its position on Malta Vision 2050.

In response, Borg said that the PN has a meeting date for November 12th.

During a heated back and forth between the PL and PN MPs, Speaker of the House Anglu Farrugia ordered PN MP Adrian Delia to exit the room after a number of repeated interruptions and subsequent warnings given by the Speaker.

After having resumed his speech, the Prime Minister remarked that while the government had presented "the best budget in Malta's history," the PN in turn wanted economics of austerity.

Referring to the Opposition Leader's address on Monday, Abela said that Borg had talked about the idea of a €5,000 Child Trust Fund. The Prime Minister commented that while Borg tried to pass off the idea as his own, it was an identical copy of a measure introduced in the United States of America as part of the 'Big Beautiful Bill'.

Abela continued by speaking about pensions, and commented that if Borg "actually listened to what pensioners were telling you instead of being focused on pictures... you would know that they are saying their pensions have increased more than ever".

The Prime Minister remarked that the PN had split pensioners into different categories, those born before and after 1962. He continued that while his government did not enact this injustice, it has been fixing it for years, as he added that the government has given every pensioner a minimum increase of €10 each week.

He continued that in some weeks, a tender will be published which will be investing hundreds of millions in the construction of a new hospital for the elderly in St Vincent de Paul. He said that this 300-bed hospital will be a "massive investment which will be bringing a revolution in the sector of elderly care in our country".