Fianna Fáil will strike a balance between “being prudent and addressing urgent need” in the upcoming budget, including tax reforms to “reward work”, Taoiseach and party leader Micheál Martin told the Ardfheis.Martin also spoke of an “uncomfortable truth” that the State has to be able to defend itself “against increasingly serious threats to the vital connections we have with the wider world”.As many as 2,000 Fianna Fáil members are expected to attend the Ardfheis in Dublin on Saturday as the party marks 100 years since it was founded.Martin began his speech to a smaller crowd on Friday evening, suggesting that “across the past century, Fianna Fáil has been one of the most successful parties in the democratic world”.Speaking about October’s budget, he said Fianna Fáil’s approach “is that we must be fair, we must improve vital services, and we must protect our future at a time of global disruption. “It’s already the Opposition’s policy that we shouldn’t be putting aside so much to pay for critical investments in the future ... We have to strike a balance between being prudent and addressing urgent needs. And we’re going to keep doing this,” he said. Who will win Dublin Central? Listen | 38:05He said the party had to “put major funding behind helping families and businesses” under pressure due to high energy prices.In relation to the budget, he said Fianna Fáil would pursue tax reforms to “reward work” and ease the pressures on working families.On the housing crisis, Martin said: “The urgent need to provide housing which people can afford to buy or rent is one we are working every day to address.” In the year to the end of March, more than 38,000 new dwellings have been completed, an increase of 26 per cent year on year.Speaking of the uncertain international situation, Martin said: “We will keep working with others to try to restore and renew respect for international co-operation.”He stressed Fianna Fáil’s commitment to the United Nations: “It is an uncomfortable truth that we have to be able to defend ourselves against increasingly serious threats to the vital connections we have with the wider world.“We have to significantly increase our level of defensive capability to protect our undersea gas, sub-sea cables and to ensure our cybersecurity.“These are modern-day threats the likes of which we could hardly have imagined even a few years ago – but they are a reality and we must and will deal with them.”On his Shared Island initiative of investment in Northern Ireland, Martin said funding has been doubled to €2 billion as he argued it is “the most consequential North-South initiative ever undertaken by an Irish Government”.The Taoiseach said the Ardfheis would discuss protecting jobs, helping people with the high cost of living, delivering affordable housing, tackling crime, supporting rural communities and investing in education.He closed his speech, saying: “We still have many important challenges, but we can be proud of the central role which our party has played in the achievement of peace and progress on our island. Renewing Fianna Fáil’s great tradition of service, that is our work.”