Australia's future
Labor embraces Australia's future with optimism. We confront major long-term challenges to our economy, our environment and our security.
However difficult the circumstances Australia faces, we are a resilient people. We know to reach out to others who are in need in our community. Adversity reminds us that we are all in this together, and that we can emerge stronger from the challenges that we confront.
We know that the truest measure of a society is the care it provides for those most in need, and the opportunity it provides for every person to realise his or her full potential. From the birth of the Australian nation, our character has been defined by our belief in the fair go for everyone—an egalitarian spirit that says all Australians are equal, no matter their background or their social standing. Since the founding of our nation, we have sought to make Australia the best place in the world for working people to raise a family. Those values and aspirations are more important now than ever before.
We reject the pessimistic views of some who say that to be a competitive economy we must sacrifice fairness and compassion, that to protect jobs we must ignore climate change, or that our national security requires us to sacrifice basic democratic principles. These are false choices. Instead, we believe that the purpose for building a strong, competitive economy is to build a fairer society for all Australians. We recognise climate change not just as a threat, but as an opportunity to develop the clean energy industries of the future. So too, a principled response to security threats at home and abroad will strengthen Australia's long-term security.
Australia's Labor Government is determined to get on with the job—to confront long-term challenges that have been neglected; to support Australians through tough economic times; to invest in training a new generation of Australians for the jobs of the future; to ensure fairness in our workplaces; to invest in nation-building infrastructure that lays a platform for future growth; to make Australia competitive again, laying the foundations for long-term prosperity. Only a Labor Government can build Australia's identity as a diverse and united multicultural nation, with the foundation of our enduring values, and united with a common hope for our future.