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We all agree on at least one thing in this election campaign – our country is in a big economic mess, and we would like to see it put right. The burning question is how we do it? I believe the one and only way that Australia can get on top of its economic problems is to become more productive. That means giving everyone – you, me, your friends, your family, everybody else – more incentive, more encouragement and more reason to work harder. Everything that I am saying in this election campaign...

Thank you very much Peter Costello and to all of my fellow Australians gathered here today and can I particularly acknowledge the presence of the Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the National Party, Tim Fischer. If you ever get into a political trench, make sure Tim Fischer is there beside you because he’s the best. Ladies and gentlemen, and my fellow Australians. Election campaigns are never held in a vacuum. They are not dry comparisons of neat policies, be it economic, taxation or...

Peter Costello, Chris McDiven, my parliamentary colleagues and my fellow Australians. This campaign, more than any other that I have been involved in, is very much about the future of the Australia we know and the Australia we love so much. The one single, irrefutable question that must be asked and answered by the Australian people on the 10th of November is who is better able to lead Australia over the next three years into difficult, challenging but times and circumstances which ought not to...

Deputy Prime Minister, my fellow Australians. Eight and a half years ago it became my immense privilege and honour to become the Prime Minister of this wonderful country of ours. And over the eight and a half years, I have shared the hopes and aspirations and the dreams and the achievements of my fellow Australians. I have tried to feel the pain and the grief of those of my fellow Australians left saddened through the loss of loved ones in tragedies such as the murder of 35 people at Port Arthur...

Let there be no mistake. This is the most important election in memory. Today we stand against radical right-wing proposals which are hostile to fundamental Australian beliefs and Australian institutions and all that we have achieved in recent years. Not new proposals, but old ones. Proposals which have been tried in other countries and which in every case have failed – at great social and economic cost. Dr. Hewson says these other countries did not try hard enough. He is nothing if not zealous...

Three years ago, I asked the people of Australia to entrust to Labor the most important responsibility a government can have – I asked Australians for a mandate to create jobs and help the unemployed. To create jobs, I asked Australians to give Labor the task of creating sustainable economic growth on which jobs depend. To create jobs, I sought a mandate to make Australia stronger; to find our place in Asia and the Pacific; to encourage the industries of the future; to massively expand education...

This election is not about John Hewson, and it is not about Paul Keating. We are servants of the people of Australia. This election is about the people of Australia and their problems. We hear about the debt rising to $200 billion, increasing by about $50 million a day, or $2 million an hour. We hear about the fact that there are 1,017,600 Australians who can’t find work and nearly as many others who can’t find as much work as they want. We hear about the 700,000 children who live in homes where...

Men and women of Australia: today I offer myself as Prime Minister of this great country. I want the job. I’m committed, I’m qualified, and I’m here for the long haul. I have a plan to deliver a fair share, and a secure future, for all Australians. I stand for the best possible education for all, not just the rich. I stand for a health system where your Medicare Card is more important than your credit card. I will put the care back into aged care. I stand for making the GST simpler and fairer...

My message today comes straight from the people of Australia. It’s a message to the people, drawn from the strength and wisdom of the people. From the Australians I’ve been privileged to meet, across the vast suburbs and regions of our nation, over the past 10 months. And the millions of their fellow Australians they represent. Today I want to speak on their behalf. I want to talk about opportunity, responsibility and honesty – the key themes of this great campaign for a new Labor Government...

Welcome to my home state of Queensland. Welcome to my home town of Brisbane. And welcome to my local community here on Brisbane’s south side. It is great to be among people who are passionate about our country’s future. On November 24, Australians will face a stark choice: a choice between the future and the past. Today the case I put before the Australian people is that if we are to secure the future for our families, for our communities and for our nation - the government of Australia must now...

In this election, we are now engaged in the fight of our lives. It is a fight about the values which underpin Australia’s future. A fight about our vision for Australia’s future. And it is a fight about how we go about building our nation’s future – a future for the many, not just the few. And for those who say the fight is up, I say they haven’t seen anything yet. Because we have something worth fighting for. And that’s the jobs of all Australians. The pay packets of all Australians. And an...

Friends thank you very much and friends thank you to Bob Hawke – thank you for that generous introduction. And thank you Bob for proving to us that you can make big change with strong leadership and by striving for consensus. It’s a great lesson, thank you Bob Hawke. And can I acknowledge too Kevin Rudd who is with us today a man of great achievement. A man of great achievements – with great achievements to lie in the future for our nation, thank you Kevin. And friends can I also acknowledge...