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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...

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...

Deputy Prime Minister, Treasurer, my Lord Mayor, my Ministerial and Parliamentary colleagues, my fellow Australians. I want first of all to say how proud I am to be delivering this speech on behalf of a great and strong and enduring Coalition between the Liberal Party and the National Party. Our two great parties have shared 11 and a half years in office, and we have fought for the best interests of the Australian people, wherever they might live, and the speeches you heard earlier from Peter...

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...

Nearly 100 years ago, our forebears created a new nation on this continent – a land to which people from all over the world could come to make a contribution. As we enter a new century, we face again the same challenge that confronted our nation’s founders. Can we come together, and put petty rivalries and differences aside, and build a new nation for a new century? We’re here in an election campaign that will decide how Australia enters that century – our second century as a nation. But above...

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...

Isn’t it great to lead a united political party with a deputy I can trust, a predecessor who’s a friend and a former prime minister who’s a hero! My fellow Australians, this election is about you. It’s about your future, your family’s future and our nation’s future. But not everyone thinks so. The Labor Party thinks that this election is all about them. They’re worried about who gets the top job while the Coalition wants to create more jobs. They’re worried about their own squabbles while we...