Gillard Uses National Press Club Speech To Announce September 14 Election

Jan 30, 2013 2 Comments

This is the full text and audio of Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s speech at the National Press Club which included announcement of a federal election on September 14.

Gillard

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Text of Julia Gillard’s speech to the National Press Club.

New years bring new reflections and new work to do.

So it is as we get down to business in 2013.

Today, I intend to do three things:

To take stock of our nation’s position;To outline the action needed to shape our future;To detail a plan for this year.

First, let’s take stock.

Action begins with the evidence. So let’s take a warts-and-all look at who we are today and the opportunities and risks which confront us.

We are a nation of 23 million people, whose median age is 37, an average which continues to rise.

Around four in five men and women will have children, and the average age of a mother when her first child is born is now 29 years.

We share the world’s twelfth-largest economy, up from the fifteenth-largest under this Government, and the median wealth of Australians is among the highest in the world, ahead of nations like Japan, Italy, Belgium and the UK by a considerable margin. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 Federal Election, A.L.P., Audio2013, Election Dates, Gillard Tagged With: , , ,

Abbott: My Plan For A Stronger Economy, A Stronger Australia

Jan 31, 2012

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has addressed the National Press Club in Canberra on his “plan for a stronger economy and a stronger Australia”.

The keynote speech was Abbott’s first major speech for the new year. He maintained his political attack on the Gillard government and made only broad commitments.

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MY PLAN FOR A STRONGER ECONOMY AND A STRONGER AUSTRALIA

Four decades after Donald Horne ironically tagged Australia as “the Lucky Country”, the Gillard government is relying on good luck rather than on good management to secure our nation’s future.

The government often cites the fragile international economic situation but fails to propose any new policies to respond to it. It claims ownership of the fundamental strength of the Australian economy even though its own actions have weakened it. And it boasts of a future return to surplus while actually delivering the four biggest budget deficits in Australian history.

Labor’s economic strategy is to hope that China’s strength will keep our economy growing. It’s lazy, complacent economic management from a government which is much better at deception and dirty tricks than at the hard work of actually running the country.

The Eurozone crisis is a terrible verdict on governments that spend too much, borrow too much and tax too much yet our prime minister is lecturing the Europeans while copying their failures.

In just four years, Labor has turned a $20 billion surplus into $167 billion in accumulated deficits and $70 billion in net Commonwealth assets into $133 billion of net debt. That’s $6000 for every Australian man, woman and child.

At the heart of Labor’s failure is the assumption that bigger government and higher taxes are the answer to every problem. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audio, Audio2012, Economy, Liberal Party, Video Tagged With: ,

Julia Gillard’s Carbon Tax Speech At The National Press Club

Jul 14, 2011

Prime Minister Julia Gillard addressed the National Press Club today on the government’s carbon tax policy.

The Prime Minister stressed that the policy was a major and difficult reform. “And in reform, what matters is having the right vision for the country’s future, making the big decisions which get us there, bringing people together to get it done. So now we have had the debate. Now we move from words to deeds. We’re going to get this done.”

Gillard momentarily lost her composure when speaking about her feelings: “It doesn’t come easy to me to expose my feelings as I make these decisions. I was the shy girl who studied and worked hard, and it took time and effort but I got from Unley High to the law and as far as here, where I am today. I’ve brought a sense of personal reserve to this, the most public of professions. And the rigours of politics have reinforced my innate style of holding a fair bit back in order to hang pretty tough.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audio, Audio2011, Climate Change, Gillard Tagged With: ,

Joe Hockey’s Budget Reply Speech

May 18, 2011

The Shadow Treasurer, Joe Hockey, has delivered the traditional Budget reply speech to the National Press Club, in Canberra.

Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey addresses the National Press Club

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  • Listen to Hockey’s responses to questions (29m)

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  • Listen to Hockey’s response to a question from Fairfax journalist Peter Martin (2m)

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Prepared text of Joe Hockey’s Address to the National Press Club.

THE WRONG BUDGET FOR THE TIMES

The Budget is the most important economic statement of the year. It provides the Government with an opportunity to detail its response to the policy challenges of the day.

It is also a unique opportunity to lay down a policy road map that will contextualise Government statements and give confidence to business and consumers that the nation is navigating a clear and decisive course. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Audio, Budget, Liberal Party Tagged With: , ,

Combet: Tackling Climate Change Is In The National Interest

Apr 13, 2011

This is the text of Climate Change Minister Greg Combet’s speech to the National Press Club.

Tackling climate change is in the national interest

Today I will explain the steps the Government is taking to tackle climate change by putting a price on carbon pollution.

The foundation of any such policy is the climate science.

The evidence of atmospheric warming is very strong, and the potential for dangerous climate impacts is high. The scientific advice is that carbon pollution is the cause.

Globally, 2010 was the warmest year on record, with 2001 to 2010 the warmest decade. 2010 is the 34th consecutive year with global temperatures above the 20th-century average.

In Australia, each decade since the 1940s has been warmer than the preceding decade. With rising temperatures we can expect to see more extreme weather events, including more frequent and intense droughts, floods and bushfires.

The environmental consequences translate readily into economic costs – as well as potential negative impacts on water security, coastal development, infrastructure, agriculture, and health. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Climate Change, Gillard Tagged With: , ,
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