Julia Gillard (Lalor, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I certainly believe that as a government you have to keep your focus on the things that matter to the Australian people, and that is where my focus is. As Prime Minister my focus is and continues to be on those things that make a difference for families around the nation. Certainly when I speak to families around the nation it is crystal clear that nothing is more important to them than having the benefits of work so that there is a pay packet, or more than one pay packet, coming in the door. They certainly want to keep as much of that pay packet as possible, which is why our reforms in taxation have made such a difference. They want their child to get a great-quality education. They want to know that there is a doctor in their community and a hospital that can function for them if their family is in need. They want to see the new benefits that would come with the National Disability Insurance Scheme. They want to see us as a nation continuing to grow ever stronger but also sharing that prosperity with all.

That is the government's mission. I understand that it is resisted at every level by the Leader of the Opposition, but in our democracy that is the nature of contests. We stand for a strong economy; you have stood for weakening it. We stand for supporting modern families with the pressures they face; you stand for taking away benefits from them. Such is the contest, and the government will continue to join that debate as we continue to guide the nation to a stronger, fairer and smarter future.

See this speech in context