It saddens me greatly to see Mark's loss of faith in the power of politics to make change for the better. It saddens me even more to see Mark's loss of faith in the Labor Party,

Our future growth relies on competitiveness and innovation, skills and productivity... and these in turn rely on the education of our people.

Here in Australia we do get impacted by global economic events. But we should have some confidence that our economy has got strong underlying fundamentals.

I want you to know what I have told Australia's Parliament in Canberra - what I told General Petraeus in Kabul - what I told President Obama in the Oval Office this week. Australia will stand firm with our ally the United States.

Those of you who have spent time with Australians know that we are not given to overstatement. By nature we are laconic speakers and by conviction we are realistic thinkers.

You have failed your own test,