You know, some people think that Labor cannot win the election. Indeed, that the Labor movement has had its day. That unions are no longer relevant. That working people have nothing to worry about. That our great works have been achieved. But I’m not one of those people. I’m sure you know Labor’s best days are yet to come. The work of a great progressive movement – such as ours – can never be done. There’s always another child that needs an education. There’s always another young person trying to get a start in the workforce. Or an older person trying to start again. There’s always a family struggling to make ends meet. There’s always another man or woman with a disability shut out of the Australian way of life. There’s always another employee trying to work their way to a secure retirement. If you’re a Labor man or woman there’s always more work to be done. We must never be satisfied with the status quo. With the way things are. We must never say, “Our work is done.” We must always plan for and work towards and stand up for the prosperity and security that all Australians deserve. We’re not like our opponents. They’re the ones who said no to compulsory superannuation and increasing super payments to 12 per cent. They’re the ones who said no to taking action on climate change. They’re the ones who said no to building the National Broadband Network. They’re the ones who said no to preparing the next generation of Australians for the Asian Century. They’re the ones who say: No. We’re the ones who say: Yes. We say yes to building a prosperity beyond the mining boom. We say yes to standing up for high performance, productive, well remunerated, competitive and collaborative workplaces. We say yes to smart jobs, to decent pensions, better schools, and quality healthcare. We’re the ones focused on the present and future prosperity of working Australians. We don’t sit back and ask, why change? Why worry? Why not wait and see? We’re not like them. We’re not like the wait-and-see brigade. The trouble with the wait-and-see approach is that tomorrow won’t wait. Tomorrow is here. Change is coming. The real question is not ‘Is the world changing?’ But how do we manage change? Do we work together to ensure change benefits the nation as a whole? Or just a lucky few? Do we wait and hope for the best? Hoping we don’t go backwards economically? Socially? And environmentally? Or do we take action? Do we wait? And let slip the gains? And let our kids pay the price? I believe we can’t wait and see. We have to think and do. And that’s why I am proud to welcome the Leader of the Parliamentary Labor Party and the Prime Minister of Australia to Maribyrnong. I’m proud because Kevin Rudd is a thinker and a doer. And we need Kevin now. Make no mistake, the Labor movement has not had its day – but all that we have worked for is at stake. The battle we are facing is not political – it is fundamental. It goes to the foundations of the Labor movement. We are up against the most extreme conservative leader in the history of our federation. A man who will make John Howard look like Malcolm Fraser. A man who wants to remake Australia in his own austere image and cut at all costs. And a conservative party that is anything but liberal. As I said, this election is a battle. We came through the Global Financial Crisis and I believe we can come though this one as well. We can win if we stick together. We can win if we stand up for the values we represent. We can win if we keep saying yes to progress.
Posted on: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 00:06:50 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015