ANTHONY ALBANESE

The fact is Qatar, Etihad, Emirates, Singapore, Garuda, all of the three Chinese airlines, Air New Zealand - the fact is that international aviation relies very much upon agreements between nation-states, and it is not an area in which you have free market operations.

Australian seafarers make an important contribution to national security in a country with thousands of kilometres of uninhabited coastline.

None of the serious maritime incidents I had to deal with as transport minister off the pristine Queensland or Western Australian coastline involved an Australian flagged and crewed vessel.

True conservatives fear anything that is at odds with the status quo, even to the extent of being unable to recognise when the status quo represents injustice. And reactionary conservatives actually want to tear down the gains of the past.

Labor believes in sustainability. We believe in acting on climate change, not just talking about it.

The passage of time is likely to make high-speed rail more and more desirable, making it critical that politicians of today think ahead to tomorrow.

Politicians who lack the vision to lead the community on big issues like public transport often hide their inaction by blaming other levels of government when anyone complains.

If we are to celebrate the giants in Australian public life, then Robert Garran must be among them. A lawyer and passionate advocate of Federation, Garran was one of several hands that drafted our constitution.

Despite the enormous role that local government plays in our daily lives, the constitution makes not one mention of it.

Australia has an economic interest in ensuring our cities have 21st century urban rail transport to reduce traffic congestion.

High-speed rail would revolutionise interstate travel and would also be an economic game-changer for dozens of regional communities along its path.

Whether politicians are dealing with complex policy problems or trying to communicate with the electorate, it makes sense to establish a clear, long term narrative underpinned by forward-looking policies to deliver on its vision.

Less cars on the road means productivity and jobs growth, as it allows for the more efficient movement of goods and services and encourages greater urban population density.

The very best Labor governments in our nation's history distinguished themselves by thinking big and, wherever possible, resisting the temptation to overemphasise short-term political considerations.

Short-term thinking is the greatest enemy of good government.

It is in the national interest to have the Flying Kangaroo. It's in the interests of our tourism industry. It's in the interests of jobs here in Australia.

The sporting fields where Australia's greats began their careers are built and rebuilt with Commonwealth help, as are the halls and community centres where our most of our well-known stars first felt the magic of the stage.

If we're going to compete in this century, we have to compete on the basis of how smart we are.

There is a separation - a very clear separation - between the judiciary, the legal system, and the political system in this country, and that's why Labor has a problem with the issue of mandatory sentencing as a principle.

If you invest in education and training of our young people, what you do is you increase the future economic capacity of the nation.

A critical component of progress is engaging with people you don't agree with - everything else is the status quo.

Our national challenge is to continue to drive sustained economic growth.

We are not a single-issue party that puts abstract policy ahead of the working lives of people. We are not bitter, frightened xenophobes.

No mainstream politician believes in open borders, but a policy that uses its prolonged treatment of detained people as an ongoing deterrent to others has a deep flaw at its heart.

What Australians expect of leaders is a bit of integrity.