JULIA GILLARD

Afghanistan must never again be a safe haven for terrorism.

There is a reason the world always looks to America.

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

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.

The global economic outlook remains fragile and uncertain. Global economic imbalances persist and we must address them or risk future instability.

I know people are looking at what's happening in Washington and then they also look at events in Europe, in Greece and Portugal and other places and worry about that.

We encourage China to engage as a good global citizen and we are clear-eyed about where differences do lie.

America has always understood this principle of the economy - that everyone can benefit when everyone competes.

Through hard work and education, we can deliver a strong economy and opportunity for all.

My guiding principle is that prosperity can be shared. We can create wealth together. The global economy is not a zero-sum game.

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.

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 know reform is never easy. But I know reform is right.

In fragile and conflict-affected states, education can insulate children from chaos and insecurity and better prepare them to bring about future stability.

If G20 leaders are serious about sustainable growth and job creation and want to stem migration flows and promote long-term stability, education is an essential investment.

Investing in better-quality education outcomes - especially in maths and science - more than pays for itself.

Developing countries need to commit additional resources and have the political will to improve education.

As prime minister, I was conscious of walking in Whitlam's footsteps as our government set about creating a companion to Medicare, the National Disability Insurance Scheme.

One thing 'Game of Thrones' has taught us all is to guard against too much emotional investment.

We know that literate people are more likely than others to participate in their societies' democratic institutions and that the risk of war drops as more of a country's citizens receive a secondary education.

As more girls get basic schooling, larger numbers will move up the educational ladder - some to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. That's important because workplaces around the world, especially in many developing and emerging-market countries, are becoming more automated, favouring workers with technical skills.

Economic growth driven by large-scale infrastructure investments without equitable provision of education will leave hundreds of millions of people behind, exacerbating inequality, disillusion, and instability.

Education's net economic benefits are greater than many other investments.

Education equals economic growth.

I have travelled enough internationally to know and accept the reality that, overwhelmingly, people are well disposed to Australia but in truth know very little about it. In particular, people know hardly anything about Australian politics.