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.

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

All my life I've believed that men and women have equal capacities and talents...consequently there should be equality in life's chances.

Over the Christmas period, I spent time with both Bob Hawke and Paul Keating, and you listen to stories and tales of how hard it can be when it's really hard, and I think we easily all talk ourselves into the proposition that it's never been as hard as this. Well it's been hard in the past. It's been really hard. So you keep doing it and, the more you do it, the more you gain strength and confidence that you can do it.

Try harder every day to be better than the day before.

So in many ways for me, having lived through what I've lived through, and endured what I've endured, I've got more confidence that I can do the next bit - and there's something sustaining about that.

He will always know as we know now that in the heat of battle he did not fail when mateship and duty called.