The royal commissions are successful and effective when they have a focused terms of reference and can do the job quickly and report. And then action can be taken.

When politicians offer you something for nothing, or something that sounds too good to be true, it's always worth taking a careful second look.

Everything we do as a government is focused on getting help and support for hard-working Australian families. We are standing up for them.

You will never find a better friend to the United States than Australia.

Those who condemn gay marriage, yet are silent or indifferent to the breakdown of marriage and divorce, are, in my view, missing the real issue.

The most effective check and balance on government has been an independent press which maintains its credibility by ensuring that its criticism is balanced and based on fact – based indeed on solid journalistic work.

We learn from every natural disaster. Whether it's a fire or a flood, we learn something from it so we can respond to the next one better.