you cannot maintain popular support for immigration policy, multiculturalism, unless you can control your borders.

In terms of our region, what we need to ensure is that the rise of China [is] conducted in a manner that does not disturb the security and the relative harmony of the region upon which China's prosperity depends. Now - now, that requires careful diplomacy, it requires balancing.

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

Governments enjoying surpluses have a very strong temptation to splash money around, and while tax cuts are always appealing, cutting taxes at the top of a boom runs the real risk of creating a structural deficit when the boom subsides.

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.

We are already experiencing the symptoms of climate change, especially with a hotter and drier climate in southern Australia - the rush to construct desalination plants is an expensive testament to that.

On balance, after weighing the arguments, I believe that the time has come for Australia to create a new sovereign wealth fund.