We will act to build a better world. We always have, we always will. We will act to lend a helping hand, not just here but wherever we humanly can.

Political parties don't work when people just announce what they are doing and expect everyone else to follow.

And the commitment that I've been giving to the Australian people is that there'll be no surprises and no excuses under a Coalition government.

The problem with politicians getting to know the issues in indigenous townships is that we tend to suffer from what Aboriginal people call the 'seagull syndrome' - we fly in, scratch around and fly out.

I'm confident that there are plenty of people who have the strength of character and the presence of mind to warn me of difficulties and alert me to opportunities.

We've got to maintain freedom of navigation of the seas and in the air.

We have already provided a strong humanitarian response to the problems in the Middle East and that response will be stronger within coming days.