John,

I was raised in a council house by a single mum on an invalid pension. 

So much of what Mum did added up to one thing: her hope that my life would turn out better than hers. 

A better life for our families and our communities – this is the aspiration of the Australian people, and the promise of Australia. 

Labor is imbued with that spirit. And we know that what turns that aspiration into a reality is a strong economy.

But beneath the dead hand of a Liberal Government in its seventh year, the foundations of our strong economy – built by 28 years of consecutive growth started by Hawke and Keating – are beginning to crack. 

Bills are going up. Wages are going nowhere. Living standards are flat-lining. 

Australia can’t afford to rest on its laurels. Labor gets that, even if this Government does not. 

That’s why in Brisbane today I have delivered Labor’s second vision statement – for an economy that works for people, not the other way around. 

One that creates wealth as well as distributes it fairly. 

And one where we have higher growth, higher wages – and fairer outcomes. 

We will never be content to just drift in the tide of good fortune. We will do what Labor does best – give Australians a strong and resilient economy from which all else flows. 

Now isn’t the time to lower our aspirations. Now is the time to raise them. 

If you’ve got a few minutes, you can read my speech in full here.

In solidarity,

Anthony

P.S. You can watch my first vision statement on the vision of work here.