Here's how we can have a secure and prosperous future for all Australians

We won't be setting sector against sector, school against school, public against private. We'll be bringing all schools up to a decent national standard. Our funding system will be good for needy government and non-government schools.

I want more expertise and resources in struggling schools. That's my top priority. And I am willing to pay more and reward the teachers who achieve better results in those schools.

Quality teaching is a passport out of poverty. It must be available to every student in our society.

Reward for effort is another rung on the ladder of opportunity. I want more incentive, more reward for the hard workers in our society.

Under the Howard Government, nearly 1 million families face effective marginal tax rates of at least 60 per cent. For some low-income earners the rate is 102 per cent. That is, for every additional $100 they earn, the Government takes $102 off them in taxes and the withdrawal of social security payments. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. For working hard and having a go, they are $2 worse off in net terms. That's a shocking disincentive - one that no nation should tolerate.

As a society, we need to reward the hard workers, not punish them. We need to make the tax system fairer and put some incentive back into the Australian economy.

I believe in the public sector. I believe in social investment. And the government I lead will invest more in the essential services of the nation.

But we won't be doing it the old way. The services we deliver must be responsive and flexible, working with communities, not against them.

Our services will provide new opportunities for people, but they must also demand responsibility in return. We can provide all the services in the world, but unless people are willing to work hard and respond the right way, we won't get the results we need for Australia.

Responsibility from all, opportunity for all: that's what I call a good society.

A strong community requires more than high incomes and government services. It needs strong, healthy relationships between people.

This is the paradox of our time. The economy has become more prosperous yet people feel more powerless. Record rates of GDP have been matched by record rates of depression, loneliness and isolation.