There's no 'silver bullet' answer to the complex problems of social change

For too long our decision-making has focused too narrowly on the economic bottom line, with minimal consideration given to the health of our relationships.

Economic rationalism isn't the cause of the problem but our excessive focus on material economic issues inhibits our ability to address it.

By inserting relationships into the decision-making equation, we will get a broader, better outcome. We'll get more balance in decisions, and more balance in our lives.

My new responsibility as shadow minister for community relationships is to develop strategies to improve the way our community addresses these social problems.

My first task is to elevate mentoring of young people to a vital national priority in which our national government plays a central leadership role. The success of our national mentoring strategy will depend on mobilising more commitment in the community, not spending lots of money, writing new regulations or interfering in people's lives.

Labor's approach to these issues is about governments doing different things and doing them differently. We recognise that the world has changed, and that a more flexible, dynamic and competitive economy is part of that change.

Our responsibility is to help communities and individuals deal with the impact of parallel social changes.

We are serious about tackling the causes of loneliness, alienation and social exclusion, and we recognise that this requires new approaches, not turning the clock back to a world that has disappeared.