The Australian Government is committed to modernising our economy so that we can compete with the leading nations in a world economy that is being transformed by globalisation, new technologies, and the rise of China and India. While we take full advantage of the mining boom, we must also build long term competitive strengths in the global industries of tomorrow - industries that will provide the high-paying jobs of the future.

In implementing the Australian Government’s human capital agenda, the objective is to build a world class education system that can transform our workforce into one of the best educated and most highly trained in the world. This in turn is aimed at boosting long-term workforce participation and productivity. This program has begun with the immediate priorities of expanding training places to tackle the skills crisis, as well as providing universal early childhood education, a rigorous national school curriculum, improved information technology and trades training infrastructure for the 3.3 million young Australians at school.

Additionally the Government is committed to building world class infrastructure to improve the competitiveness of our businesses and quality of life in Australia’s cities and regions. Our priorities for advanced infrastructure include modern, safe and efficient freight and passenger transport networks, a high speed National Broadband Network, and reliable water and energy infrastructure. World class broadband infrastructure alone could add $20 billion to the Australian economy each year according to some estimates. Modern infrastructure is critical to reducing costs for business and building the platforms for future economic growth.

The Australian Government is committed to decisive action on climate change, to transform a current threat into an opportunity. As the driest inhabited continent in the world, Australia is more vulnerable to climate change than almost any other developed nation and we need a comprehensive plan to facilitate population growth. But climate change also gives Australia a unique opportunity: with our abundance of natural resources, sun, wind and ocean tidal flows, we could be a world leader in the global low carbon energy revolution that will transform the global economy in coming decades.

Australia's 130,000 farmers generate $30 billion worth of exports each year and are custodians of 60% of our land mass. The Australian Government is committed to working with rural industries, and the communities they support, to grow their contribution to Australia’s economic prosperity and our social wellbeing. The Government is also committed to examining how best to deliver services to rural communities in the future.

The Australian Government is committed to improving the overall health of our nation through improved preventative primary health, increased access to general practitioners and new dental care services. Investing in prevention can reduce the estimated 550,000 chronic or preventable admissions to hospital each year. The Australian Government is also committed to reforms to improve our hospital system and to ensuring Australians are able to access the best possible care when they experience serious illness or disease. The Government is also committed to a greater national medical research effort – particularly into the major disease categories impacting millions of Australian families.

The Australian Government is committed to practical measures aimed at helping families cope with the collision of work and family life. The Government is also committed to examining new possibilities in partnership with the community, church and charitable sector. Through its focus on social inclusion, the Australian Government is also determined to reduce the barriers to full participation in the economy and Australian society, address locational disadvantage, isolation and the economic dislocation experienced by a significant minority of Australians.

The Australian Government is committed to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia. This includes the gap in literacy, numeracy, infant mortality, health outcomes and overall life expectancy.

The Government is also committed to working with Indigenous Australians to ensure they are able fully to participate - both socially and economically - in the life of the nation. This includes providing access to high quality education, health services generally and addressing alcohol, violence and homelessness in those communities where these threatens the safety and wellbeing of individuals and families.

The Australian Government is committed to promoting a national culture of creativity, innovation and enterprise. The Government is committed to examining new forms of advancing the arts, film and creative design across Australia, including urban design. The Government is also committed to examining how best we deploy our national and international broadcasting capabilities, both to enhance Australia’s creative industries, technologies and expertise – as well as promote a new, modern and innovative Australia to the rest of the region and beyond.

The Australian Government is committed to greater access to freedom of information, effective parliamentary reform and removing as many dysfunctional dimensions to the Australian Federation as possible. The Government is also examining ways in which Australians can increasingly deliberate in the making of government policy through a range of mechanisms, including community cabinets, as a part of a commitment to contemporary democracy.