Sustainability — setting the scene

摘要

W e should think about this today. We live in a very beautiful country. I’ve just spent two years away and I often looked at this poem and thought of home for me, Australia, very different from England. I also looked at it and thought how lucky we are in this country, and we are indeed very lucky. I want to echo many of the things that the Governor has just mentioned. We are hugely impressive in terms of where the economy has gone in the last 24, 25 years. Certainly the entire time I have been in Australia, it has been on a growth path unlike any other economy in the world. I think it’s more than just the growth — which is averaging 2.9% p.a. in the last couple of years when you compare it to Europe or, indeed, many other places in the globe — it’s also incred- ibly resilient. It’s not just mining or agricul- ture or any one field. Twelve of the main 19 major sectors expanded by more than 3% last year. This is really an amazing feat that’s going on in Australia.