Well thank you very much Jane. Isn't it wonderful to meet somebody with unconditional enthusiasm, and that is really what Jane radiates and thank you very much for the opportunity. Can I start by saying how much I am pleased... how pleased I am to be at the Red Cross Headquarters here in Melbourne. The Government of course respects a large number of great community organisations, and we don't of course, and shouldn't play favourites, but the Red Cross has an unrivalled level of respect.
I might mention that when we decided to, as a Government, make a contribution to the relief of the people who suffered from the hurricane in the United States; we gave the donation to the American Red Cross. And when we decided to provide assistance to the poor people of Pakistan who continue to suffer so much from the earthquake, we gave those resources from... to the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. It is a wonderful organisation that I hope continues to prosper and do wonderful work for the people of the world.
The Australian political scene has many sayings. One of them is: "Will it pass the pub test?" - if you're thinking of a new policy or a new idea and that's an Australianism. And what it basically says, will it stack up in ordinary, direct analysis. Well put another way, will it pass the test of common sense. And what struck me about this book - which I think is a wonderful concept - was that every single proposition in it would pass the "pub test". Every single proposition in it did represent what we would call Australian common sense. And as I looked through it I nodded my head at every one of them. I looked at the references to water savings. I looked at the, I mean the most obvious of all, of how little effort it is to smile. And people who spend their life meeting others - and that includes people in public life - the most important thing to do when you meet somebody who might be a little sort of nervous of whatever is to engage them, is the broadest possible smile. Sometimes there have been antecedent circumstances that make that a little more difficult than on other occasions but on most occasions it is the complete reverse.
I looked at the suggestion, I forget the number, about eating with your children from a very, very early age - most profound common sense piece of advice if you acquire the habit of eating as a family together from the very beginning, you grow to love it and you never break it, and it's always a source of support and stimulation. The pro-environmental measures, the not regularly using the stand-by on your television, the light bulbs, all of those things they all just produce that nod of the head and I think that's what makes the book so practical.
It is true that we live in a society which is less connected, we have all these paradoxes, we are nationally better off than ever before, but we have more urban loneliness, we have more people living on their own, we have people living longer on their own ... and living longer. Those people, many of them elderly, they need the simple gestures, many of which are in this book. Yet despite all of those causes for concern there are causes for hope and optimism. There is a renewed interest in individual good deeds. The attitude of companies is very different, well there are more that are willing to participate now than perhaps before.
Tonight I'll be taking part in the annual gathering or dinner of the Government's Community Business Partnerships which seek to bring great community organisations and companies together in philanthropic work. They are now an accepted part of the corporate calendar of so many companies now, a lot different from what it was, even five or ten years ago. Still a lot of companies don't participate, more should, but they're a growing number.
So there are sources of hope and optimism as well as sources of concern. But this little book and I was encouraged by a number of people, and I do of course as I was saying to Jane earlier, I recall a couple of conversations I had with Gordon Brown, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer was very heavily involved in it and a couple of... many of the meetings we've had an he encouraged me and many others. But most importantly I was encouraged to do it by going through the book. It seemed to me to be not only a marvellous example of passing the pub test on every recommendation, a marvellous example of commonsense but just a simple expression of humanity and helping each other in a very non ideological way. You couldn't take exception... it's... I've never been one to favour too much political correctness as many of you know. But it's sort of neutral on all of that, it's just plain commonsense of how to help people and try to make other people's lives happier and better. I hope it succeeds and I am absolutely delighted to launch it.
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