The whole economy strong

Today in Hobart Prime Minister Gillard delivered the Robert Garran Memorial Oration.  In her speech the Prime Minister spoke about the strength of the Australian economy and the challenges posed by uncertainties in the global environment.

In Hobart the Prime Minister said, 

"I respect the caution and concern Australians feel when they consider the uncertain global environment, uneven domestic economy and the pressures our strong dollar creates.

But caution and concern must be measured against and proportionate to the facts – and to the challenges we confront.

This is what Australians should know today:

Our economy is fundamentally strong.

There are some problems in the world – and there are some challenges at home.

We are strong enough to resist the problems.

We are smart enough to master the challenges.

Today, I’ll say more about where the challenges lie.

More about the Government’s plan do master them.

And I’ll also say more about what that means for all Australians.

Because if we do these things well in this period of change, I can see an even stronger economy for us in the years ahead."