The following speech was given by the Honourable Julia Gillard in June 2008 in her then position as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Education. The speech was recorded on video and made available over the internet to a global audience of students participating in the 2008 Global Enterprise Challenge, an event hosted in that year by Australian Business Week. The Australian entry in that year came second overall. In 2010 Australia has come first.
On behalf of the Australian Government it gives me great pleasure to extend a welcome to students around the world who are about to participate in the 2008 Global Enterprise Challenge and in particular I would like to welcome the team of students from Wales who have travelled all the way to New South Wales to compete this year. Without giving away the detail of this years challenge, let me say that it concerns one of the great problems that we face here in Australia and in many countries around the world.
This challenge has taxed the greatest minds of our time and there is no single or simple solution to it and any solutions will benefit all man kind.
I congratulate you for applying your young minds, unfettered by what is possible or not possible and I encourage you to develop innovative, creative and feasible solutions to this problem. On behalf of Australia, the host country for this year’s Global Enterprise Challenge, I am pleased to support this important initiative and I encourage all participants to rise to the challenge and make the most of your experience in the program. Enjoy the opportunity to compete with students from around the world and I look forward to seeing the results of your efforts.
Julia Gillard
Prime Minister
Australia
