Federal "Opposition" Leader, Bill Shorten is pledging to "Advance Australia" by stating:

"We can build an economy where growth is strong, where prosperity is shared and opportunity belongs to everyone," he said, adding that Labor would deliver tax reform without changing the GST."

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/shorten-launches-labor-conference/story-fni0xqi4-1227455089609

I recently saw a homeless person sleeping at night recently, in my area for the first time and I was shocked. The person looked filthy, dirty and had some type of blanket over them.

Do people have any potential real ideas, of any type, that may "Advance Australia" and not simply pick parts of a line from our National Anthem?

"I recently saw a homeless person sleeping at night recently, in my area for the first time and I was shocked"

NathanJ, join me any night in Sydney I'll take you on a tour around Central Station where the homeless abound in large numbers, it is shocking indeed!
Lofty words from Shorten! The fact is no matter how sincere Shorten may be our system simply is incapable of delivering "opportunity for everyone". The competitive nature of society will produce winners, but it also producers losers, all for a variety of reasons.

We certainly do not advance AU by reconfiguring the federation, we need solutions to get this economy moving , not pie in the sky ideas.
Abbott has caused that much uncertainty that AU is in stagnation. We need an election to clear the air.
Abbott has become unbelievable, untrustworthy and unrealistic, to the extent he has lost all credibility.
All of his tax reform is aimed at the workers of this nation, while the fat cats lap up the cream under the protection of federal parliament.
The coalition are more concerned defending the indefensible than getting on with what needs to be done.
Business has no confidence and consumer has no confidence, we have stalled. With 100 Billion $ added to the debt in 2 years with no extra income we are in trouble , and Abbott’s direction is doing nothing. 17 billion in interest payments alone.
Abbott said 60% of debt to GDP would be ok. This regime is operating in the danger zone

"The competitive nature of society will produce winners, but it also producers losers, all for a variety of reasons"

My experience is that it is the very hardworking and most often people who have been willing to commit and give up a large part of themselves who qualify for and hold down better paying jobs.

Remember too, that the day they stop learning and striving is the day questions arise about their future.

There are very, very few people indeed who even if the necessary intellect and learning were given to them free by the wave of a wand, would not be prepared to do the very demanding and high stress work of (say) a medical specialist.

So let us leave out the demonstrably wrong Marxist inferences and accept that in a country like Australia we can make our own decisions, take hold of our own futures and yes, what we put in very largely determines what we get back.

So too do poor choices, indolence and dependence bring consequences.

Struggle Street and Missing Labor
Ex-Labor Leader Mark Latham got it right on the elitist push who run Labor,

<He [Mark Latham] told 3AW radio Bill Shorten’s private members bill to push for changes to the Marriage Act [for gay marriage], was nothing more than a symbolic gesture.

He said the biggest social issue facing Austalia was unemployment, drug use and homelessness in suburbs such as Mt Druitt which was the focus of the SBS documentary, Struggle Street.
“If you are interested in equality and social justice in Australia then what was the really big event in the month of May,” he said. “We had the Struggle Street documentary which revealed that in the nation’s public housing estate, most notably in Mt Druit people live in conditions that you wouldn’t wish upon your dogs. Absolute chaos, despair and hopelessness in their lives.
“And surely, you would have expected a serious national response from the party of social justice?
“We didn’t hear anything.
“They’re obsessed, instead, by gay marriage [and playing silly buggers to disrupt Parliamentary business].”>
http://tinyurl.com/p6kts6c

My, "There are very, very few people indeed who even if the necessary intellect and learning were given to them free by the wave of a wand, would not be prepared to do the very demanding and high stress work of (say) a medical specialist."

should be,

"There are very, very few people indeed who even if the necessary intellect and learning were given to them free by the wave of a wand, WOULD be prepared to do the very demanding and high stress work of (say) a medical specialist."

Australia has always prided itself on being a
nation that is more equal than most - a place
where if you work hard, you can create a better
life for yourself and your family.

But the fair go has never been guaranteed it has
always been something we have had to fight
for and luckily we have had mostly good governments,
leading the charge.

How do we Advance Australia Fair? I feel that Australia's
fair go is under threat from the rising power of vested
interests. A small number of elites increasingly feel
they have the right to bend the nation's
future to satisfy their own self-interest.

Thankfully, the interests of ordinary Australians have not
yet been drowned out by the desires of a well-funded
handful, and there is still time to ensure that all
Australians receive a fair return from the resources they
own.

We need the right leadership that will ensure the
interests of Australians not those of vested interests.
Our rich agricultural land should not be used for mining
purposes. Neither should overseas investors and
Multi-nationals - be allowed to
buy and own our land and take their money overseas at the
expense of Australian taxpayers. That should equally apply
to local mining companies that exploit the system.