There are genuine concerns about the status of children to be sent to Malaysia and also there are genuine concerns about the human rights record in Malaysia.

Tobacco companies are legally operating entities in Australia. If the Government thinks that they should not make donations to political parties, well then they should ban them operating as legally structured entities in Australia.

Today it has been estimated that the average 70 year old has four chronic conditions and consumes an average of 35 PBS scripts per year for those conditions.

We know that so many of the conditions and diseases that we associate with ageing can often be prevented or in fact their onset delayed if we just took preventative steps earlier in our lives.

Well they're very, very genuine concerns at present as to the status of the 800 people who are to be sent by Australia to Malaysia. There's concern about the status of asylum seekers in Malaysia generally, but there's concern about the status of the 800 to be sent.

When the Australian Government looked at how to meet the challenges, and the opportunities, presented by our ageing population, it saw that an all-encompassing approach was a prerequisite.

And I believe that the best buy in public health today must be a combination of regular physical exercise and a healthy diet.

Ageing means a loss of a number of skills over time.

Australia has an increasingly multicultural society.

Community care is a fundamental, an essential, an enduring part of our aged care system.

Prevention is one of the few known ways to reduce demand for health and aged care services.

Synergy and serendipity often play a big part in medical and scientific advances.

We are increasingly recognising and accepting, respecting and celebrating, our cultural diversity.

At the last census it indicated that about 22 per cent of Australians were born overseas.

Australia is already a world leader in dementia research, treatment and care.

Dementia is not exclusively a problem of the developed world.

It is a fact that governments tend to put in place policies and strategies in response to current scenarios.

Our cultural diversity has most certainly shaped our national character.

The Australian economy is resilient, but business and consumer confidence is fragile.

The Gillard government must give up its addiction to wasteful spending borrowing and taxing.