The Australian

Today, Australia might be globalised, fast-moving and diverse, but fairness remains a touchstone. The concept of a "fair go" hasn't waned.
Labor's contribution to fairness over the nation's history is undeniable. Medicare, equal pay, anti-discrimination laws, paid parental leave and superannuation are among the reforms that come to mind. We also understand that opportunity underpins the notion of a fair go, and that the key to opportunity is education. From Whitlam to Hawke, Keating to Rudd to Prime Minister Gillard, we have seen continued reform and expansion of the educational opportunities for Australians.
Today there are more Australians in our universities and studying a trade than ever before. But delivering these policies has never been simply a case of their worthiness; delivering opportunity demands more than lecturing others about fairness. It means funding programs today, and ensuring that the nation can keep funding our priorities into the future.
That is why a strong economy and a sound budget are so important. Without this economic foundation, fairness and opportunity cannot be delivered. This means difficult choices have to be made, reforms have to be prioritised, and funding for them has to be found.
Since 2007, Labor has introduced a paid parental leave scheme, which has already been accessed by more than 150,000 families, committed $2.2 billion to mental health, increased the aged pension, invested $3bn in skills and training, and introduced a price on carbon that will see Australia become more competitive in a clean energy future.
Today there are legitimate calls for other priorities; dental reform, an overhaul of aged care and more environmental spending. And there is the call for a National Disability Insurance Scheme.
But the reality is that not all of these demands can be responded to immediately. Just as it took time to deliver Medicare and paid parental leave, we have to prioritise. And we have to work out how we fund these priorities, not just today, but in the future.
Take aged care as an example. Today the commonwealth spends about $12bn on aged care. But, as many families know, the needs of older Australians outstrip the capacity of the current system.
Without reform, this dilemma will worsen as the population ages.
Today there are approximately three million Australians aged over 65 years. By 2050 there will be 8.1 million. However, the proportion of Australians of working age will fall dramatically. Think of it this way: when I was born, there were 7.5 working age Australians for every person over 65. Now I'm 43 years old and there are five working Australians for every person over 65.
When I'm 80 and looking for aged care, there will be just 2.7 working Australians to every person over 65. There will be significantly fewer people of working age to support an increasing number of older Australians.
These same statistics drive challenges across the social policy spectrum, but most pointedly in health. Health expenditure is projected to grow faster than the economy and faster than the federal budget. This is problematic today, and it will become even more difficult for our children if we don't start to address it now.
Put simply, we will have greater demands for services and fewer taxpayers to fund them in the years ahead.
So when we focus on delivering better aged care services or other social policies we have to confront difficult questions about how we make them sustainable for the long-term. Failing to do so will simply handball the costs to the next generation.
Balancing the budget is not only important for the economy in the medium term; it is also the discipline which grounds sustainable social policy in the years ahead.
As a Labor government we understand that fiscal sustainability is a social responsibility.