economic and strategic weight to Asia has never been more rapid or more profound for Australia's interests than it is now. The White Paper will provide a national blueprint for Australia at a time of transformative economic growth and change in Asia. It will help Australia navigate the Asian Century -- to seize the opportunities it offers and to meet the challenges it poses." The Terms of Reference asked an Advisory Panel, headed by the former Secretary of the Australian Treasury, Dr Ken Henry, to conduct "a comprehensive review of economic and strategic change in Asia and its implications and opportunities for Australia.", including considering appropriate policy settings and initiatives over the medium- and longer-term. I would emphasise that Australia is not just now discovering Asia. Some -- perhaps even many -- of you in this room will well be aware of Australia's own "opening and reform" process which has been taking place in Australia since at least the mid-1970s, and gathering pace with some very major reforms in the 1980s. These changes have been central to our economic performance over recent decades -- we recently notched up our 21st consecutive year of economic growth. And along with those sweeping policy changes and improved economic performance came significant debates about Australia's place in this region and in the world. One of the most notable contributions came from one of my esteemed predecessors, and also the father of our MC today -- Professor Ross Garnaut -- who in 1989, just after