I do not believe the picture that some people paint of Scottish towns dependent on welfare. Every time I come here I meet people who are determined to get into work. Who with the right help are desperate to get off benefits support their family and set an example for their children.

Towns find it as hard as houses of business to rise again from ruin.

It used to happen in villages and towns in China that they would have - I guess you'd call them beauty contests - where all of the women of a particular village or town would be seated behind these screens or curtains with only their feet showing.

By 2050 the Australian population is expected to grow from 22 million to 36 million. That increase alone will put huge pressure on our towns and our cities. We will need more homes more roads more rail lines more hospitals more schools just to accommodate so many Australians.