Working on 15 bills under suspension of the rules. The 2015 student cam bit of competition is underway. Create a five to seven minute documentary on the same very three branches and you on policy, law, or action by the executive, legislative or Judicial Branch of the federal government has affected you or your community. 200 cash prizes for students and teachers totaling 1000. With a list of rules and how to get started, go to studentcam. Org. Live today on the cspan networks from our remarks but the chair of the nicaragua trade commission at 1 00 on cspan2. Also, criminal defense lawyers and a report from their National Association on our companion network cspan3 at 1 00 eastern. This weekend, president obama wrapped up his weeklong tour of the asiapacific region with a stop in brisbane, australia. He spoke for about 40 minutes. [applause] thank you. Thank you so much, everybody. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, everybody. Thank you. Please, take a seat. Hello, brisbane. It is good to be back in australia. I love australia. I really do. The only problem with australia is every time that i come here, ive got to sit in Conference Rooms and talk to politicians instead of go to the beach. The chancellors story, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, and most of all, the students of university of queensland, it is great to be here at uq. I know we are joined by students from universities across the city and some high school students, as well. I want to thank all of the young people for welcoming me here today. On my last visit to this magnificent country three years ago, i had the privilege to meet some of the first australians. We are joined by some today. I want to acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and pay respects to your elders past and present. This university is recognized as one of the worlds great institutions of science and teaching. Your research led to the vaccine that protects women and girls around the world from cervical cancer. Your innovations have transformed how we treat disease and how we unlock new discoveries. Your studies have informed the world about the urgent threat of Climate Change. Last year, i tweeted one of your studies to my 31 million followers on twitter. Just bragging a little bit. I dont think that is quite as much as lady gaga, but that is still pretty good. Its still not bad. I think Prime Minister abbott and the people of brisbane and queensland for hosting us of the g 20 summit. This part of australia is just stunning. Beautiful one day and then perfect the next. That is what i understand. [applause] we travel a lot around the world. My staff was very excited for brisbegas. When i arrived, they advised i needed some 4x. You have some . [laughter] part of the reason i have fond memories of australia was because i spent some time here as a boy when i was traveling between hawaii and indonesia, where i lived for several years, and when i returned three years ago as president , i had the same feelings that i remembered as a child. The warmth of the people of australia, the sense of humor. I learned to speak a little strine. Im tempted to give it a burl. That is about as far as i can go actually. But i do want to take this opportunity to express once again the gratitude of the American People for the extraordinary alliance with australia. I tell my friends and family and people that i meet that there is an incredibly commonality between australia and the United States. Whether that is because so many of us travel here as immigrants, some voluntary, some not, whether its because of the wide open spaces and the sense of a frontier culture, there is a bond between our two countries, and australia really is everything that you would want in a friend and an ally. We are cut from the same cloth immigrants from an old world who built a new nation. We are inspired by the same ideals of equality and opportunity, the belief that everybody deserves a fair go, a fair shot. We share that same spirit, that confidence and optimism, that the future is ours to make, that we dont have to carry with us all the baggage from the past, that we can leave this world a better, safer, more just place for future generations. That is what brings me here today, the future that we can build together here in the asiapacific region. This week, ive traveled more than 15,000 miles from america to china to burma to australia. I have no idea what time it is right now. [laughter] im completely upside down. Despite that distance, we know that our world is getting smaller. One of australias great writers spoke of this, son of brisbane and a graduate of this university, david malouf. He said, in that shrinking a distance that is characteristic of our contemporary world, even the pacific, largest of oceans, has become a lake. Even the pacific has become a lake. You see it on this campus where you welcome students from all across asia and around the world, including a number of americans. You go on exchanges, and we are proud to welcome so many of you to the United States. You walk the streets of the city, and you hear chinese, vietnamese, indonesian, corian, korean, hindi. In many neighborhoods, more than half the people you meet were born somewhere else. This is a global city in a globalized world. I often tell young people in america that even with todays challenges, this is the best time in history to be alive. Never in the history of humanity have people lived longer, are they more likely to be healthy, more likely to be enjoying basic security. The world is actually much less violent today. You wouldnt know it from watching television. Thats true here in the asiapacific, as well. Countries once ravaged by war like south korea and japan are among the worlds most advanced economies. From the philippines and indonesia, dictatorships have given way to genuine democracies. In china and across the region, hundreds of millions of people have been lifted from poverty in the span of one generation, joining a global middle class. Empowered by technology, you, the young people of this region, are connecting and collaborating across borders and cultures like never before as you seek to build a new future. The opportunities today are limitless. I dont watch a lot of australian television, so, as you might imagine, because im really far away [laughter] i dont know whether some of the same tendencies that we see in the United States, the focus on conflict, disasters and problems dominate what is fed to us visually every single day, but when you look at the facts, opportunities are limitless for this generation. You are living in an extraordinary time. But what is also true, alongside this dynamism, there are genuine dangers that can undermine progress. And we cant look at those problems through rose tinted glasses. North Koreas Nuclear and missile programs, thats a problem. Disputes over territory, remote islands and rocky shoals that threaten to spiral into confrontation. The failure to uphold universal human rights, denying justice to citizens and denying countries their full potential. Economic inequality and extreme poverty that are a recipe for instability. Energy demands and growing cities that also hasten trends towards a changing climate. Indeed, the same technologies that empower citizens like you also give oppressive regimes new tools to stifle dissent. The question we face is, which of these features will define the asiapacific in the century to come . Do we move towards further integration, more justice, more peace or do we move towards disorder and conflict . Those are our choices, conflict or cooperation, oppression or liberty. Here in australia three years ago in your parliament, i made it clear where the United States stands. We believe the nations and peoples have the right to live in security and peace, that an Effective Security order for asia must be based not on spheres of influence or coercion or intimidation where big nations bully the small, but on alliances and mutual security, international law, International Norms that are upheld, and the peaceful resolution of disputes. We believe in open markets and trade that is fair and free, a level Playing Field where economies play by the same rules, where the purpose of trade is not simply to extract resources from the ground but to build true partnerships that raise capacity and Living Standards in poor countries, where Small Business owners and entrepreneurs and innovators have the freedom to dream and create and flourish, and how well a country does is based on how well they empower their individual citizen. And we believe in democracy, that the only real source of legitimacy is the consent of the people, that every individual is born equal with fundamental rights, inalienable rights, and that it is the responsibility of governments to up hold these rights. That is what we stand for. That is our vision, the future america is working toward in the asiapacific with allies and friends. Now as a pacific power, the United States has invested our blood and treasure to advance this vision. We dont just talk about it. We invest in this vision. Generations of americans have served and died in the asiapacific so that the people of the region might live free. No one should ever question our resolve or our commitment to our allies. When i assumed office, leaders and people across the region were expressing their desire for greater american engagement. As president , i decided that, given the importance of this region to american security, to american prosperity, the United States would rebalance our Foreign Policy and play a larger and lasting role in this region. Thats exactly what weve done. Today, our alliances, including with australia, are stronger than they have ever been. American exports to this region have reached record levels. We deepened our cooperation with emerging powers and regional organizations, especially in Southeast Asia. We expanded our partnerships with citizens as theyve worked to bolster their democracies. Weve shown that whether it is a tsunami or earthquake or typhoon, when our friends are in need, america shows up. We are there to help. In good times and bad, you can count on the United States of america. There have been times when people have been skeptical about this rebalancing. Theyre wondering whether america has the staying power to sustain it. Its true that in recent years pressing events around the world demand. As the worlds only superpower, the United States has unique responsibilities that we gladly embrace. We are leaving the International Community in the fight to destroy the terrorist group isil and leading and dealing with ebola in west africa. And in opposing russias aggression against ukraine. Which is a threat to the world, as we saw on the appalling shootdown of mh 17, a tragedy that took so many lives, among them your fellow citizens. As your ally and friend, america shares the grief of these australian families, and we share the determination of your nation for justice and accountability. Yes, we have a range of responsibilities. Thats the deal. Its a burden we gladly shoulder. But even in each of these international efforts, some of our strongest partners are our allies and friends in this region, including australia. Meeting these other challenges in the world is not a distraction from our engagement in this region. But it reinforces our engagement in this region. Our rebalance is not only about the United States doing more in asia it is also about the , asiapacific region doing more with us around the world. Im here today to say that American Leadership in the asiapacific will always be a fundamental focus of my Foreign Policy. It wont always make the headlines. It wont always be measured in the number of trips i make, although i do keep coming back. Day in and day out, steadily, deliberately, we will continue to deepen our engagement using every element of american power, diplomacy, military, economic, development, the power of our values and our ideals. In the time i have left, i want to describe specifically what americans intend to do in the coming years. First, the United States will continue strengthening our alliances. With japan, we will finalize new defense guidelines and realign our forces for the future. With the republic of korea, we will deepen our collaboration on Missile Defense to deter and defend against north korean threats. With the philippines, we will train and exercise more to prepare for challenges from counterterrorism and piracy to humanitarian crises and disaster relief. In australia, more u. S. Brains marines will rotate through to promote regional stability alongside you. I will say that when i went out to darwin to inaugurate the renew rotation of our u. S. Marines there, the mayor took out a crocodile insurance, which disturbed me. [laughter] i was flattered that he took out insurance on my behalf, but i did ask my ambassador what this was all about. He described to me how crocodiles kill more people than sharks, and there are a lot of things in australia that can kill you. Thats an aside. [laughter] we have an ironclad commitment to the sovereignty, independence, and security of every ally. We will expand cooperation between allies. We believe we are stronger when we stand together. The United States will continue to modernize our defense posture across this region. We will deploy more of our advanced military capabilities to keep the peace and deter aggression. Our presence will be more distributed, including in Southeast Asia with partners like singapore, and we will increase military training and education, including working with the military partners we have in the region around the respect for human rights by military and police. By the end of this decade, a majority of our navy and air force fleets will be based on the pacific because the United States is and always will be a pacific power. Keep in mind we do this without any territorial claims. We do this based on our belief that a region that is peaceful and prosperous is good for us and is good for the world. The United States will continue broadening our cooperation with emerging powers and emerging economies. We intend to help you pursue vietnam pursue Economic Reforms and new maritime capabilities. We will continue to move ahead with our comprehensive partnership with indonesia, which is a strong example of diversity and pluralism. We will expand ties with malaysia, a growing center of entrepreneurship and innovation. We support a greater role in the asiapacific for india, the Worlds Largest democracy. The United States will continue expanding our engagement with regional institutions. Together, we can meet shared challenges from preventing the horror of Human Trafficking to countering violent extremism to stemming the flow of foreign terrorist fighters. Together we can improve maritime security, upholding the freedom of navigation and encouraging territorial disputes to resolve peacefully. We will work with partners to develop the east asia summit into the regions leading forum. We will support aseans effort in the south china sea. Speaking of china, the United States will continue to pursue a constructive relationship with china. By virtue of its size and its remarkable growth, china will inevitably play a Critical Role in the future of this region. The question is, what kind of role will it play . I just came from beijing. As i said there, the United States welcomes the continuing rise of a china that is peaceful and prosperous and stable and that plays a responsible role in world affairs. It is a remarkable achievement that millions of people have been lifted out of poverty in china because of the extraordinary growth rates they have experienced. That is a good thing. We should want an welcome that kind of development. If in fact china is playing the role of a responsible actor that is peaceful and prosperous, that is good for this region. It is good for the world. It is good for the United States. We will pursue cooperation with china where our interests overlap or a line. There are significant areas of overlap. More trade and investment, more communications between our militaries to prevent misunderstandings or conflict, more travel and exchanges between our people, and more cooperation on global challenges from ebola to Climate Change. But in this engagement, we are encouraging china to adhere to the same rules as other nations, weather in trade or on the seas. And in this engagement, we will continue to be frank about where there are differences. America will continue to stand up for our interests and principles, including our unwavering support for the fundamental human rights of all people. We do not benefit from a relationship with china or any other country in which we put our values and our ideals aside. For the young people here, practicality is a good thing. There are times where compromise is necessary. That is part of wisdom. But it is also important to hang onto what you believe, know what you believe and be willing to stand up for it. What is true for individuals is also true for countries. The United States will continue to promote Economic Growth that is sustained and shared. We are going to work with apec to tear down carriers barriers and combat the corruption that steals from so many citizens. We will oppose cyber theft of trade secrets. We will work with partners to invest in the regions regions infrastruc