On a visit to the Geelong Technology Precinct, I announced an innovative regions centre to provide direct support to small and medium businesses in regional areas to become more productive.

This announcement forms part of Labor's "Enterprise Connect" network, designed to help Australian businesses become more innovative and boost productivity.

Australia's innovation performance is the key to our long-term growth and prosperity. In the global marketplace, however, we have fallen behind in the "race to the top": the World Economic Forum ranks Australia 22nd on innovation performance, behind our regional competitors.

In the 21st century, new ideas and highly skilled workers will drive our nation's productivity and competitiveness. Our objective is to create high-wage, high-skill jobs in Australia, investing in education and skills to create the best trained workforce for Australian business. And, unlike the Howard Government, Labor has a well thought-out plan to build a national innovation system.

As an example, Labor's "Enterprise Connect" network will connect businesses with new ideas and new technologies. The network's centres will benefit business by providing a full range of advisory services; they will benchmark processes against best practice and provide financial help for technical assistance.

The centres will also offer diagnostic services; assist firms to find the best ideas, research and technology to improve their products and efficiency; and offer prototyping and testing capacity for new products.

The manufacturing sector, in particular, will benefit from such a network. Dedicated manufacturing innovation centres have been demonstrated to benefit businesses in both Britain and in Queensland. Australia's clean energy and creative industries will also benefit from Labor's "Enterprise Connect" initiative.

To address the critical challenges posed by climate change, Labor will work in partnership with business through:

• a green car innovation fund to develop and build fuel-efficient vehicles in Australia;
• a green building fund to help Australian businesses implement cost-saving energy efficiency measures in commercial buildings;
• a climate ready program to support the development of clean technology products; and
• a retooling for climate change initiative to help small and medium-sized manufacturers make their operations energy and water efficient.

These initiatives are a small demonstration of how we can use our national strengths to provide answers to the world's greatest challenge — climate change.

In doing so, we turn these challenges into opportunities to improve our economy and create jobs.

Only a Rudd Labor Government can provide the national leadership needed to take Australia forward as a productive, competitive economy providing high wage, high skill jobs for the future.