Labor member for Hotham and Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, Education, and Social Inclusion, Simon Crean said he will continue to lobby for the inclusion of Greek in the national curriculum.

I’ve always been very close with the Greek community. Here in the broader Oakleigh region it’s a great Diaspora of Greek people

“It’s a decision that has to be considered like everything else associated with the curriculum, it needs to be considered against all the submissions but I have supported the inclusion of Greek and I very strongly believe it,” he said.

“I’ve always been very close with the Greek community. Here in the broader Oakleigh region it’s a great Diaspora of Greek people,” he said, adding “Melbourne is the third largest Greek speaking city in the world, 40 per cent of the population is around here. They are great community minded people and they do look after their community from the cradle to the grave.”

When Mr Crean spoke to Neos Kosmos last week he said the government will maintain its stance on Cyprus.

“We’ve got no intention of changing that position, we are seeking and are working towards the resolution of that issue through diplomatic channels; it’s a difficult thing to resolve but we are committed to The United Nations processes and will go through them,” he said.

Mr Crean said overcrowding in cities was not a migration issue but a planning issue.

“You’ve got to plan sensibly from the growth, which only comes from two sources: natural birth and net migration,” he said, adding that net migration has increased significantly in recent years to fill skills shortages.

“We believe and we’ve been investing a lot in ensuring we develop our own capacity to skill our own people, if we succeed in that -and I believe we will- then you become less reliant on skilled migration as part of the overall migration mix.”

“In any growth circumstance you can’t just put people in places unless you have the services for those people and that’s why you’ve got to invest in education, health, physical infrastructure, public transport and these are many of the areas in which we’ve demonstrated in our first term in government,” he said.

Mr Crean said he didn’t think the way in which former Labor leader, Kevin Rudd, was deposed would affect voters. “I understand exactly how he feels but you get past that,” he said, saying that people have moved on.

Mr Crean said he didn’t take the prospect of Labor winning the election for granted.

“It’s going to be a hard fought contest, so we’re out there to win it and to stand on our record and I believe it’s a very strong record,” he said.

“I’ve been away all week on the campaign trail, I know how the message is translating on the ground, we’ve been opening many schools, trade training centres, programs like computers in schools, all of the things that parents have been looking for in terms of improved educational facilities; we’re doing it,” he said.

He said Labor’s prime priority is a commitment to ensuring Australia realises its full potential, and that the country grows stronger and more “sustainable”.

Asked to define the electoral buzz word “sustainable” Mr Crean said he meant sustainable in economic terms and environmental terms.

“A big challenge ahead is climate change and the only way you can address that is through market management,” he said.