This is the full text of the Throne Speech delivered by Governor Sir Richard Gozney yesterday:

Henry Clay once said:

"The time will come when winter will ask you what you were doing all summer."

Over the past several months the Government has outlined its vision for Bermuda, to address the issues that confront us, and to create a more sustainable future. The Government asked the people of Bermuda to support this vision, and the response was a resounding yes.

This Government, with its fresh mandate from the people of Bermuda, will continue to build on the successes of the last nine years, while also inspiring more hope for tomorrow.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

Bermudians, residents, and our visitors should all be familiar with the uniqueness and beauty of our sand. But sand can and does shift. This Government understands that a foundation built on sand is no foundation at all – and that we cannot build on sand – that we must build on rock. That is the intent and the pledge of this Government – to build on this rock solid foundations that will stand the test of time.

As promised this Government will work to improve the social, economic, environmental and intellectual condition of the people of Bermuda.

The Government will provide help for families and will improve the state and quality of healthcare for all. The Government will fix the education system, and implement real solutions to Bermuda's housing challenges.

But one entity alone cannot build this foundation. The Government hopes to motivate members of the community to work together in partnership so that Bermuda in all of its beauty will reach beyond its potential.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

Many countries around the world provide some form of allowance to qualified families to offset the cost of child care services, which can be significant for families with young children. In order to strengthen families and relieve many parents of this heavy financial burden, to enable them to more fully participate in the workplace, and to encourage parents to commit more of their earnings towards savings for their children's future, this Government will provide free child care services for children up to the age of four years. Sound criteria for provision of child care services will be established, and a simple mechanism introduced to make it easy for qualified families to benefit from the programme. It is envisaged that the introduction of this programme will contribute towards stable family life and the proper raising of children in supportive environments.

Government will continue its commitment to reform our system of education for the betterment of our children, our families, and our community.

The Government will implement a school-based management programme and institute real accountability for principals, teachers, and students. Rigorous academic performance standards for students will be established and enforced, and each school will be tested against annual performance standards to measure the academic growth of students.

Curriculum at all school levels will be reviewed to ensure that there is full alignment throughout the education system, that it promotes Bermudian history, and that it is enriching and well delivered.

In this Session, you will be invited to consider amendments to the Education Act 1996 to implement those recommendations arising from the Hopkins Report of May 2007. The Act will provide a revised focus for the Board of Education and provide that body with the 'teeth' required to positively administer the education system in Bermuda.

To mitigate the rising cost of tuition and living expenses abroad, the Government will substantially raise the amount and number of Bermuda Government Scholarships to cover a more significant part of the cost of post-secondary education.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

The Government is committed to giving families the tools that they need to succeed in modern Bermuda, tools that will help sustain our communities.

The Government will promote homeownership for Bermudians. The provision of interest-free down payment loans will help 500 qualified Bermudian families reach this goal, and legislation will be drafted to support the expanding rent geared to income initiative which allows individuals living in Government-owned facilities to have their rent set at no more than 25 per cent of their income, and cause an additional 10 per cent of their income to be saved towards future homeownership.

Through tax incentives, the Government will encourage landlords to bring affordable housing units back onto the market.

Three purpose-built facilities will also be developed at Southside, St. David's, designed specifically for families who have been housed in emergency facilities for extended periods.

Additionally, the existing North Street Shelter will be replaced with a purpose-built emergency shelter whose focus will be the return of individuals to active participation in the community.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

The Government is building upon its blueprint to provide earlier intervention to our youth in order to help them see the growing opportunities that exist for them, and to salute those who have committed themselves to positive lifestyles.

The Government will work to decrease the number of youth involved in criminal activity. Programmes with a renewed focus on family cohesion, appropriate diversion from prosecution, the cultivation of vocational and other skills, and therapeutic recreation will be expanded to engage youth of all ages.

As part of this larger effort to provide real opportunities to our young people, the Government will expand the successfully implemented Mirrors programme. The extensive intervention programme for at-risk youth will be broadened to include two intensive residential sessions to help more of our youth redirect their energy to more positive pursuits.

Government will continue to identify areas of non-essential policing and provide alternative resources to assist the Bermuda Police Service in more strategic deployment options.

With my strong support, the Government will engage the Bermuda Police Service in innovative ways to address crime and to ensure safe and secure communities in Bermuda. Government House, Government and the Bermuda Police Service have together committed to lead in the area of public safety, and this joint effort together with outside assistance when necessary will serve as an example to the wider community of the unity of purpose required to meet the need for safety and security in Bermuda.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

The success of the Bermuda Race Relations Initiative's Big Conversation will continue. People of Bermuda of all races have seen the benefits of talking about those things that divide us, of bringing into the open the scars caused by racism, through conversations that are at times painful, illuminating and a source of healing.

The Government will enable those Bermudians who seek to engage in this vitally important conversation on race relations to take ownership of the process through the newly emerged organizing committee drawn from participants. Government will not only fund and support this committee, but will also assist other groups, such as Citizens Uprooting Racism in Bermuda (CURB) and the National Association for Reconciliation (NAR), who share a common vision.

In addition, the Government will premier a feature length documentary entitled "The Big Conversation" currently in production that will not only chronicle the work of the Bermuda Race Relations Big Conversation in 2007, but will also provide a more thorough examination of race and privilege in Bermuda. The Bermuda Race Relations Initiative will also sponsor a half hour monthly series on CITV and will launch a web site to better enable a wide cross-section of the community to participate in this vitally important process.

The Government has already begun to roll out a plan for more affordable and accessible healthcare. Located beside existing emergency services, the construction of the first of the Urgent Care Centres at Southside will soon commence. The establishment of Urgent Care Centres will provide additional access points to much needed healthcare facilities for residents at the east and west ends of the Island.

FutureCare will be the hallmark of this Government's plan to create a fair, affordable and equitable healthcare system for Bermuda. It will provide an accessible array of healthcare services for Bermuda's seniors and disabled to promote wellness and preventive care.

The Government will also conduct a legislative review of the Government Employees Health Insurance Scheme to ensure appropriate health insurance coverage for retired public officers.

The Government will amend the Contributory Pensions Act to remove those features of the Act that have, on occasion, precluded seniors from accessing their pensions as a result of failing to apply for a benefit within a prescribed time period; other amendments to the Act will provide for an interest rate of 5 percent per annum to be applied to refunds of contributions, and survivor's benefits to be paid to dependent children up to the age of 18 years in the event that there is not a surviving spouse to receive the benefit.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

Healthcare systems around the world are suffering shortages of qualified personnel. In order to make our own healthcare system more sustainable by relying more on homegrown talent, the Government will provide additional investment into healthcare through the provision of scholarships for Bermudian students studying public health specialties. Scholarships will also be open to existing public health staff to encourage lifelong learning and improved and expanded skills development in service of the public.

This year, Government will begin implementation of the National Drug Control Master Plan. The new Plan embodies a fresh and better co-ordinated approach to substance abuse as a public health challenge, rather than simply a criminal activity. Core areas of focus will include improved service delivery to clients in need of treatment. In this regard Courts will be empowered to order drug treatment as part of a sentencing regime that begins the rehabilitative process at the earliest opportunity.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

The Corporations of Hamilton and St. George's have served their respective municipalities well, but the framework within which they operate is outdated and it can be argued that it does not reflect modern good governance. Accordingly, amendments to the Municipalities Act 1923 will be considered to modernise the Corporations, and to better serve the people of our past and present capitals.

Freedom of the press lies at the foundation of any democracy. The responsible exercise of this freedom is equally important. To ensure that journalistic integrity and the freedom of information continue to mature, the Government will pioneer the creation of a Press Council, a self-regulatory body, appointed to enforce compliance with an agreed Code of Practice. Consultation on this initiative will commence in the second quarter of this year.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

The Government has developed policies that recognise the connection between a healthy community and a healthy environment.

The Government will introduce a raft of initiatives dedicated to improving the condition of the environment while simultaneously improving the quality of life of Bermudians and residents, thereby ensuring we live within Bermuda's limits.

To improve the quality of Bermuda's water supply, Government will amend the Water Resources Act 1975 to provide for greater control over the discharge of substances into Bermuda's water resources by strengthening and clarifying the provisions that relate to the prevention and remediation of pollution.

A bottle deposit system will be developed to encourage even greater take up of recycling and to help keep Bermuda beautiful.

The Government will reinvigorate Bermuda's declining citrus and fruit culture through the introduction of new varieties, and education classes will be offered in order to promote public participation in this initiative.

In support of Bermuda's tradition of fishing and farming, the commercial fishing and farming communities will benefit from a renewed focus by the Government to help keep these industries viable and sustainable.

In keeping with this Government's commitment to sustainable development, a Ministerial responsibility for energy has been created. Accordingly, work on a national energy policy will commence and a Green Paper on energy will be produced to initiate an important public discussion on this issue.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

Sports development and the enhancement of our young people's lives through sports will continue to be at the centre of this Government's policy-making. Having supported both national sports in meaningful ways, the Government will develop a plan for the support of our elite athletes bound for Regional, World and Olympic competitions.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

While supporting international business through best practice, including excellent regulation and an innovative legislative environment, the Government will also continue to focus on those industries outside the core of international business through policies that support diverse business development opportunities. Government will continue to build and maintain a strong and inclusive economy that empowers our people and gives consumers access to better products and services.

In the pursuit of a niche market that will put a minimal burden on Bermuda's infrastructure, the Government is well on its way to developing a regulatory framework designed to encourage global satellite companies to use Bermuda as their jurisdiction of choice for the administration of satellite network filings. The essential elements of this framework are now in place, with the extension of the UK Outer Space Act 1986 and the recent coming into force of the Satellite Network Notification and Co-ordination Regulations 2007.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

The goal of the Government is to continually enhance the sound and balanced management of Bermuda's economy through an increasingly efficient and effective regulatory environment.

To that end, and in step with international strategies to fight money laundering and to combat terrorist financing, a number of preventive measures will be introduced within the financial and other sectors of our economy.

In keeping with the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund, Government has established an independent Financial Intelligence Agency to monitor and analyse suspicious financial transactions, as well as disseminate such information to the Bermuda Police Service.

To strengthen Bermuda's National Anti-Money Laundering Committee (NAMLC), the Government has appointed a National Coordinator who will work with the NAMLC and relevant industry partners to ensure that the changes to relevant standards are reviewed and incorporated into Bermuda's national anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism regimes.

Government will undertake a review of relevant legislation to protect against funds being filtered through charitable organisations for the use of terrorist activities.

The powers of the Bermuda Monetary Authority (BMA) will also be strengthened through amendments to the Bermuda Monetary Authority Act 1969 to include the application of civil money fines for violations of anti-money laundering rules and combating the financing of terrorism. In addition, the BMA will be given the power to enforce the Proceeds of Crime Regulations.

The Proceeds of Crime Act will be amended to broaden the category of assets subject to seizure in connection with a money-laundering offence.

Further, independent professionals and corporate service providers will be brought under the Proceeds of Crime Regulations.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

Following consultation with the Bermuda International Business Association, the Government will undertake a policy review of the Perpetuities and Accumulations Act 1989. It is intended to overhaul this major area of trust law in order to increase Bermuda's attractiveness as a jurisdiction for international trust business.

The Investment Funds Act 2006 will be amended to include transitional provisions required to cover funds with exemptions and partnership funds that are being brought under the scope of the Act for the first time.

The Insurance Act 1978 will be amended to provide for filing of public accounts in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles, and the Insurance Returns and Solvency Regulations 1980 will be amended to introduce a risk based approach to determining solvency requirements.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

This Legislative Session promises to be one marked by much work and this Government stands ready to lead; humbled by the task, but equal to the challenge.

For my part I am glad to be here for the first time. I welcome all Members of both Houses of Parliament, especially new Members including the new Leader of the Opposition, and those Parliamentarians who are new to Ministerial office. I wish you all successful tenures. I look forward to working with the Government of Bermuda on international aspects of their policies across the board. These days international aspects often go wider than in the past. We have a common aim to see Bermuda remain at the front of the pack in the international financial services industry and in other areas. My wife and I have been here for less than two months and already we feel committed to these Islands, Islands of which we have quickly come to feel a part.

Mr. President and Members of the Senate

Mr. Speaker and Members of the Honourable House of Assembly

On behalf of Her Majesty The Queen I now declare this session of Parliament open. May Divine Providence continue to bless Bermuda and to guide this Legislature in all its deliberations.