14 September 1996
Thank you very much Mr Knight; to Bob and Mrs Carr, the Premier of New South Wales; to Councillor of Frank Sartor, the Lord Mayor of Sydney and to all other distinguished guest, ladies and gentlemen.
It's a great delight for me to be here tonight to say very briefly on behalf of the National Government how very committed it is to working as closely as possible with the New South Wales Government and with the authorities of the city of Sydney to ensure that the Games of the year 2000 and the 27th Olympiad are memorable in every sense of the word. They are memorable as a great sporting event, they are memorable as a celebration to the world of what a united, rich and diverse nation Australia is. They are memorable as an opportunity for Australia to welcome people from all around the world, to put on display our renowned capacity for tolerance, for friendliness, for informality and of course, never forgetting, also renowned to great Australian victories. And when we realise tonight that we are unveiling the logo for the Sydney 2000 Olympics, we do realise that we are in real time as far as preparation for those Games are concerned. And those four years, as I know everybody particularly associated with SOCOG and the organisation of the Games will know, those four years will go by very, very quickly indeed.
But I did want tonight, ladies and gentlemen, on this very special occasion in association with the Games to say that cooperation at all levels of government is essential, and on behalf of the Federal Government I want to say to the Premier of New South Wales that we'll work with you very, very closely. Our goal is to enhance the reputation of Australia because these Games, although they are being held in this beautiful city of Sydney, they are Games that belong to the entire Australian community. And I know that people all around our nation want the Games to be a success and as we get closer to the event people right across the continent will share the enthusiasm and the anticipation. So tonight is a significant milestone along the path to the Games. It is an opportunity to renew the commitment of all levels of government to the success of those Games. It's an occasion to recognise that a combined team effort will enhance the reputation of our nation and make the Games of the year 2000 a most memorable event and a curtain raiser to the celebration of 100 years of the federation of our nation.
Thank you.