Fax from 021/ 6161: g
CENTENARY OF FEDERATION
I amn delighted to announce the appointmnent of' eight outstanding
Australians to the Centenary of Federation Council.
The Council will be chaired by Mr Dick Smith. The Executive Member
will be Major-General Ken Taylor AO. The other Commonwealth
members will be Mr Gary " Angry" Anderson AM, Professor Geoffrey
Blainey, Mrs Evonne Cawley AO, Ms Phoebe Fraser, The Most Rev.
Peter Hollingworth AO and Professor Trang Thomas.
They bring together a wide mix of expertise and I am grateful that they
have agreed to take part in the important task of planning for the
centenary. The celebration of 100 years of nationhood is a key national event for all
Australians. It is a unique opportunity to take stock of our record as a
nation and to refresh our sense of purpose for the next century. We should
recognise our nation's successes, including the resilience of our
democratic institutions, the growth of stable and prosperous communities
and the great achievements by Australians in all fields of endeavour.
The eight Comnuwealth appointees will contribute in different ways to
the development of a programme which reflects the aspirations of the
Australian people and the diversity within our community.
It is important that the activities belong to the people, not to governments,
and that our communities are involved as participants rather than just
spectators. The Council's terms of reference will expressly require it to
ensure broad community participation in its work. 02/ 12/ 96 16: 12 Pg:
Fax fromt 82/ 12/ 96 16: 12 Pg: 2
As part of a co-ordinated approach to centenary planning, the Council will
also have representatives from each state, the Northern Territory, the ACT
and the Australian Local Government Association. It will develop a
national programme of activities in consultation with planning bodies in
the individual states and territories, reporting regularly to the Council of
Australian Governments on progress.
I look forward to a co-operative effort involving all governments and the
broader community.
Further information on the appointees and on the Centenary of Federation
Council is attached.
CANBERRA
2 December 1996
Fax from 02/ 12/ 96 16: 12 Pg: 3
COMMONWEALTH APPOINTEES TO THE CENTENARY OF
FEDERATION COUNCIL
Chairman: Members: Executive member: Mr Dick Smith, businessman, aviator and adventurer.
Mr Gary ( Angry) Anderson AM, singer and youth
commentator Professor Geoffrey Blainey, historian
Mrs Evonne Cawley AO, member of the Australian Sports
Commission and first Australian Aboriginal to represent
Australia in world tennis,
Ms Phoebe Fraser
Archbishop Peter Hollingworth AO, Anglican Archbishop
of Brisbane
Professor Trang Thomas, Vietnamese-born Chair of the
Victorian Ethnic Affairs Commission and Professor of
Psychology Major-General Ken Taylor AO, former Chief of Materiel
Army, now consultant and company director with wide
management experience.