Fax from PRIME MINISTER
29 January 1997 TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER
THE HON. JOHN HOWARD MP
UNVEILING OF BRONZE BUST BALLARAT
E& OE
Councillor James Coghian and Mrs Coghian, to my colleague the Federal Member for
Ballarat, Michael Ronaldson, to my State Parliamentary colleagues, to the artist
amongst us, well there are probably many artists amongst but given the nature of the
occasion, the particular artist amongst us Peter Nicholson, other distinguished guests,
ladies and gentlemen.
Firstly, can I say what a great delight it is to be in the beautiflul gardens of Ballarat.
Australia is blessed by the fact that in many parts of our country, particularly in the
provincial and rural areas of Australia we have very fine gardens. I don't think you
could find a finer example anywhere in Australia than those of the Botanical Gardens
of Ballarat. And, of course, the city of Ballarat has a very deep association with the
history of Australia and as a community, as we approach the 100 years of the
centenary, the Centenary of Federation, it's only a few years off now and we will
celebrate 100 years of the Federation of Australia from the first of January 190 1.
It is natural, inevitable and I think highly desirable that Australians increasingly reflect
upon what has been achieved during that 100 year period and increasingly reflect upon
the history of Australia. And when you reflect upon the history of Australia, not only
over the last 100 years, but also in the years that went before that you can't, of course,
omit a reflection on many of the historical associations between the Ballarat area and
the development of Australian nationalism, the development of distinctively Australian
attitudes back in the 19th Century which, in fact, pre-dated the Federation of Australia
on the first of January 1901.
And, of course, this avenue of Prime Ministerial busts is itself a contribution to the
history of the country. As I wandered down observing the various likenesses of my 24
predecessors I reflected briefly on the changed circumstances in which each of them
came to the office of Prime Minister, I thought of the circumstances of Australia in
1901 when Sir Edmund Barton was sworn in as the first Prime Minister of Australia. I
thought of the trauma of World War I which was grappled with by a number of Prime
Ministers and not least, of course, Billy Hughes who became famous with the
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Fax from description of ' The Little Digger" and of James Henry Sculbi who had to grapple with
the depths of the depression in the early 1930s and of the various terms in office of Sir
Robert Menzies, Prime Minister at the outbreak of World War 11, ceasing not long
thereafter to be Prime Mnister only to return in 1949 to govern for a record period
until 1966.
1 think of the great leadership shown by John Curtin, the Prime Minister of Australia
during World War 11 and the toll that it took on his life and his being and led to his
early death in 1945. Many of the other Prime Ministers of this country on both sides
of the political fence, we all have our views, you have your views about me, you all
have your views about my predecessors. This is not an occasion for partisanship rather
it is an occasion to acknowledge the rich history of Australia, to acknowledge that the
things that bind us together as Australians are far more important and more enduring
and more significant than the things that push us apart.
I'm delighted that Peter Nicholson is here today. I've observed his work over the
years, it's hard not to. It's compulsive viewing and I agree that he's bipartisan, he
certainly gives me a flick from time to time and he's given the other blokes a flick too
from time to time. I mean, from rubber to bronze is a remarkable, it's a mark of his
artistry and of his craftsmanship. I understand there's a bit of a tradition here that
occasionally the Prime Ministers get dumped, you know, and one of my party room
commnentators said that it was the only circumstance in which I would become a " wet".
But, ladies and gentlemen, I think one of the things that marks Australians out from
any other group of people in the world I made this remark at an Australia Day speech
I gave a few days ago is that we have a very healthy irreverence and a very healthy
scepticism as a commity.
We are not a gullible people. We are, on occasions, blessed with a great amount of
scepticism and I think healthy scepticism in any community is a very good thing
provided it doesn't lurch into cynicism. We shouldn't be so sceptical that we become
cynical, equally we shouldn't be so gullible that we're not a wake up to somebody
who's trying to have us on. And that really is one of the great strengths that we have.
It is one of the things that marks us out from ot her people with whom we may have
similarities and the political cartoonists of Australia are in that long tradition of
political scepticism and it's part of our system. It's annoying sometimes but, can I say,
that scepticism is one of the things that has kept us a free people-It's one of the
reasons why Australia is listed amongst only eight countries, only eight nations, that
has been continuously democratic for the whole of the twentieth century and that is a
remarkable: thing.
And these days where sometimes I think people are too ready to see fault in Australia
and too ready to apologise for Australia, I think that particular achievement is one of
the reasons why instead of apologising we should as a community be immensely proud
of what we have achieved as a nation and particularly what we have achieved since the
Federation of the then colonies of Australia in 190 1.
So there are many things that are interesting and enriching in the life of a Prime
Minister. The most important is the regular contact with the people of Australia, the
reminders of the marvellous diversity of our country, the reminder of the spirit of
people wherever they may live in Australia and it is always to me a great pleasure to
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Fax from visit different parts of the country to meet the citizens of different communities and
today is no exception.
So can I thank you Mr Mayor, can I thank you Councillor Coghian, to you Michael my
colleague, the Federal Member for Ballarat who gives such terrific representation to
this electorate in the national parliament, can thank you very much for inviting me
here and without any further ado I shall perform the deed. There is one thing I forgot
to mention Councillor Coghian said this was the second unveiling that he's presided
over, can I assure you Sir it will be the last!
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