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Your Excellency, President Scalfaro; to your daughter, Marianna;
Excellencies; my ministerial and parliamentary colleagues; ladies
and gentlemen.
When we spoke in my office this morning I said to the President
that the relationship between Australia and Italy was one of those
things that brought an instant smile to the face. And that best
described as I could the very deep links and the very enduring links
that exist not only between our two countries on a political and
economic level but also between the Australian people and the Italian
people. Against that background, sir, and also because of your own
very long and distinguished political career in Italy, you are especially
welcome amongst us today.
This is a very large and spontaneously gathered group of Australians
and friends of Italy who want to pay tribute to you and to your
country and to pay tribute to the influence that the Italian way
has had on our country and on many other nations throughout the
world.
You have been active in Italian politics since 1946. You were a
deputy between 1948 and 1992. You were a member of the original
constituent assembly formed in 1946 and you've now served,
for six years, as President of your country. You therefore come
to Australia with a very long and distinguished background and a
person through all of your political career has remained steadfast
and true to those values that you regard as important in public
life and those values that you hold dear and you have, therefore,
had a long and very distinguished commitment to Italy and to the
Italian people.
Italy, the modern Italy, is of course the sixth largest economy
in the world. Particularly in recent years it has enjoyed an enormous
economic resurgence. It is playing a very strong role in the European
Union and the strength of its economy and the commitment of its
people enables it to do that. And therefore this is an occasion
to remark, as Prime Minister of Australia, on the importance of
the economic and political association between our two nations.
But it also, importantly, an occasion for me to pay tribute to
the enormous contribution that Italians have made, particularly
to post-World War II Australia. Australians of Italian background
comprise of course the largest non-English speaking tributary to
the modern Australian nation. More than a million Australians claim
an Italian heritage and they do it with great pride and great passion.
Italians have contributed to every facet of Australian life. The
most important contribution they have made is the way in which they
have reinforced so many of the important values of the Australian
community. It is impossible to think of the Italian contribution
to our nation without thinking of their great and passionate commitment
to the importance of the family unit as the central pillar of a
cohesive society. It is impossible not to think of their enormous
enthusiasm and energy. It is impossible to conceive the story of
post-war Australia without the Italian contribution and the Italian
way playing a very, very important part in that story. The contribution
that Australians of Italian descent have made of course is to be
found in every part of the Australian life.
One thinks of great figures such as Sir James Gobbo. And if ever
a person celebrated the marvellous integration of the Australian
and the Italian way, nobody has done it better than Sir James Gobbo,
a person who served as a distinguished lawyer, a distinguished Judge
and is now the Governor of Victoria.
One thinks of the enormous contribution in the field of business.
One thinks of the families that are represented here today - the
Grollo family from Victoria, very much in the news yesterday; the
Belgiorno-Nettis family that has made also an enormous contribution
to engineering and construction in Australia. And I don't suppose
in a way anybody has made such an impact on the world of fashion
in her own inimitable style than Carla Zampatti who I'm delighted
to welcome here today.
And of course no reference to contributions to the Australian way
would be complete without touching, however briefly, upon the contribution
of sports men and women. And we're very proud that Christian
Vieri, the Sydneysider, was Italy's top goal scorer before
regrettably Italy was eliminated. And I've got to say to you,
Mr President, that there was many an Australian heart that was with
Italy from the very beginning of the World Cup because Australia
was not, itself, a competitor in the final rounds. And of course
another great sporting name, David Campese, to those of us who are
great rugby followers. And he brought many a cheer to Australian
rugby followers with his particular flair.
And of course it wouldn't be appropriate for me to make these
sorts of references seeing that it's a political gathering
without of course acknowledging the contribution of Australians
of Italian descent to the politics of our nation. And I'm delighted
to say that, in terms of current Federal parliamentary representation,
it's fairly even-handed. And I know you had the opportunity
of meeting a number of both Government and Opposition members before
this luncheon to exchange views and to share some ideas. And of
course outside parliamentary politics it's very interesting
that my own party, the State Directors of the two largest divisions
in New South Wales and Victoria, in the person of Remo Nogarotto
and Peter Poggioli, are both of Italian descent and I understand
that the State Director of the Labor Party, John Della Bosca in
New South Wales, is also of Italian descent. And can I also say
that there is one other political figure in the history of Australia
who, although not a member of Parliament, probably influenced the
course of post-war Australia politics more than many other Australian
parliamentarians and that was the late BA Santamaria whose influence
on Australian politics was absolutely immense.
I mention these things, ladies and gentlemen, to simply remind
people of the enormous role that Australians of Italian descent
have played in our nation and of how they are so completely part
of the Australian story. And the personal experiences of all of
us and our contact with Italians goes back, in most cases, to our
childhood. Certainly my first contact with the warmth and the enthusiasm
and the love of life and the commitment to family and the commitment
to the future of this country, my first contact was naturally with
Australians who come from Italy. But I also remember, with great
affection, my first visit to Italy in 1964, long before I entered
politics, where I had the great good fortune to meet Father Borelli,
the Catholic Priest, who cared for the urchin children of Naples
and who was the subject of that very famous book written by Morris
West and titled ‘Children of the Sun'. And that particular
experience, as somebody undertaking a working holiday in Europe,
brought me into contact with the warmth and the enthusiasm of the
Italian people in their own country.
So, sir, you've come here as the honoured, indeed, the revered
President of a country with whom we have a very close economic and
political association. Italy is playing a very constructive role
within the European Union and the European family. But you also
come here today as a reminder to all of us of the celebration and
the miracle that is post-World War II Australia, the way in which
we have been able to gather from the four corners of the world,
so many men and women who made a massive contribution to building
a very proud nation, a nation that is playing a very positive role,
particularly in our own region. But a nation that remembers its
roots and honours the contributions that are made to the modern
existence and the modern identity. And the Italian contribution
has been quite massive. It has been incalculable. It has made Australia
a better country. It has helped to make Australia a more open society.
It has brought us into contact with ways and attitudes that have
made us better, made us warmer and made us more comprehending and
more understanding.
I want to, on behalf of everybody here today, honour the Italian
contribution. It's a very important part of the collective
Australian heritage. And to you, sir, and to your daughter and to
the other members of your party, I bid you a very warm welcome.
I know that you have already been very warmly received in Victoria.
I can assure you that you will be received with equal warmth in
Sydney and in other parts of Australia that you will visit. I hope
you will come again. I wish you good fortune and good health. I
honour your country and I thank you for visiting us. I now invite
the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Beazley, to support my remarks.
[ends]