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Thank you very much, Jim; to Mr Morgan, Brigadier Garland, other great
contributors to the Red Cross throughout Australia, ladies and gentlemen.
The Red Cross organisation is, of course, one of the most esteemed
and widely recognised organisations anywhere in the world. It's
one of those remarkable groups that has survived through the years
with its reputation for integrity, the relief of human suffering and
service to mankind irrespective of colour, race, creed or nationality
or political commitment. It's one of those organisations that
has survived through the years in a quite remarkable way. And although
historically the Red Cross was associated with the relief of suffering
in wartime, over time it has broadened its horizons. And the way in
which it contributes to making the lives of Australians a little easier
and a little happier when that is needed, in a quite remarkably diverse
manner of activities, is one of its hallmarks as we come towards the
end of this millennium. Perhaps not many Australians would realise
that the Red Cross played one of the major relief roles during the
Katherine floods of last year.
The Red Cross provides a much needed early morning wake-up, hello
call to thousands of Australians, to elderly Australians around the
country. And as we begin this year marking the contribution of older
Australians to our society we will discover, as we go through that
commemoration, we will discover the contribution that the Red Cross
has made in so many different ways.
It is an organisation that has moved with the times. It has retained
that remarkably stark and remarkably impressive symbol of the Red
Cross on a white background and it is one of the most easily recognisable
symbols anywhere in the world. But it's also an organisation,
as well as fulfilling its traditional function and its traditional
role, has moved with the times and is providing services. And the
fact that it will be able to gather 100,000 volunteers on the Red
Cross Calling day which, as Jim said, first started in 1950, raised
$5 million last year and the goal is to raise $6.3 million this year.
And that will be raised if once again Australians respond, as they
always have, in that great spirit of volunteerism, which is a characteristic
of Australian societies.
One of the goals that the Government has is to build what I call a
social coalition. Governments can't do everything on their own.
The volunteer sector, like the Red Cross, can't do everything
on its own. And individuals often need help in order to look after
themselves and to look after their families and others they love.
And the way in which you can achieve the goals that we all have is
through a social coalition - with the Government doing its part, the
volunteer sector doing its part, with the Government supporting the
volunteer sector but also recognising that in a number of areas the
volunteer sector is far better equipped to help those who need assistance
within our community than are any agencies of the Government, and
also to draw very heavily upon the commitment of individual Australians
who want in their own many ways to make a contribution towards helping
people.
Economic circumstances in Australia at the present time are good and
many Australians are doing extremely well. Unemployment is a little
lower than it used to be and the economic outlook for this country
is very powerful compared with the rest of the world. But that is
all the more reason why we should focus on those in our community
who are not as well off. No matter how strong our national economy
may be, no matter how well we may be doing in the eyes of the world,
no matter how strong may be the economic outlook for Australia, we
must remember that there are amongst us fellow Australians who are
not doing as well. And Red Cross is directed in its own different
ways towards relieving that suffering and that is why I commend very
warmly to all of you and to all of the Australian people a generous-hearted
personal response to the Red Cross Calling Appeal this year.
I want to conclude my remarks today by expressing the thanks of the
Government to those thousands of Red Cross volunteers throughout the
Australian community. I marvel at the willingness of so many Australians
in an unsung, unheralded, often unremarked way to contribute to helping
their fellow countrymen and women.
It's an organisation that is very well and efficiently run. It's
an organisation which depends on an ongoing reputation for integrity
and efficiency, a reputation that it's maintained through the
decades since its formation in the 19th century. And here
in Australia it's run by a man for whom I have a very warm personal
regard, Jim Carlton, who runs the organisation very efficiently at
a national secretariat level. But, very important, as he would acknowledge,
it survives and thrives because of the volunteer efforts of thousands
of Australians and it is those Australians to whom I express my particular
thanks today. It is those people that have kept the Red Cross going
and will maintain its momentum years into the future. I hope the appeal
is successful. I hope the target of $6.3 million is not only reached
but is exceeded. And I thank all of you for your tremendous contribution
to such a worthy and magnificent cause. Thank you.