E&OE..................
To Lisa Curry Kenny - thank you for your kind welcome, to the other members of the National Australia Day Council, other very distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
In the months ahead, communities all over Australia - in city suburbs, in towns and in the bush - will participate in events to mark our Centenary of Federation. All Australians will have an opportunity to ponder past success and plan, with eager anticipation, a new century of Australian achievement.
Many will dwell on the sheer scale of what';s been achieved in only a hundred years and, by any measure, it is remarkable.
In the arts, in scientific endeavour, on sporting fields and on battle-fields, in the building of all the infrastructure of a modern nation, in the respect offered to us by other nations and in the creation of a stable and harmonious society from people drawn from the four corners of the earth - Australia';s achievements are impressive and a source of great pride for us all.
And what is staggering to contemplate is that all this was accomplished in essence by only four generations of Australians. So short has been the time involved, we have among us men and women whose own lives have spanned the entirety of our nation';s life.
And yet, a nation will not be remembered or respected in history for its achievements alone but equally for the beliefs of its people and the things they stand for.It is the values that drive Australian success, or even at times glorious failure, which should be celebrated tomorrow.
A celebration of this kind should never be a negative or sombre occasion. Equally however, it should not be a time to gloss over the failures and blemishes of the past.
If the celebration of our centenary is to have lasting value it should not only infuse us with an even greater sense of pride in the magnitude of the Australian achievement but also help us to better understand the past so that it';s mistakes might be minimised in the future.
Late last year, I spoke of the values I felt were uniquely part of the Australian character - a desire for self reliance, the willingness to have a go, the capacity to pull together both in good times and in adversity and finally an ethic which demands from each of us and for each of us the giving and receiving of a fair go.
These values developed out of necessity, sometimes bitter experience and the great genius Australians seem to possess in selecting the best from our heritage and other countries, yet rejecting other things unsuited to our needs or character. For instance, we embraced many things from the British including those great principles of the rule of law and parliamentary democracy which are the very basis of our civil society yet rejected European notions of class-consciousness.
In refining our own values, we have likewise selected the best from our past and moved boldly away from attitudes or practices we now feel are unworkable or unjust.
The commitment of Australians over the past one hundred years to democracy and individual freedom has been both remarkable and constant.
For instance, women in Australia enjoyed voting rights years ahead of women in other democracies.In my view, the strength and vitality of Australian democracy during the past century has been due overwhelmingly to three great institutional pillars.
Firstly, with its limitations, there has been Australia';s strong, effective and robust political and parliamentary system where the opportunity exists for open debate and endless diversity of views.
There has been the rule of law underpinned by an independent and incorruptible judiciary.
And there has been a free and frequently sceptical press.
These three institutions are the real title deeds of Australian democracy.
They are an infinitely greater guarantee of liberty than any formal enshrinement of personal rights in our Constitution or a Bill of Rights.
In a Bill of Rights, no matter how skilfully crafted, the potential will always exist for misinterpretation or accidental exclusion and there are many examples in history where fine phrases within some code or bill have failed to protect the basic rights of a nation';s citizens.
To speak of democracy and personal freedom in Australia is of course to speak of values which are now closer to being universal than they have ever been in the history of mankind.
Today, however, I want to reflect on three particular achievements which stand out in the Australian centenary story.
They not only illustrate particular Australian approaches but importantly have continuing relevance and therefore provide hope and reassurance about our ability to respond to future challenges.
Social CohesionOur social cohesion, flowing directly from a unique form of egalitarianism, is arguably the crowning achievement of the Australian experience over the past century.
We remain a relatively classless society, aspirational yet egalitarian, competitive yet ultimately accommodating.
Australia';s social cohesion was in evidence at the time of Federation. It survived the bitter conscription debates of World War I as well as the depredations of the Great Depression. Post World War II migration saw a socially cohesive Australia not only successfully absorb millions of people from over one hundred different sources but also abandon a racially based immigration policy.
Our social cohesion is well demonstrated by the great volunteer spirit of Australia - some may even call it mateship - so evident not only in time of war and other adversity but also when, such as with the Sydney Olympics, the opportunity is there for Australians to present a united positive image to the world. There is little doubt that one of the many reasons for the success of the Olympic Games was the essentially open and egalitarian spirit of the Australian people.
It is appropriate therefore that this year marks not only Australia';s Centenary of Federation but also the Year of the Volunteer. Australians give nearly 106 million hours of their time each year to worthy causes. That incredible figure represents participation rates double, even triple that found in other advanced nations.
Today, I unreservedly acknowledge the selfless efforts of Australian volunteers. Through their work in hospitals, in bushfire brigades, as coaches in children';s sporting teams, in countless community and charitable organisations, we have all become richer by their generosity and commitment.
Our social cohesion is a priceless asset. It will underpin the future progress and harmony of our nation.
For this very reason we have an obligation to seek out and address those flaws in our society which threaten our community';s cohesion.
It is unrealistic for any society to ever aspire to equality of outcomes but we should always seek to the maximum extent possible to deliver equality of opportunity.
Practical assistance to those in need is very much a hallmark of the Australian character - the capacity for decisive action and great initiative yet directed in support of time honoured and traditional values.
That the Australian people retain an innate and selfless sense of what';s right has been brought home by the widespread community support for the efforts of our magnificent peacekeepers in East Timor.
I have tremendous faith that Australia';s social cohesion and the values which underpin it will continue.
As a community, we are moving forward to safeguard it and indeed to extend its reach. For instance, the growing level of commitment to addressing indigenous issues and our desire to acknowledge the special place of Indigenous Australians in the nation';s life seeks to foster better understanding between us all.
FederalismThe second matter I wish to speak of today is Australian federalism itself - conceived not as an act of revolution but through the rule of law, not with bloodshed - but with a vote.
I am no states rightist. I am an Australian nationalist. State and provincial loyalties which tug against the national interest should have no place in the modern Australia.
Yet in straight pragmatic terms a nation as geographically large as Australia must have a decentralised system of government. That is why we have kept our federal system.
Despite its shortcomings and the inevitable tensions between the national and state governments and even on occasion between individual states, our federal system has been a conspicuous success.
It is an inherently strong system. It';s been noted that of the world';s 180 countries only six, Australia among them, survived 'the furnace of the twentieth century'; with both their fundamental political and legal institutions intact. And, of that number, four were federations.
The division of political authority between a national government and a number of states has given us the best of both worlds. Particularly in a country as large and diverse as Australia, it satisfies a natural desire to see specific regional differences and priorities accommodated without impeding the emergence of a single strong national identity or allowing for sensible national standards to be developed.
Australian federalism, despite the occasional call for smaller and more numerous states seems particularly robust and effective. Its creation and maintenance throughout one of history';s more turbulent centuries is something in which Australians should take great pride.
And the continued faith placed in our constitution and federal system is evidence that it still reflects the core values and aspirations held by the vast majority of our countrymen and women.
Under Australian federalism, sweeping constitutional changes are difficult. Australians will however emphatically change our constitution if they believe an injustice should be addressed.
This was dramatically demonstrated in 1967 when more than 90 per cent of our citizens approved historic changes of lasting value to indigenous Australians.
A significant Australian achievement over many years has been an ability to maintain the integrity of institutions gifted to us from the past, while finding new and innovative ways to address pressure points and deal with issues not even dreamt of a hundred years ago - issues such as global communication and the incredible growth of the services and information sectors.
More recently, through their decision to mandate the modernisation of the taxation system, Australians ensured renewal, and a safeguarding of the federal structure. It mended a dangerous and divisive fault-line that had developed - one that I recall particularly well, gaping even wider at Premiers'; conferences - namely the growing separation between revenue raising and government service provision.
We';ll move forward into this century better equipped for federalism to work as intended through the states, at last, regaining access to a significant growth tax in their own right, vastly enhancing the alignment between constitutional responsibility and the ability to make financial decisions.
Federalism, by passing executive power to levels of government closer to citizens and their day to day lives, ensures greater accountability and, by extension, greater government responsiveness.
And put simply, in the words of a recent Economist article entitled, by the way, 'Australia';s Iron Constitution'; - "The good thing about all those layers of government is that Australian voters get plenty of opportunity to tell their law-makers what they think of them".
The Public Private BalanceFinally, I';d like to touch on what I regard as one of the great unsung success stories of our last one hundred years.
That has been Australia';s success in balancing public and private resourcing of what I would broadly describe as human services.That balance, achieved by successive Australian governments in key areas such as health and education, has contributed much to our social stability as well as continuing to foster personal self reliance.
Australians are fiercely independent and for that reason, we demand choice - rejecting single 'one size fits all'; solutions imposed upon us by others.
And yet, the principle of a fair go also requires that all Australians, but particularly those in need, are offered care and access to quality services.
In other words we believe that Government has a limited but strategic role to play in our lives.
Australia, through trial, error and experimentation over many decades has achieved a better balance than most other nations in creating two complementary and high quality systems - one provided by government, the other by the private sector.
The notion of a social coalition which seeks to join not only governments and welfare organisations but also business and philanthropic individuals in addressing pressing social problems, builds on the success Australia has historically achieved in balancing public and private resourcing of human services.
In the crucial area of health care services, the Commonwealth and State Governments through Medicare, provide funds for public hospitals, local GP services and prescribed medicines and importantly, ensures universal access to quality health services. Other services such as private hospitals and dentistry are provided through the private health system.
In education, the Commonwealth assists the states to fund a quality public system. Federal funds are also the predominant source of support for non-government schools to the value of around 50 per cent of the cost of educating a child in the government system. The vast bulk of the additional cost is met by parents willing to make sacrifices in order to gain choice in respect to their children';s education.
The case for nurturing a partnership between the public and private sectors of education is overwhelming. It is a social coalition on a strategic scale and one that will continue to reflect the needs and the character of the Australian people.
Providing choice in health, education and other areas of human services not only meets a community aspiration but also limits the calls made on government to fund these services.
It is always a worthy pursuit to aim for a government that is modest in size. After all, governments have no money of their own, only that which they tax and borrow from other people.
My view is that we have gone closer than most others to achieving the optimum balance between state intervention and private responsibility in the provision of human services across the spectrum of community life.
The generic evidence would appear to support this proposition. In 1999, general government outlays in Australia as a percentage of GDP were just under 32 per cent. This is higher than that of the United States where individuals in need are sometimes left without the assistance they should have. Yet, it is much lower than that needed to support the bloated bureaucracies found in many European countries where government outlays can exceed the equivalent of more than half their GDP.
ConclusionLadies and Gentlemen, on the eve of Australia Day, it';s the very nature of Australians we should celebrate.
People who demand, for themselves and for others, a fair go. People animated by a sense of independence, of self reliance and responsibility. A nation willing to take risks, to have a go, at life';s opportunities.
Australians knowing that together, no challenge will be too great, no goal beyond their grasp.
None of us can know what the next hundred years will bring. But whatever course is before us, I believe it will be travelled by Australians infused with the same decent values, the same constant virtues as their forbears and willing to stride boldly forward into the future.
I know I join with my fellow Australians in looking forward to the year ahead. There is much to celebrate but also much to do.
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