E&OE..................
Thank you very much David, Richard Alston, Peter McGauran, Elizabeth Butcher, John Clarke, Acting Vice-Chancellor, students of NIDA and ladies and gentlemen.
In a fairly long political career one is often asked to reflect on some of the major changes that have occurred in the Australian nation over the period of time of involvement in public life. And there are many, but one that does stand out very much to me and which has already been referred to is the way in which in my lifetime from, particularly from the late-1950';s through until now we have seen such an enormous transformation in all the aspects of the arts, not least dramatic art and how it expresses who we are, how it expresses what we think of our past and how we would like to see our future. And John Clarke touched upon how different it is now, how we have such a capacity as a nation to produce world class actors, world class performers, world class theatre, world class dance and world class film.
We look back over the last 30 and 40 years, we recall the extraordinary renaissance of the Australian film industry, we recall the extraordinary bursting forth into international acclaim and maturity of the opera, of the ballet, of dramatic art, of different forms of dance. And all of these things in a way come together on an occasion like this because this institution, this organisation, this wonderful collection of material and human assets really has no parallel around the world. We have really developed a model that others should copy. And isn';t it interesting that in a nation which is so often seen around the world as having as its greatest demonstration and its most recognisable face to the world its excellence in sport should also be a nation which through this great organisation has demonstrated an excellence in dramatic art and thus its excellence in the arts.
And the reality of course is that the place of the arts in Australia, the place of institutions like this in Australia and the people they have produced and what they mean to the future of the Australian community and how they see themselves is every bit as emphatic and every bit as triumphant as our performance on the sporting field. And that of course is said by a Prime Minister who';s never been shy or reluctant about parading his credentials as either a cricket tragic or somebody who has a great love of many of the other sports that Australians play. So today is very much a celebration of what has been achieved by so many men and women, especially over the last 40 or 50 years in representing this country to its people and to the people of the world.
It';s also, this organisation, a metaphor for something that I have a particular passion for and that is the idea of a social coalition. The belief that you get the best outcomes if you bring together the government, the professionals in a given area, the business community and that endless dream of passionate committed individuals who have a particular dedication to particular activities. And NIDA is a great example of that. It is true that NIDA has been magnificently assisted over the years by a number of governments. And I am very proud that my Government was able to make the contribution of $25 million out of the Federation Fund to NIDA because the Federation Fund was meant to be a fund out of which contributions would be made to projects, to buildings and to activities that would be permanent reminders of this federation year. And I couldn';t imagine that we could make decisions on the allocation of that money without having as an important part of it a contribution to the continuity of an institution that will enable us in the years ahead to produce wonderful actors to Australia and to the world.
I don';t need to remind an audience like this of the sort of people that are graduates of NIDA. The people who have become household names in not only Australian theatre and drama and film but also household names in many other countries. So today is very much a celebration of that coalition because not only do we bring together the professionals and the aspiring professionals but we also bring together the business men and women who over the years have made a great contribution. We also bring the academic and institutional ambience of the University of New South Wales. And can I also say we bring a great deal of ministerial passion and commitment to NIDA and can I take the opportunity of publicly recording my thanks to both Richard Alston and to Peter McGauran for the wonderful work that they have done in a day to day way on behalf of the government.
I of course come from a profession that is often accused of trying to imitate dramatic art on many occasions, on many stages and in many circumstances. So I do feel a particular affinity with so many of you. I';ve been engaged in some wonderful performances, I';ve sometimes appeared to packed houses in my 27 years, on many occasions people have left at half time. But I';m pleased to say a lot of them came back before the end and I';m rather hoping that that might be a metaphor for future events.
But it is an enormously exciting occasion to be here today, it is an occasion on the day in which Richard and Peter have released the Government';s arts policy. I don';t want to make a long speech about that, it hardly seems appropriate on an occasion like this except to say that whatever may be the preconceived notions entertained in some circles of the Australian community the passion and interest and the inspiration that we in the Coalition derive from the place of the arts in the Australian community is quite without fear and quite undiminished. We share the very strong view that the arts in Australia are a feature of our life which indelibly reminds us of where we are in the world, it reminds us of what we believe in or don';t believe in. It is a forum and a conduit through which we can interpret ourselves and it gives us a glimpse into our own lives and it gives us a view of ourselves, we may not always agree with, we may not always like and we may over time see it change. But it is part of a free and open and expressive society. And it';s an enormous source of pride to me, both as an Australian citizen and as a Prime Minister to watch the way in which the arts in Australia, and not least dramatic art has really over the last few decades, has not only come of age but has permanently put this nation on the world arts map. And today more than anything else is a tribute to that, today more than anything else is a celebration of what the artists of this country have meant to us over the years and what they will mean in the future.
It is therefore, ladies and gentlemen, with an enormous amount of pleasure that I thank you for inviting me here today. Can I especially wish the students at the institute the very best of success. I was saying to John Clarke as we went around that magnificent theatre under construction that, I said two things to him, I said it might make a good venue for a policy launch at a future election, and the second thing I said to him was that as I go around Australia and visit schools I inevitably say to the final year students what would you like to do? And some of them say I want to be an actor but increasingly those that want to be an actor say to me I would like to go to NIDA. And they say that whether it is in Sydney, or in Adelaide or in Rockhampton, or in Darwin. In other words NIDA has become a very widely respected, for good reason, Australian institution. So particularly I wish all of you well, I hope you derive not only skill but pleasure and inspiration from the opportunity that has been given to you and you go on to entertain us, to amuse us, to anger us, to provide on occasions inspiration. But always performing in an excellent fashion and exhibiting that great exuberant sense and behaviour which is so permanently part of the Australian character.
I therefore have very great pleasure, if I';m handed the remote control, that';s later is it? I got that cue badly wrong, very badly wrong but can I simply say I have great pleasure in being here and being part of the wonderful opening of this building.
Thank you.
[ends]