I'm delighted to be here today at this haven of books and ideas.
Earlier on, I was delighted to meet our new National Librarian, Anne-Marie,and on behalf of all Australians, I congratulate her on being appointed to our country's pinnacle role in the care and custodianship of books and information.
Anne-Marie gave me a quick tour of the Library's online resource, Trove.
Appropriately named because it is indeed a treasure trove of information that used to require trawling through microfiche and dusty old records.
It's easy to see why this resource was the winner of the 2011 Excellence in eGovernment Award.
I congratulate the Library on reaching out to all Australians, no matter where they live, something we'll see a lot more of as the NBN makes its way into every Australian community.
This is the democratisation of information, and it points to some of the measures that will be embodied in our National Cultural Policy that Minister Crean has just mentioned.
Friends, we live at a time of tremendous change and transition for the arts, publishing and media.
For much of our history, human story-telling occurred through word of mouth - myths and sagas told and retold down the generations.
Today, we live in an era where for the first time in almost 600 years, the book is no longer synonymous with paper.
But lest we fall into a slump of existential despair, I'm here to say the demise of books has been vastly exaggerated.
Yes we might increasingly download our books on electronic devices.
Yes the big end of our book industry has taken some blows in recent months.
But the death of the book is vastly overstated.
We've seen Melbourne designated by UNESCO as a City of Literature.
And at the Sydney Writers Festival in May, we saw 80,000 people turn out to hear 400 authors and panellists talk about books and ideas.
And why?
Because books will never surrender their ability to capture our hearts and our imaginations.
Books are an antidote to isolation, boredom and ignorance.
Add a glass of red and a box of chocolates, and books can be the ultimate pleasure.
Books are a refuge and consolation.
They are a joy and a tonic.
Sometimes they are a weapon.
Affordable, portable, mass-producible books have literally changed the world.
A book can never be unprinted.
Its ideas can never be unthought.
The critic David Ulin once said literature at its best slices through the noise and ephemera of life.
Sometimes drawing us deep into reflection.
At other times, impelling us back into the world aglow with energy and indignation.
Friends, in Australia, the act of story-telling is as old as the human occupation of this land itself.
The printed word was carried deep in the holds of the First Fleet, amid the convicts and supplies.
Our first novel was published in 1831.
And long gone are the days when Australia needed to apologise for the quality of its writing, if we ever did.
Friends, if awards like the various Premiers' Awards and the Miles Franklin came into being in earlier decades to encourage a growing and somewhat uncertain industry, these awards now exist to celebrate success.
To celebrate a mature and confident publishing industry of which our nation can be very proud.
In 2011, the Prime Minister's Literary Awards continue to recognise the very best in Australian writing.
This year, for the first time, our prize money has been redistributed so all shortlisted authors achieve some financial benefit to help acknowledge their efforts and sacrifices.
Friends, I know many of you are also keen supporters of the proposed National Year of Reading in 2012.
This is an initiative of libraries and library associations around the country, and has quite rightly garnered support from many of you here today.
Of course, every year is a year of reading in this most literate and literary of nations.
But in 2012, we can take time out to affirm the place of books, reading, ideas and libraries in the fabric of our nation.
To that end, I'm proud to announce that the Australian Government will provide $1.3 million in funding to help make the National Year of Reading a success.
Minister Crean and I especially want to bring a culture of reading to all Australians, especially those who are reluctant readers and those who struggle with literacy.
Initiatives such as the One Country Reading program and the workplace literacy project will help achieve this.
Every Australian who is physically able to read deserves the chance to learn to read.
I feel it deeply that too many Australians still lack the gift of words and reading.
My hope is that the Year of Reading will be the catalyst for many to discover and rediscover the joy of reading.
It is such a fundamental aspect of our social compact and our vision of ourselves as a nation of fairness and opportunity.
Above all, that we should be a nation that values its own writers and itsown stories.
That is why I'm here today - amid a testing week in my political life - to celebrate with you and to extend my gratitude.
Today we honour 20 shortlisted books and four winners.
But in truth we celebrate the whole industry:
Its resilience. Its self-belief. Its success.
And how we could never imagine the contours of our nation without you.
To all the nominees, my sincere congratulations.
You have each enriched and enlarged our nation and brought us that little bit closer to our better selves.
So keep writing.
Keep thinking.
Never cease believing in what you do.
The journey is always, always worth it.