Australia came into the 1970s with a new vision for our nation and its place in the world beyond the sterile polarities of the Cold War.
It was a vision that brought us closer to our own region.
Closer to an awareness of what we could achieve through active middle-power diplomacy.
Australia's intelligence capacity needed strengthening to operate effectively in the new climate.
And it was from a period of scrutiny that the Office of National Assessments came into being.
Of course, those developments reflected the deep concerns felt by my predecessors, Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser.
But they also bore the unmistakable stamp of another great Australian, Robert Marsden Hope.
He was a brilliant judge and barrister - a man of learning and culture.
A civil libertarian; a friend of the Indigenous community.
Described by colleagues from the NSW Supreme Court as a man with an ‘acute mind', a ‘great depth of knowledge' and ‘a passion for justice'.
And remembered in one obituary as “one of the nation's more notable achievers.”
Robert Hope brought his exceptional gifts to the task of giving our nation an intelligence system equipped to meet the challenges of a complex and changing world.
An intelligence system which, he said, would be “entitled to the confidence and respect of the nation”.
I think it's fair to say that Justice Hope, and all who worked with him in the 70s and 80s, succeeded beyond all expectations.
Robert Hope's vision was of an intelligence system that is separate from policy making, that draws from many sources but centralises assessments.
A system that assures the Australian public it is working with integrity and propriety.
Indeed, Justice Hope didn't talk about a system.
He talked about an intelligence community; of agencies working collegially to deliver effective advice that best served the nation's interests.
The focus on modernisation positioned Australia for what was to come in the following decades:
The fall of the Berlin Wall.
The rise of Asia.
The growth of technology.
The spread of terrorism.
Over its 33 year history, this agency has advised six Prime Ministers.
From Fraser to Gillard, you have won our trust and our admiration.
In an increasingly complex world, ONA's rigorous analysis, and ability to cut through ‘the noise' has never been more crucial.
These assessments help the government to put our policy decisions in context and make sense of the world.
It is hard to imagine the prime ministership in the 21st century without the work of ONA.
Hard to imagine not having Allan's advice around the National Security Committee table.
Hard to imagine not having ONA's assessments to inform and illuminate our decision making.
Friends, none of this would have been possible without the foundations laid by Robert Hope.
The fact that the intelligence community remains much as he proposed it bears testament to that fact.
Justice Hope left us 12 years ago, but his place in our nation's story will not diminish.
He is honoured by the naming of a park here in Canberra, and a memorial prize at the University of Wollongong where he was founding Chancellor.
But today we pay him further respect with the naming of this building.
It is a place rich in history - once home to the Patent Office, the ACT Supreme Court, the Commonwealth Police and the Attorney-General's Department, to name just a few.
Perhaps most significantly, it is one of Canberra's most graceful old buildings, the very type of heritage that Justice Hope spent so of much of his career working to preserve as the founder of the Australian Heritage Commission and the Register of the National Estate and the inaugural chair of the NSW Heritage Council.
I think this is a tribute he would have appreciated most deeply.
A building once slated for demolition, now proudly restored, indeed inscribed in the Register of the National Estate that Justice Hope created.
And a delightful milestone as move towards Canberra's centenary in 2013.
Friends, in all of these things, we see the best of Australia.
Achievements that reflect our ability as Australians to get things right. And underscore the primacy of good public policy in charting the nation's future:
The development of this city as a worthy capital for our country.
The preservation of this building and the heritage legislation that made it possible.
The creation of ONA and the reform of our intelligence community.
And, of course, the life of opportunity and service led by Justice Hope, in whose name this building is now stands.
So I wish the staff of ONA every happiness in your new home.
I know not much makes you happy - reading your assessments but hopefully you take some delight in this. I was joking as I came down here, Allan, that I've never picked one of your reports up that says ‘It's sweet, don't worry about it'. My office joked back with me that one's being prepared for Christmas but I doubt that that's true.
So I wish you every happiness in this building, if not every happiness in everything else that you do.
I thank you for the very great work you do on behalf of our nation.
And I have the very great pleasure in being here to declare this building, the Robert Marsden Hope Building officially open.