PM Transcripts

OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE SIXTEEINTH CONFERENCE OF
THE COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY ASSOCIATION
CANBERRA, A. CT. 2 OCTOBER 1970
Spech y~ the Primne Minister,. Mr. johln Goto
Your Excellency, Mr President, Mr Vice-Chairman, Leader of the
Obpoosition, Mr Premier of Queensland, Mr Speak-er and Parliamentary
Colleagues: Yesterday at a social occasion I welcomed you here to Australia and
extended wishes for the success of this Conference. Now that you are met in the
Chamber in which your deliberations will take place, I extend again on behalf
of the Government of Australia, and I believe I can say on behalf of all Australians,
our best wishes for the success of your deliberations in our country.
You have much of which to speak, and yesterday you had to listen to much
of what we had to say. I think that on this occasion, so that you can get on with
what you will make your business, I will merely say some few sentencesa in
welcoming you to this Chamber and to your work in it. But if those sentences are
short, that is not to be taken as an indication in any way that the streg1 of feeling
behind them is not strong and that the welcome is not very genuine.
It is not for me to repeat what was said yesterday, and what Hi0 Excellency
expanded on today, but I feel that at this and succeeding conferences much will
depend that will affect the future of the world.
In all the diverse nations of which His Excellency has spoken and which
meet here, there does lie hope. And I believe this Conference and this Commonwealth
Association will be successful as long as it never seekis to turn itself into a
mini-United Nations, as long as it never seeks to pass resolutions which purport
to be binding on all the members present, as long as it ' keeps to its charter of, bringing
together Parliamentarians for discussion of problems and for meetings of people
from the various countries of the Commonwealth.
And now if I can say this without anybody seeing any political implications
in it I quote " Let observation with extensive view
Survey mankind from China to Peru"
And thiC., indeed, is what this Commonwealth of Nations will be doing, spread as it
is across the world, and the possibility of being a force for good across the world.
Welcome.