2. o
EMBARGO: 3: 30 pmf
CHEqCK AGA. INST DELIVERY
I0 R-ED: SUNDAY, 22 NOVEMBER, 1-981
kUNCHIING OF * HELP POLAND JVV APPEAL
MELBOURN13 11.: 11-1 1111 I
We are here today_ to extend the helping hand of * the People-Of
Australia to the people ofPland in ihej-riour of-nee&.
-The causes of that need are complex. They-have their roots in
the economics and politics of post-war Poland. But whatever.
* the causes may be, the situation in Poland today is that -the
* essentials of life are in desperately short supply.
At a time when the northern winter i-s about to begin, many of
thxe mrost b iasic human ne-eds for food, medicines and clothing
simply cannot-i----it. Old people arnd children are particlarly
* at risk. So the appeal that is being launched herTe today to
" Help Poland Live" t strikes a chord at the very heart of our
qoncern for people.
This appeal is not the begim-uing of the Australian communitysattempts
. to help the people of Poland. Right from the beginning
of the present-cirisis, Polish Australians have been sending an
ever inureasing volume of assistance. in the last twelve months
8lorq, over $ 5 mi11oAVworth of aid has. been--ent.---M4uch of this
support has taken the form of food parcerls and money sent to
-friends and family.
de-Polish Australians, the suffering is not something affecting
Aiastant-strangers. It is about close family anid friends; it iWs
happening irri places they -know intimately; it reaches them
through letters and phone calls, and through conversations
with-recently arrived refugees.
',? oland has not had an easy or peaceful history. Repeatedly over
-the past two orenturies, Poland has come unider pressure froui
owefulneighbou. rs to the West and to the East. The Polish
people have had1 t-o struj~ glb for their righnt--ñ e-e~ ist. azs an
independent state. Through all the years of their history, the
courage of the Polish people has been remArkable by any standaxds.
-The -olitical iinplication of the present crisis in Poland are
known to ever'yone here, In the past year the rAustralian GoverniTervF
has onsstetly Called for Poland to be left free to solve its
-ifficultiesa in its own way. This call has been widely echoed
internationa1-y,-a-4 1 want to take this opportwdity to recall
what 41 Comonwealth leaders had to say in i4: eourne lrast month. i
Pdilish A~ ppeal. -2
T. he Communique from the meeting reacr6as follows: " lieads of
Government discussed the situation in Poland. They were
i. oncerned that it covld have serious implications for the
-i-Au4. rnatiornai community as-a--whole. . They considered that the
people of Poland should be left to determine their own destiny
free from foreign interference."
Poland needs time to sort out its -problems so that it can once
again stand on its own feet economically and iznternatit~ n-a. aid
is required to give it that breathing space.
Many countries, including the Unitcd States, Canada and those in
th~_ 7uroPed'an Economic* Comimunry, havealready given Goveriweent
and noa-Government assistance, and the Australian Government is
g-uaranteeing commercial. trade credits to Poland. We need to be
perfectly clear, however, that what community aid. to Poland is
all about, what this appeal is all about, is the basic welfaie
Wof mill'ions of ordinary people who are faciag the threat of
extreme hardship.
I~ ame no. Aoubt that this apgaal will--how that Australians are not
indifferent to the fate of people in Poland, just as earlier
* appeals have shcm that Australians will contribute magnificently
to help alleviate suifering in other parts of the world,, The
Government also will not be inactive and I shall an-nounce at the
end of this-spech { 1econtribution that-7the GoVernjnent is
prepared to make.
The Federal Council of Polish Organisations; in Australia I. s rnowtiflg
-this-appeal to collect money for the purchase of food, medicines
and other essential supplies. These goods will Ibe forwarded
toPoland for distz-ibution by the Catholic Church andl Solidarity,
the indep'endent trade unioa movement, and the Government will allo make
available any-neacessary assistance fromthe Australian Embassy
in Warsaw. The goods will go to the people m~ ost in need.
The appeal. is being conducted by. the haustraliani N'ational Committee
f. or Relief to Poland under the Chairmanship of Kr. Prank Galbally.
The membership of this Committee is draw-n from different pollrttal
persuasions, religious cornuitments and * walks of life. The appeal
* is, in the full meaning of the word, national. I am honotired to
* have been invited to be its patron. Volunteers are coming forward
* i-A all Stateziv--A numbe'r of them are herv--today. Already a head
o ffice in. Melbourne is being rn. n by volurnteers, with premises and
support services provided by the generosity of one of the
national Committee members. We are gratQful for your time and
energy. ' Thanks to you, the volunteers, thc administrative cots
will be kept to a bare minimum.
The funds raised will be used for the maximum possible benefit
of the Polishpgple. _. Au ; tralials links withi Poland go back a
century and a half, and a common con~ cern with freedom is a
recurring theme in that history. ribno th the 1rt-h and 20th Century
Australia haB offered a refuge for Poles fleeing oppression ir,
their native land. In the 1860s and daring the two World Wars
Auatralians organiised rfelief funds to help'ID. land while she fought:
for her liberty. in the Scond World War~ oox soldiers fought
tyranny side by side on the b attlefield of Tobr'uk. Hiow appropriat~ e
it is that the pioneer ex plorer Strzelccki named oux highest
peak after the great Polish fighter for freedom, Xoscius2Yo. 4
Pclish Appeal 3
Today, the numnber of Australians who have come from, or have
personal ties with Poland exceeds 100O, 000 peep! e. Their skills
and efforts have made a significant contribution to Australia's
post war development and prosperity. Many were involved in the
construction of some of our largest public works projects, such
as the Snowy Mountains Hydro-ElectrincSchemg.. Their talents
have enriched us in many other fields, among them education,
science and the arts. These are all special reasons why we can
expect a strong public response to this appeal.
Ladies and gentlemen, Australians whose fanmilies have origins
in, or links with, Poland have earned a respected place, both
Sas-individuals and as a community. They form an integral part
of Australia. In a time of distress, they turn for assistance
to all their fellow Australians. 1amunch the appeal with fuul--
confidence that Australians will indeed meet the call to
" Help Poland Live".
I ai -very pleased-indeed to anroune that the Commonwealth Government,
to give practical expression to its concern for the people of
Poland, has decided to make a cash grant to the appeal of
one million dollars.
Mr. Chairman, I have much pleasure in presenting this -cheque
to the Appeal. 000--