EMBARGO: 5: 001?
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FOR MEDIA SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6 1981
AUSTRALIA'S BICENTENARY 1988: THE'AUSTRALIAN ACHIEVEMENT
The Commonwealth Government has recently given further
detailed consideration to the philosophy and overall strategy
for Australia's bicentenary celebrations in 1988. This further
development of the Government's thinking provides additional
guidance to the Australian Bicentennial Authority in meeting
its responsibility of planning and staging the Commonwealth
Government's contribution to this historic commemoration.
The general principles on which the ABA was established were
outlined in my speech to the Parliament on 5 April 1979.
These principles were:
to make reconmendations to the Government in relation to
a " theme" and a " focus" for the celebrations;
to recommend concrete programmes hy which the commemoration
will find expression;'
to seek to involve all sections of the community individually
and collectively in the celebration and to encourage
initiatives at the grass roots of Australian society;
to make recommendations on the matter of international
participation.
It has now been decided that the major theme of the
Bicentennial programme will be " The Australian Achievement".
This theme will encompass positive achievements and triumphs
over adversity and social problems. It will focus attention
on the goals and values of the Australian people, and on
future achievements to which Australians can aspire. It will
stimulate pride in Australia. It will include the variety
of aspects of Australian life. It will recognise that the
Bicentennial is primarily an Australian occasion, while also
encouraging international participation and inviting
consideration of our relationships to the rest of the world.
The Bicentennial will celebrate not just one event, but
the efforts and achievements\ of millions of Australians.
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Australians will choose to celebrate the Bicentenary in
many ways using their own ideas and resources. ' The
celebrations-will reflect the various perspectives which
people have on Australia and Australian history, as well
as people's hopes and expectations for the future. Its
success will depend largely on community enthusiasm.
Bicentennial activities should obviously be such as to
unite Australia.
Many annual events on the Australian calender, such as
sporting-finals and cultural festivals, will obviously be
given a bicentennial imprint by their organisers. This
kind of imprint on regular Australian events will have a
particular value in linking the Bicentennial with the
Australian way of life. Responsibility for preparing the
overall set of activities is a matter for co-operation
between federal, state and local governments, the private
sector, and the community generally. Maximum community
involvement will be sought.
It is important to ensure the maximum possible degree of
co-operation between and within all spheres of government
and between go vernment and the private sector. Indeed, the
celebrations should receive their impetus from the enthusiasm
and involvement of local communities which will be complemented
by activities planned at the national level.
The Commonwealth Government will concentrate its efforts on
the national and international aspects of the Bicentennial.
The national programme celebrating Australia's achievements
will be one in which people from every part of Australia
will be involved, right down to the local level. The Bicentennial
must be an occasion for all Australians, and the celebrations
must provide for all Australians entertainment and enjoyment
across a wide range of events and activities.
The Government does not believe that a special. ised international
exposition would be appropriate for the Bicentennial celebrations.
An outlay in excess of $ 200m zat present prices would be
required * to stage such an exposition successfully. Such an
expenditure for a single, fixed event would be both inappropriate
and inconsistent with the need for the Government to support
national and international events which would reach people
across the nation.
The Government believes that in addition to providing for a
celebration of Australia, by Austral. ians, for Australians, it
will be possible for us to involve those countries with which
Australia has close ties, through migration, trade,
cultural links and so on, and which would want to make their
distinctive contribution to this Australian celebration.
Several kinds of international involvement in the Bicentennial
would be desirable. In some areas, such as major sporting
events, international participation is obviously essential.
More broadly, it would be desirable for leading world figures
to visit' Australia, and for tours by international orchestras,
dance companies, and so on to be organised. It may be possible
to develop a programme whereby some countries which wish to mark
their recognition of the Bicentenary could contribute a permanent
and useful memorial. / 3
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The maximium involvement of Australians should be sought
by celebrating achievements in a large number of areas of
Australian life. The areas to be celebrated will include:
political democracy
private enterprise
trade unionism
eduational, intellectual and technical achievements
the multicultural society
the contribution of Aboriginals
artistic and cultural achievements
military achievement
sporting achievement
interest in the Australian environment
Australia's international contribution
Consideration will be given to establishing an exciting and
comprehensive exhibition on " The Australian Achievement"
to travel around the nation during 1988, possibly assodiated
with appropriate entertainment and cultural events. Smaller
versions of the main exhibition would be established to
tour country towns.
The ABA has the responsibility to recom-mend a concrete programme
of events and projects to the Government.
It is important that a balance be struck in this programmne
between: celebrations or educational activities designed to
commemorate themes and historical events ( such as
the " Tall Ships" concept, exhibitions and publications)
adding a bicentennial dimension to events which would
occur as a matter of course, or to sponsor unique
events to celebrate the Bicentennial
seeking permanent memorials of the Bicentenary for the
future.
In drawing up a programme of national events and projects,
the ABA will bear in mind
an appropriate balance of entertainment and educative
interest
( b consistency with the-theme of the Bicentenary and as
such association with significant aspects of Australia'a
achievements its history, culture and future;
significance for the community at large; and
accessibil-ity to as-many Australians as possible.
Many of the individual Bicentennial events and projects
will be the responsibility of State and local government
authorities, organisations and individuals in the community
as well as the Commonwealth.
Ministers will be examining whether events within the scope
of their portfolios might be programmed to fall within
the Bicentennial activities.
The ABA will, be the co-ordinating focus for planning the
activities. It will be important for it to ensure that the
diverse range of individual projects, and activities would
be co-ordinated within the overall framework of celebrating
200 years of Australian achievement. The ABA will also
implement those elements of the national programme for
which the Government feels it should be directly responsible.
The ABA has a further responsibility to act as a cataly~ ft,
as a clearing house for ideas and a source of advice to
the community generally. It should draw to the attention
of the principal institutions of Australian life possibilities
for activities which could contribute to the overall national
programme. The ABA's activities willobviously need to be
informed by a recognition that the success of the Bicentennial
celebration will depend on a high level of private community
enthusiasm and involvement which will be largely self-financing.
So far as the national programme is concerned, there is
room for a variety of funding approaches. In some cases
events may be funded solely by the Commonwealth. In others,
there could be Commonwealth assistance additional to other
sources of funding. And there would also be a number of
natLional events which would be entirely self-financing.
Events and projects need to be looked at on a case-by--case
basis. I am sure that with the involvement of all Australians,
supported by Governments in the way I have outlined, the
Bicentenary will be an outstanding success, a great mark
of Australian achievement. 000---