CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EaBARGOED UNTIL 9,30 Pm. t
FP i R. b2A -I sv N J I E R
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINI1STER
-AOF FUND RAISIN'G DINN11.-ER
29 OCTOBER 1983
IR, GIBBS, SIR DONALD ( TRESCOW. I-uCK), IKEVAN ( GOSPER),
I AM HOINOURED TO HAVE BEEN MADE THE N1' Li*' fER ONE 1M1EMBER OF
THE OLYMPIC SUPPORTERS CLUBS
SAll PARTICULARLY DELIGHTED To HAVE RECEIVED THiS HONOUR
ALONGSIDE SUCH GREAT ATHLETES AND FINE REPRESENTATIVES
OF AUSTRALIA AS RAEtEE BoYLE AND ROBERT KAGBASO
I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAVE ASKED ME TO ACCEPT THJS
MEIP1EP. SHIP PRIMARILY AS Pr1m4E MI1lNISTER, BUT IT IS ONE OF THE
TASKS THAT IA ASKED TO TAKE ON WHICH ALSO GIVES I'E
PERSONAL PLEASURE,
ACCORDINGLY I AM PARTICULARLY DELIGHTED TO BE INVOLVED WITH
AND TO BE SUPPORIAVE OF AUSTRALIA'S OLYMPIC EFFORT,
SPORT HAS TRADITIOr'ALL. Y OCCUPIED A FRO: 1i-NENT PLACE IN
AuSTRALIAN SOCIElY AND CULTURE.
-2-
IT IS CLAIMED BY SOME THAT IT HAS BEEN TOO PROMINENT, AND
HAS OVERSHADOWED THE DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER CULTURAL ACTIVITIES.
IT HAS EVEN BEEN-SUGGESTED THAT AS PRIME MINISTER I HAVE
ENCOURAGED THIS,
I REJECT SUCH VIEWS OF TIHE ROLE OF SPORT IN AUSTRALIAN LIFE
AS BEING SIMPLISTIC, AND TO IGNORE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES THAT
ARE TAKING PLACE IN OUR NATION AND AMONGST OUR PEOPLE.
IT IS WIDELY RECOGNISED THAT IN RECENT YEARS AUSTRALIA HAS
BECOME MUCH MORE DIVERSE CULTURALLY, AND THAT., FOR EXAMPLE,
AUSTRALIAN FILMS, MUSIC, BALLET AND LITERATURE HAVE GAINED
INCREASING INTERNATIONAL RENOWN.
THESE ARE DEVELOPMENTS THAT LIKE ALL AUSTRALIANS I WELCOME,
AND THESE ARE DEVELOPMENTS WHICH MY GOVERNMENT HAS ACTIVELY
SUPPORTED AND ENCOURAGED.
AT THE SAME TIME THE REALITY IS THAT AUSTRALIANS HAVE
TRADITIONALLY CHOSEN TO DEVOTE A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THEIR
LEISURE TIME TO PARTICIPATION IN,, OR SUPPORT OF, SPORT AND
SPORTING EVENTS.
IT IS THE RESULT OF THE NATURAL ADVANTAGES PROVIDED BY OUR
CLIMATE.
IT IS A FUNCTION OF WHAT IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE
AUSTRALIAN WAY OF LIFE,
IT REFLECTS THE GENUINE PRIDE THAT AUSTRALIANS HAVE TAKEN
IN THE INTERNATIONAL SUCCESS 0F MANY OF OUR SPORTSMEN AND
SPORTSWOMEN, AS WELL AS THE W; AY THEY HAVE CONDUCTED THEMSELVES
IN THOSE ACHIEVEMENTS,
IN THIS REGARD I FEEL THAT AS A NATION WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO
FEEL GRATIFIED BY THE SUCCESS OF MANY OF OUR ATHLETES IN PAST
OLYMPIC GAMES, AND BY THE ENTHUSIASM AND COMMITMENT OF THE
THOUSANDS OF OTHERS WHO HAVE DONE THEIR BEST WHILE
REPRESENTING AUSTRALIA,
NY GOVERNMENT'S SUPPORT FOR SPORT OPERATES AT TWO LEVELS,
AT ONE LEVEL WE ARE COMMITTED TO PROMOTING AND ENCOURAGING
THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE IN SPORT,
AT ANOTHER LEVEL WE CONSIDER IT IMPORTANT THAT THERE SHOULD
BE WIDESPREAD COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN SPORT,
BOTH OBJECTIVES ARE IMPORTANT AND ARE MUTUALLY REINFORCING,
COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN SPORT PROMOTES A HEALTHIER, MORE
VITAL COMMUNITY A COMMUNITY LIKELY TO BRING A MORE ENERGETIC,
MORE PRODUCTIVE APPROACH TO THE NEEDS OF CONTEMPORARY AUSTRALIA, / t
OVER THE YEARS WE HAVE PRODUCED MANY INTERNATIONALLY
SUCCESSFUL SPORTSMEN AND SPORTSWOMEN OVER A WIDE RANGE OF
SPORTS AND OUT OF ALL PROPORTION TO THE SIZE OF OUR
POPULATION, IN RECENT YEARS OUR REPUTATION FOR DOING THIS HAS TAKEN
SOMETHING OF A BATTERING, AND OUR RELATIVE LACK OF SUCCESS
HAS PROBABLY CONTRIBUTED IN PART TO THE TREMENDOUS OUTPOURING
OF NATIONAL FERVOR AT THE RECENT SUCCESS OF ROBERT DE CASTELLA
AND THE CREW OF AUSTRALIA 11.
THIS IS IN NO SENSE TO DETRACT FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE
ACHIEVEMENTS WHICH HAVE ATTRACTED INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM.
( I UNDERSTAND THAT) JOHN BERTRAM IS HERE TONIGHT.
I'M SURE THAT HE AND EVERYONE HERE WOULD AGREE THAT WE SHOULD
NOW BE PRESSING TO HAVE THE I? METRE CLASS INCLUDED AS AN
OLYMPIC YACHTING EVENT,
BUT ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE WHAT IS DEMONSTRATED BY THE SUCCESS
OF ROBERT DE CASTELLA AND BY THE CREW OF AUSTRALIA II IS THAT
DEDICATION AND HARD WORK ON THE PART OF THE ATHLETES., WITH
EFFECTIVE INSTITUTIONAL AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT, ARE ESSENTIAL
INGREDIENTS OF SUCH ACHIEVEMENTS.
THE AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC FEDERATION MOTTO FOR 1981 " TEAM UP
FOR AUSTRALIA" STRIKES THE RIGHT NOTE,
OUR OLYMPIANS ARE NOT IN IT FOR THEMSELVES,
THEY WILL BE IN SARAJEVO AND Los ANGELES AS AUSTRALIAN
REPRESENTATI VES.
WE KNOW THAT IN THE LEAD UP TO THE OLYMPIC GAMES AND AT THE
GAMES THEMSELVES, THOSE SELECTED FOR THE AUSTRALIAN TEAM
WILL GIVE OF THEIR BEST&
WE ALSO OF COURSE HOPE THAT THE TEAM WILL WIN A NUMBER OF
MEDALS FOR AUSTRALIA ALTHOUGH OUR EXPECTATIONS MUST BE
TEMPERED BY THE RECOGNITION THAT THE COMPETITION IN SARAJEVO
AND Los ANGELES WILL BE TOUGHER THAN EVER BEFORE,
BUT WE CAN BE ENCOURAGED THAT AT PRESENT OUR MEN'S HOCKEY
TEAM IS RANKED NUMBER ONE IN THE WORLD AND THE WOMEN'S 1HOCKEY
TEAM NUMBER FOUR,
ROBERT DE CASTELLA IS THEWORLD CHAMPION MARATHON RUNNER,
AND HAS PERFORMED SUPERBLY OVER THE PAST YEAR IN BRISBANE,
ROTTERDAM AND HELSINKI
AND AUSTRALIA AT PAST OLYMIPICS HAS PERFORMED CREDITABLY IN
SWIMMING., ATHLETICS., CYCLING., YACHTING AND EQUESTRIAN EVENTS,
AND WE NOVI LOOK FORWARD AGAIN TO GOOD PERFORMANCES IN THESE
AND OIHER EVENTS IN SARAJEVO AND Los ANGELES,
BUT AS I SAID RECENTLY, WHEN I VISITED THE AUSTRALIAN
INSTITUTE OF SPORT, AUSTRALIA HAS SOME DISTANCE TO GO TO
CATCH UP TO THOSE COUNTRIES WHICH IN RECENT YEARS HAVE
ENJOYED MOST SUCCESS IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES, BOTH IN TERMS
OF FACILITIES AND THE SCIENTIF'IC PREPARATION AVAILABLE TO
ITS ATHLETES,
THIS GAP IS NOW BEING CLOSED, AND I AM GREATLY ENCOURAGED
AND IMPRESSED BY THE WORK BEING DONE AT THE INSTITUTE.
BUT WE MUST RECOGNISE THAT WE CANNOT EXPECT MIRACLES OVERNIGHT
FROM OUR ATHLETES.
To MAXIMISE AUSTRALIA'S REPRESENTATION AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN
SARAJEVO AND Los ANGELES, AND TO ENSURE THAT OUR ATHLETES HAVE
EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO GIVE OF THEIR BEST AT THE GAMES IT IS
ESSENTIAL THAT THE OLYMPIC SUPPORTERS CLUB IS SUCCESSFUL IN
ITS FUND-RAISING TASK.
THE $ 1.4 MILLION CONTRIBUTED DIRECTLY BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
IS BUT A START.
A FURTHER $ 3 MILLION IS NEEDED TO ASSIST OUR OLYMPIC
REPRESENTATIVES WITH THEIR ESSENTIAL PRE-GAMES TRAINING AND
COMPETITION PROGRAMS,
I ASK ALL AUSTRALIANS TO CONTRIBUTE GE'NEROUSLY THROUGH THE
OLYMPIC SUPPORTERS CLUB SO THAT OUR 1984 OLYMPIC TEAM WILL BE THIE
BEST PREPARED AND BEST EQUIPPED TEAM EVER TO REPRESENT
AUSTRALIA AT AN OLYMPIC GAMES,
THIS IS A WORTHY OBJECTIVE AND ONE THAT I BELIEVE ALL
AUSTRALIANS WILL SUPPORT.
IN THIS WAY AUSTRALIANS CAN NOT ONLY BE PROUD OF THE SUCCESS
OF OUR OLYMPIANS IN SARAJEVO AND LOS ANGELES, BUT CAN BE PART
OF THAT SUCCESS.
I AM CONFIDENT THAT THE AUSTRALIAN PEOPLE WILL NOT DISAPPOINT
THOSE FELLOW AUSTRALIANS WHO ARE PREPARED TO SACRIFICE MUCH
TO REPRESENT THEIR COUNTRY IN SARAJEVO AND Los ANGELES.
I WARMLY COMMEND TO ALL AUSTRALIANS THE OLYMPIC SUPPORTERS
CLUB AS AN EFFECTIVE AND NECESSARY CONTRIBUTION TO OUR COUNTRY'S
REPRESENTATION AT THE 1984 OLYMPIC GA'MES,