1, USL I(
PRIME MINISTER
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
FOR
WESTPAC PRESENTATION TO
SURF LIFE SAVING ASSOCIATION
BONDI
OCTOBER 1985
ALAN WHELPTON ( PRESIDENT, SLSA), GUS STAUNTON ( EXECUTIVE
DIRECTOR, SLSA), IAN MATHESON ( DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR,
WESTPAC), JOHN CHATTERTON ( GENERAL MANAGER, NSW WESTPAC),
JEANNETTE McHUGH ( MEMBER FOR PHILLIP), JOHN BROWN ( MINISTER FOR
SPORT) AND ALAN SLADE ( DEPUTY MAYOR, WAVERLEY COUNCIL)
FIRST OF ALL, THANKS VERY MUCH IAN, FOR THIS CHEQUE WHICH I
ACCEPT MOST ENTHUSIASTICALLY ON BEHALF OF THE SURF LIFE SAVING
ASSOCIATION. IT MAKES IT DOUBLY SATISFYING TO BE HERE AT BONDI
TODAY. IT'S A LONG WAY FROM THE BAHAMAS TO THE SURF AND SAND OF BONDI.
AND DESPITE ALL THE ATTRACTIONS WHICH A PLACE LIKE THE BAHAMAS IS
SUPPOSED TO HOLD I MIGHT SAY I DIDN'T SEE MUCH OF THE
PLAYGROUND WHILE I WAS THERE I CAN TELL YOU IT IS NO LETDOWN TO
COME BACK TO AUSTRALIA, ESPECIALLY TO SYDNEY AND PARTICULARLY TO
THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS BEACH.
IT'S NO SECRET BY NOW THAT I DO LIKE THE OCCASIONAL BIT OF SPORT.
I'M ALSO PARTICULARLY INTERESTED IN THOSE PECULIARLY AUSTRALIAN
ACTIVITIES WHICH ARE ALLIED WITH SPORT.
THE GREAT PUBLIC SERVICE PERFORMED BY THE SURF LIFE SAVING
MOVEMENT IS ONE OF THE MOST WORTHY AND VALUABLE OF
THESE ACTIVITIES THAT YOU COULD FIND.
FOR ALL THESE REASONS, IT'S GOOD TO BE HERE AT BONDI, TO PLAY A
ROLE IN ONE OF THE OTHER GREAT FEATURES OF AUSTRALIAN LIFE.
AND THAT IS TO HIGHLIGHT THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE SPORTING
AND PUBLIC SERVICE BODIES AND THEIR PRIVATE SPONSORS.
THIS PRESENTATION OF A CHEQUE FROM THE WESTPAC BANKING
CORPORATION FOR $ 3.61 MILLION IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE
PARTNERSHIP WE ALL NEED IN AUSTRALIA BETWEEN VOLUNTARY
ORGANISATIONS, AMATEUR SPORTING BODIES AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
2 THE RESULT OF THIS PARTNERSHIP IS A GREAT DIVERSITY IN AUSTRALIA'S SPORT.
ING LIFE AND IN OUR NATIONAL CHARACTER, AND A
TREMENDOUS EFFECTIVENESS IN THE SORT OF PUBLIC SERVICES WHICH THE
SURF LIFE SAVING MOVEMENT PROVIDES.
THE PARTNERSHIP WITH WESTPAC DOES MUCH TO MAKE THE SURF LIFE
SAVING ASSOCIATION THE VIABLE, EFFECTIVE AND OUTSTANDING
MOVEMENT THAT IT IS TODAY.
WE MIGHT BE A LARGE NATION IN TERMS OF AREA, BUT WE ARE A SMALL
NATION IN TERMS OF POPULATION AND IN TERMS OF FINANCIAL
RESOURCES. AS A GOVERNMENT, WE DO WHAT WE CAN TO HELP ORGANISATIONS SUCH AS
THE SURF LIFE SAVING ASSOCIATION AND ITS RESCUE SERVICES.
BUT WE CANNOT PROVIDE THE SORT OF ASSISTANCE YOU NEED
WITHOUT THE VALUABLE CONTRIBUTION OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
ESPECIALLY OF GROUPS SUCH AS WESTPAC WHICH HAVE A LONG AND
CREDITABLE RECORD OF ASSISTANCE TO THE SURF LIFE SAVING
ASSOCIATION AND TO THE HELICOPTER RESCUE SERVICE.
ALAN WHELPTON TELLS ME THAT TODAY'S PRESENTATION REPRESENTS
AUSTRALIA'S SINGLE LARGEST LIFE SAVING SPONSORSHIP. I BELIEVE
THAT IT ALSO REPRESENTS THE LARGEST COMMERCIAL SPONSORSHIP OF
LIFE SAVING IN THE WORLD.
IT IS ESPECIALLY FITTING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE THIS PRESENTATION
HERE TODAY ALONG WITH THAT GREAT IRON MAN RACE WHICH WE HAVE JUST
WITNESSED. IT SYMBOLISES THE TWO ARMS OF THE SURF LIFE SAVING MOVEMENT.
THE TREMENDOUS SERVICE DONE IN PATROLLING OUR BEACHES AND
THE OUTSTANDING SPORTING AND PHYSICAL ACHIEVEMENTS OF THE
MOVEMENT' S ATHLETES.
WITH SUCH A STAR-STUDDED LINE-UP OF COMPETITORS INCLUDING:
CRAIG RIDDINGTON, ROBERT CHAPMAN, GRANT KENNY, GUY LEECH AND
MICK PORRA
AND TWO UP AND COMING JUNIORS, SEAN KENNY AND DARREN MERCER,
COMPETED AGAINST THEM.
MOST OF THEM STARS IN THEIR OWN RIGHT.
IT IS A PITY THAT THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE WINNER OF THIS
WESTPAC TROPHY.
BUT THESE FELLOWS HERE, AND THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO OPERATE THE
RESCUE SERVICE AROUND AUSTRALIA, REPRESENT SO MUCH OF WHAT MAKES
AUSTRALIA AND THE SURF LIFE SAVING MOVEMENT THE SPECIAL PLACE AND
MOVEMENT THAT. THEY ARE.
3
WE HAVE SEEN THE BEST THAT THE IRON MEN CAN DO. AND I BELIEVE WE
WILL ALSO BE SEEING THE BEST THE RESCUE SIDE HAS TO OFFER WITH
THE WESTPAC HELICOPTER AND THE JET BOAT.
WE MUSTN'T FORGET THAT THE SURF LIFE SAVING MOVEMENT AND THE
RESCUE SERVICE IT PROVIDES AP NOT LIMITED TO LOOKING AFTER
PEOPLE WHO GO SWIMMING AT THE BEACH.
OFTEN CALLED UPON TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE ON THE WATER,
OFF-SHORE IN BOATS, OR FISHING FROM ROCKS.
EVEN PEOPLE IN TROUBLE ON LAND.
THIS PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE SURF LIFE SAVING ASSOCIATION AND
WESTPAC IS ALSO RELEVANT TO THE EFFORTS WE HAVE BEEN MAKING IN
GOVERNMENT OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS THROUGH JOHN BROWN, MY
COLLEAGUE AND OUR MINISTER FOR SPORT.
TO ENCOURAGE THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND
AUSTRALIAN SPORTING BODIES.
WE ARE SETTING UP THE SPORTS AID FOUNDATION TO HELP CHANNEL
PRIVATE SECTOR TAX DEDUCTIBLE FUNDING THROUGH TO SPORTING
BODIES. A POLICY WHICH RECOGNISES THAT WE CAN NOT, WITH LIMITED
RESOURCES, EVER HOPE TO PROVIDE BY OURSELVES THE SORT
OF ASSISTANCE WHICH THESE ORGANISATIONS NEED.
WE HAVE SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED THE RESOURCES ALLOCATED BY
CANBERRA TO THE SURF LIFE SAVING ASSOCIATION.
THIS YEAR, $ 850,000 FOR SUCH ACTIVITIES AS GEAR AND
EQUIPMENT SUBSIDIES, RUNNING COSTS FOR THE JET BOAT AND
RUBBER DUCKIES, PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAMS, AND SOME OF THE
SLSA'S ADMINISTRATION COSTS.
SO FAR WE HAVE ALREADY HANDED OVER $ 200,000.
THE REMAINING $ 650,000 WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE TOWARDS THE
END OF THE YEAR.
BUT I AM ASSURED BY GUS STAUNTON THAT ALL THIS CERTAINLY DOES NOT
MEAN THAT THE SLSA NO LONGER NEEDS YOUR SUPPORT. THEY MOST
CERTAINLY DO.
IT IS GREAT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE SURF LIFE SAVING MOVEMENT,
BOTH AS PRIME MINISTER AND AS3 VICE PATRON OF THE ORGANISATION.
IT IS TREMENDOUS THAT BOTH GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE CORPORATIONS
SUCH AS WESTPAC CAN BE IN PARTNERSHIP TO SPONSOR THIS GREAT
AUSTRALIAN TRADITION.
4
ANY ASSISTANCE IS GOOD IF IT HELPS YOUR CLUBS, THE SURF LIFE
SAVING CLUBS OF AUSTRALIA, TO REPORT PROUDLY EACH YEAR THAT WHILE
PATROLS ARE ON DUTY THERE WERE " NO LIVES LOST".
AND IT IS ESPECIALLY WORTHWHILE IF IT HELPS TO MAKE THE REST OF
OUR COASTLINE SAFER, AS WELL.
ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH WESTPAC FOR YOUR DONATION.
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