SPF3ECH BY TEE PRX3WE MINJSYER
DZDZCATION 07 1DEW-GUJ1I0G PARR
STZElLIkNG 6 3RUlR 1937
k0 VER TEL2 1, J~ LD J~ rISH PEOL'LE RIWZ BZEN CELEBRATIN~ G TIMJ
HU~ ZT f-2aiLJVESARY 02 THI2 BIRTH 0il DIAVID BEN GLTRCN, A
FOUNDYNG FAZH2 07 THE STATE 0? XSLaA2L.
17IS A lL iJLRE FOR M1E TO PA. 7-2TICIPATE IN THIS C= LBRA7IO4 BY
PIRT'SJMY. 0 COYXUNITY TODAY 2SPECIALLY SO SOCCX A7~ TZR
R2T1nNXF. NiY. VISIT TO ISnAZlL LAST WEEK.
DAVID~ GJE" 1N BECAIME TiM lIIST PRIP) E MNIISTER 01? ) SRAEL,
WM?~ N TEEI 9' ZY2 WJAS ESTP LISHED IN 1948, AND EI SERVED EIS
CCUNTI IN 1-F1-1POSITIGNI FORl FT2EN YEARS.
I7 WIAS TO( ZU-52 CRUCIAL 2AMITL ' UflAfS THAT THE VISION
17: WHICZ GUR~ LIEDH WORKD ALL HIlS LIFf IREACEED ITS FULL
EXPRESSICK-" 5229 IN ISRAEL THE WORLD SAW A WORitIING CLA4SS
BUILDING HTS NAiTION ONl ITS OWN SOIL BY DIXI OF ITS GOM
PYIC~ AL Lœ KD 2 EkLL3C7UAL 1AOM
YlOfl TH~ OSE G US WED CHERISR DMCaCRACU, THAT VISIOEN IAINS AN
AS S2N GURRC&' SAIDOTHE TEST OF DZKOCRACY IS FRE= OF
CRITICISM'D.) FLac1-TEm TimE o? NY naTsT VISIT To Is= A~ IN
1971, 1 HAT U22 liRESS2D AND MrOVED BY THE ISRAELI
DEM2OCRATIC hE C.
AS A LAB02UhD~ AND) TRADE UNIONIST, I WAS PROUD TO
13NCOUN1TER A llA'JTICN IN~ WHICH THE LABOR PARTY AIM~ TNB U! HISTADRUT
WERE IHTEGILkJL TO THE PROCESS OF NATION BUILDING AND tUSIa
ACCEPTED AWKNDD IED BY THE VROLE XSR. AELI NA4TIONI. BEN GUflIC 2
OF COURSE IWCDNED AM1 FOUGHT r-LL HIS LIFE FOR BOTH THE LABOR
PARTY AN~ D TLZ HISTADRnJT.
EVEN H40aZ PDOGUliDLY, I WAS P120! UD AND IMPRESSED TO ENCOUNTER
A WATION IZ= SSANTLY ENGAGED IN DEMOCRATIC DISPUTATION ABOUT
EVZUV ASI? 12L'-OF XTS NATIONAL POLICY.
ISRAEL HAS L'-VER SURRZNDERaED ITS DEMOCRATIC TRADITION EVEN IN
THE DAR=-1S' DI( 3! ETS WHEN ITS VERY SURVIVAL WAS AT RXSIC.
SO XT WAP. S Dl IND2SCRIBABLE IPLEASURZ FOR ME LAST MONTH TO
REVISIT lSW,\ L AND THUS BECOME THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN PRIME
MINISTER1 T3 EM2K A VISIT THERE.
I WAS aZCE)= VD NJITH VERY GRI3A? GENE~ ROSITY BY PRESIDENT
ERZDG ? R ,1 1HISTER SHAMIR, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
SHIMON 2222S AND SUCH OUTSTANDING PERSONALITIES AS ABBA
EBAN. I ET3LD TALE( S WITH TEM AID A LARGE NUMBER OF MINISTERS
AND LABCJTh LI\ L2TY AND TRADE UNION LEADERS. IT WAS A GREAT
PLEAS=~ 1712 D2 TO BE AMNG OLD FRIENDS.
A 22RSO-CL [ llKGLIGRY OF THE VISIT TO ISRAEL WAS THE
GLSTZU12 GY f= raRZi UN~ IVERSITYii IN JERUSALEM IN HONOURhING ME
WI1TH TnE AU1D 017 AN HON02ARY DCCCTORATE OF PHILOSOPHY. I DO
NOT N22D ? T EM91D THIS GATEZRING OF THE BRILLIANT
IY4T2LL2CTiUPli TRADITIONS OF THAT GRI3AT UNIVERSITY.
11EIL2 IN J I ALSO HAD THE MOVING EXPERIENCE OF
122TXLN ' U-I M~ OTHERS AND RELATIVES OF REFUSENIKS PEOPLE WHO
HAV13 HEZr'N a-= T7VMtED, OFTEN OVER MANY YEARS, FROM1
MEUITING tJITH THIR FAMILIES WHO ARE UNABLE TO LEAVE THE
SOVx2T m~: 1
ONE CASE STRULXKZ~ AS PARTICULARLY UNJUST : IT INVOLVES A
DAUGHTE AP O'I" IIJG FOR A VISA TO ENTER T3E SOVIET UNION TO SEE
HER HGER M IS DYING OF CANCER AND HAS VERY LITTLE TIME TO
LXVZO V"-YX UCVEN INSTRUCTIONS TO HAVE THIS CASE INVESTIGATED
AND I TRUST ? 3HE SOVIET AUTHORITIES WILL RELENT IN THEIR
RE2BSAL TO A7JZO( W THIS FAMILY TO BE REUNITED.
x3.
1 ALSO LIAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF A VALUABLE TALK WITH
PALESTINII-U3 FROMI THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES.
AS A RESSJL OF ALL THESE DISCUSSIONS AND CONTACTS, I BELIEVE
LINUS BUT1-' N ISRAEL AND AUSTRALIA ARZ MUCH CLOSER,* AND THE
AUSTRALRAE GDVERkdONT IS EVEN BETTER INFORMED ABOUT THE WIDE
RANGE CY 022,2010,4 1HICI3 INFO02N ISRAELI POLICY.
IN RTS RALIL YEARS, ISRAEL 17ACED AN APPAPRENTLY PERMENT
TMLEAT 07 1CIITRUTION FEON ITS N~ EIGHBOURS. IN THOSE
CII2CtMSTAKE-33, ISRAEL OBVIOUSLY DID NIOT HAVE THE LUXURY OF
CGNTEXLAl-' 4" FEAC2 WITH TMEM.
TODAY, UflRLD MS CHANGED. PZOPLE NG7A REALISE TiIHAT ISRAEL
IS NGT GO1JNT TO DISAPPEAR AND IS A CONTINUIlNG PART OF TE MAP
OF TEE 3UI9M-" 13 LASTr.
SO I BELIE7JT7 TEERE IS A GREAT3 OPPORTUNITY THESE DAYS
FOR ZJaRL ~ 2) INVESTIGATE 73E PRtOCESSES OF DISCUSSION WITH
NEIGHB3OU-012VC S3TATUS WHO DO IN FACT ACCEPT ISRAEL'S RIGHT TO
EXIST.
THE CA" P llT\ V. D ACCORD WITH 13GYPT DEMONSTRATES THE
FRUITFULNES OF THIS PATH 01? NEGOTIATION.
I HAD VERY CNSTRUCTIVE TALK~ S WITH THE LEADERS OF ISRAEL'S
IIEIGHB~ i7RS i2VVT AND JORDAN. I WAS PROFOUNDLY IMPRESSED BY
JORDANWS U JCZESTIONSABLE COMMIITMENT TO PEACE AND BY EGYPT'S
CO2NYINMD.[ ilU'i223CZ TO THE SPIRIT Oi' CAMP DAVID.
SO WE NWST T'SJXS THI2 MEASURE OF THE CHANGES WJHICH SEPARATE US
TODAY FROM TMII1 EARLY YEARS OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL MOULDED BY
DAVID BREN
BEN G; URION9S GENIERATION OF PIOCIE11S HAS, SADLY, LARGELY
PASSED 0K. ISRAEL IS CHANGING AND XATURXNG AND IS
CONFRONTXNA TROUBLING AND PROFOUND ISSUES OF WHICH THOSE
PIOLERS ElEN LIT'TLE OR NOTHING.
I CAME AWAY 2aON MY VISIT TO ISRAEL CONVINCED THAT THE
PRINCIPLES TILAT NATION HAS ALWAYS STOOD FOR EGALITARIANISM,
THE DIGNIT 5 LABOUn, DEVOTION TO A JEWISH HONELAND, AND AN
ENDURINGLY K. DOCATXC STYLE OF GOVERNMENT WILL PROVIDE A
SOUND MEANS 3? 7 MEETING THE CHALLENGES NOW FACING THE COUNTRY.
THESE ARE PRINCIPLES DAVID BEN GURION STOOD FOR AND THEIR
CONTINUED M= 73VANCE IS THE REAL BEN GURION INHERITANCE.
SO Itl CONCLU3IOU I CONGRATULATE THE CITY OF STIRLING AND THE
COUNCIL OF ,2-STEN AUSTRALIAN JEWRY WHO HAVE JOINED TOGETHER
IN NAMING TV2S BEAUTIFUL PARK AFTER DAVID BEN GURION. AS I
SAID TO MY 13RAELI BOSTS ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS, THE
AUSTRALIAN -ZZISH COMMUNITY HAS NOT ONLY HAD AN ENORMOUSLY
BENEFICIAL = 7LUENCE ON OUR SOCIETY BUT HAS ALSO BECOME A
STEADFAST L 2DGH OF FRIENDSHIP BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND ISRAEL.
I KNOW I Ci" 1 SPEAK FOR YOUR LOCAL MEMBER, RON EDWARDS, WHO
HAS BEEN SO ~ TIVE IN ADVANCING THE INTEREST OF THIS
ELECTORATE, IEN I SAY IT IS All HONOUR AND A PLEASURE FOR
US TO BE 1E= 2 AT THIS CEREMONY TODAY. I