PRIME MINISTER
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
LUNCHEON FOR THEIR ROYAL HIGHNESSES
THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF YORK
CANBERRA -29 SEPTEMBER 1988
Your Royal Highnesses,
Mr President,
Madam Speaker,
Leader of the Opposition,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
It gives me great pleasure on behalf of the Australian
Government and people to welcome to Australia their Royal
Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of York and in particular
to receive them as our guests here in our National
Parliament. May I at the outset take this opportunity to congratulate
you both on the birth of your daughter Her Royal Highness
Princess Beatrice. we are naturally sorry you were unable
to bring her with you on this occasion but we appreciate
your presence here all the more.
Your Royal Highnesses, we are delighted that, in your first
official visit to Australia, you are able to share with us
in our Bicentennial celebrations.
Your visit follows those of the Prince and Princess of Wales
in January and the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh in April
and may.
Between them they have visited all the Australian States and
Territories. Their presence has given pleasure to many
Australians. Among their many memorable contributions here
we recall in particular the speech by Prince Charles in
Sydney on Australia Day and the opening by the Queen, in
this Great Hall, of our new Parliament House.
Your Royal Highness, it is especially appropriate that you,
as a serving Naval officer, should participate in the
Bicentennial Naval Salute on Sydney Harbor and should as the
Queen's representative take the salute on Saturday.
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It will be the greatest peace-time assembly of Naval ships
ever to grace Australian waters some fifty vessels will
take part in the review, from fifteen countries as well as
Australia, and involving more than seventeen thousand
sailors.
We all remember with pride the celebration of the Royal
Australian Navy's 75th Birthday just two years ago when the
Duke of Edinburgh, as Admiral of the Fleet, took the salute.
Having seen fleets on Sydney Harbor both on that occasion
and last January when the Tall Ships arrived, I can assure
you of a spectacular and memorable sight this weekend.
Your Royal Highnesses, Australians are proud, with good
reason, of their achievements in creating over two hundred
years a democratic society and a peaceful and tolerant and
multicultural community.
Proud as we are of our British heritage, today Australia is
home for people of many cultures from all corners of the
globe and we are aware too of the achievements of the
Aboriginal people who cared for this land for more than
40,000 years before 1788. We are a nation which reaches out
to the rest of the world in friendship and which takes pride
in the opportunities which abound here for prosperity and
growth. Over the next few days as you travel around this country, I
trust you will see this Australia and that you will meet
many Australians who I am sure will extend to you a warm
Australian welcome.
Your Royal Highnesses, it is with real pleasure that we
welcome you both to our country. We hope that you enjoy
your visit because we enjoy having you visit us. 23212