PRIME MINISTER
4BUHECKAANTDLVR EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
PARLIAMENTARY LUNCHEON IN HONOUR oF
PRESIDENT COSSIGA OF ITALY
CANBERRA 11 OCTOBER 1988
Mr President,
Mr Andreotti,
Distinguished Guests,
a Ladies and Gentlemen.
od, Italians and Australians have much in common and a visit
from such as yours, Mr President, confirms the friendly and
enduring nature of those ties.
am At the formal Government level, Italy and Australia have
enjoyed the best of relations for many years.
Of even greater importance, the bonds between our two
: an peoples are already strong and are daily strengthened
it because of the powerful links of kinship between our two
th peoples. In particular, Australians are happy to acknowledge the
great historical debt we owe to those Italian people who for
the generations have come to this country to build a new home.
As you travel around Australia, Mr President, you will be
not impressed by the evidence that will present itself
ids everywhere of the great contribution made to our community
by Australians of Italian origin.
a Indeed, it is true that a large part of what we take for
real granted in Australian life today is Italian in origin, from
food to fashion.
The hard work and ingenuity of thousands upon thousands of
Italian Australians have enriched our society beyond
to measure. So it is a pleasure to welcome you to Australia today; by
doing so we honour all Australians of Italian origin.
a It is certainly appropriate that we should welcome you here
in our newly completed Parliament House not only because
this great building represents in tangible form the enduring
commitment of Australians to democratic government, but also
because of its Italian aspects. 2591
In the
pavilici
Its architect, Romaldo Giurgola, is part of the worldwide a means
family of people of Italian descent. And the entrance hall most pr
through which you passed to enter this room features
extensive use of Italian marbles. I am al:
the est;
Mr President, Centre.
It is impossible fully to describe the extent and the Thanks
breadth of the Italian contribution to Australia. most dii
towards
Italians have made their mark in every profession, in every artists
factory, in every city and town in Australia. eager t,
Of course Italians have been prominent in sports which would Mr Pres
be familiar to you, such as Soccer. But they have also been
major contributors in sports with a particularly Australian As you
character. The names Silvagni, Polinelli, Barassi, represe!
Dipierdomenico will be familiar to any follower of VFL
Football. Veletta and Dimattina are outstanding names among Even af
Australia's first-class cricketers. Austral of birt'
I am sure all Italians wherever they live were inspired when
on the final day of the Seoul Olympics, Gelindo Bordin won By nurt
Italy's first gold medal in the marathon. Austral builder
Let me assure you we were equally proud of the performance generou
of the Australian runners, not least fifth place getter,
Steve Moneghetti, whose family is of Italian origin. This so
multicu
In business, entrepreneurs such as Claudio Alcorso and contrib
Franco Belgiorno-Nettis have made their mark. our mul
Italian-Australians have also been prominent in politics
in particular, I am proud to say, through the Australian Mr Pres
Labor Party. I have
Let me also make special mention of the Chairman of my between
Government's Advisory Council on Multicultural Affairs,
Justice Sir James Gobbo, whose contributions to Australian But I w
public life have been of enduring significance. the hea
Your vi
It is a particular pleasure to know that you will be achieve
visiting Melbourne, which perhaps more than any other place
in Australia is identified as the home of Italian culture. The Ita
demonst
I look forward to showing you around the Lygon Street Festa of inte
which I think you will find is one of the liveliest open air
community festivals. Traditi raw mat
Melbourne, of course, has just played host to one of the manufac
great cultural events of our calendar, the Spoleto Festival
under the patronage of maestro Gian Carlo Menotti.
But the cultural travel is not all one way. The landscape
and atmosphere of your home country have always exercised a
fascination for artists seeking inspiration.
And to this day the hills of Tuscany provide a second home
to an influential band of Australian artists including the
writer, David Malouf, and the artist, Jeffrey Smart.
2592
In the same vein, we are very pleased now to have our own
pavilion at the Venice Biennale, providing our artists with
a means of regular exhibition at what is one of the world's
most prestigious art events.
I am also pleased to note the progress being made towards
the establishment in Rome of the Arthur Boyd Australian
Centre.
Thanks to the generosity of Arthur Boyd, one of Australia's
most distinguished artists, serious work can now be done
towards providing an institutional base for Australian
artists and scholars working in Italy and for Italians
eager to learn more about Australia.
Mr President,
As you move around this country, you will meet a great many
representatives of the Italian community.
Even after their immigration to a new home, Italian
Australians have retained a warm affection for their country
of birth.
By nurturing their own customs and traditions, Italian
Australians have succeeded not only in becoming valued
builders of Australian society but also in sharing the
generous spirit of Italian culture with other Australians.
This sort of participation is the very essence of
multiculturalism, and my Government is very proud of the
contribution of Italian Australians to the development of
our multicultural society.
Mr President,
I have mentioned some of the cultural and human links
between our two countries.
But I would also like to welcome you here specifically as
the head of one of the world's leading economic powers.
Your visit serves to remind us of Italy's outstanding
achievements in industrial and technological development.
The Italian pavilion at Expo ' 88 has been most successful in
demonstrating this aspect of modern Italy to its thousands
of interested visitors.
Traditionally our trade relationship has involved Australian
raw materials, notably wool, as inputs to Italian
manufactures. 2593
But as our economies change, and in particular as the
spectacular growth of the Asia-Pacific region continues, I
would encourage Italian businesspeople to pay regard to the
Investment potential of Australia. We have much to offer,
both in our own right and as an entry to the markets of our
region: our stable political environment, our efficient
financial system, our abundant natural resources, our well
qualified reservoir of technical and professional expertise,
and our highly favourable tax structure.
The potential Australia provides for European countries
looking for a springboard into the lucrative and developing
financial and trading centres of this region cannot be
overemphasised. The economic relationship between Australia and Italy is
particularly important at the moment because of the movement
towards a single European market in 1992.
The Australian Government is keenly interested in this
process. Already, the European Community, taken as a whole,
ranks as our second largest export market and our largest
source of imports.
The development of a single market with 320 million
inhabitants a market larger than any other in the
industrialised world will surely have a profound impact on
global economic and trading relationships.
I would like to reiterate that Australia strongly believes
that the positive rewards of the single market will not be
reaped If an inward looking, " fortress-Europe' approach is
allowed to develop.
We look, in particular, to further progress being made in
winding back inefficient agricultural subsidies under the
Common Agricultural Policy.
We hope that recognition of the benefits likely to flow from
a strong and open European economy will prevail over any
concerns about competition from outside.
Already Australia's most successful and innovative companies
are developing strategies for new operations in Europe,
taking account of the opportunities which should arise from
the single market.
Mr President,
This year, as you know Australia is celebrating two hundred
years of European settlement.
Your own visit and visits by many other world leaders to
share our Bicentennial have added inestimably to our
enjoyment of these celebrations.
I was delighted to see the " iancris" amongst the Tall Ships
in Sydney Harbor earlier this year and to learn that she had
been sponsored by the Italian community in Australia.
2594-
Among a number of Italian contributions to the Bicentennial,
let me single out one, Mr President, for special thanks.
Your Government has most generously sponsored " Italy on
Stage", a brilliant and exciting program of events which
I make a fitting tribute to Italy's place in Australian
history.
Mr President,
I have spoken of a range of areas where Australian and
Italian interests intersect. Our advancement of mutual
interests in all these areas is ultimately and crucially
based on the warmth and closeness in the relationships
between the people of our two countries.
I know that your visit will give a special boost to our
relationship. I again welcome you and your most
distinguished party to Australia and wish you a most
enjoyable visit. 2595