> gAUSTA L IA
FOR PRESS
Embargoed until delivery: 12.00 noon 31 JANUARY 1977
ADDRESS BY THE PRIME MINISTER AT THE AUSTRALIA DAY FAIR: ADELAIDE
I am delighted to be able to open this Australia Day Fair.
When Governor Phillip raised the Union Jack at Camp Cove 189
years ago, I am sure he could not have imagined the irmmense
progress that Australia would make in the relatively short time
span of 189 years. For the first few years following the historic
flag raising, the early settlers celebrated the occasion as
" Anniversary Day". Not that there was much cause for celebration.
Things were tough, crops were hard to cultivate and stcocks were,
for the first years at least, meagre. But the first Australians
came through it, and since those days Australians have faced
great challenges together and overcome them.
Men and women from all the world's nations have come to live
in Australia seeking in their own way to build a better life for
themselves and their children. In the last thirty years, more
than three million migrants have come to Australia, attracted by
the opportunities which Australia offers, Australia's freedom
and its equality.
This Fair was inaugurated by the Good Neighbour Council in 1975
to invite South Australians to acknowledge and participate in
the commemoration of Australia Day. The Fair demonstrates that
Australia is a multicultural community and has benefited immensely
from the mixture of cultures. Ethnic arts and craft displays
take their place in this Fair alongside surf life savingr displays,
emergency fire fighting displays, demonstrations, marching girls,
gymnastics and folk dancing from many countries. Ethnic cultures
have added a new dimension of diversity and richness to the
traditions of those other migrants, the English, Scots and Irish.
What is emerging from this is a distinctive Australian culture
which is derived from the best all cultures can offer.
Fortunately, the days of Anglo-Saxon conformity are over, and I
believe that we are all better off as a nation and as individuals
because of this. One can love Australia and participate effectively
in Australian life as is obvious today while retaining an
affection and preserving the heritage of one's culture an.-d origin.
The number of people who refuse to recognise this are rapidly
diminishing and this is as it should be. / Today
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Today we are a nation of 13.5 million people and one quarter of
our people were either born overseas or are the children of migrants.
Without the contribution made by migrants, we would be limited in
both our achievements and our aspirations, limited in our capacity
to grasp the promise Australia holds out. We would be poorer
economically, demographically and culturally. A great contribution
has been made by ethnic groups to Australia' s culture, and Australia
should, in turn, make a contribution to enhancing and preserving
the culture of the countries from which migrants came.
This Fair is a particularly appropriate place to announce that the
Australian Government will be contributing $ 100,000 to the appeal
for the preservation of the Acropolis, which UNESCO is undertaking
in conjunction with the Greek Government. The Acropolis is one of
the most magnificent achievements of human civilisation. To this
day it is still looked to as the foundation and inspiration of our
architecture, and it must be the greatest symbol of the Greek
civilisation which contributed so fundamentally to western civilisation.
The Acropolis, having been pillaged by the citizens of numerous
nations in the past, some under the pretext that they were protecting
its treasures, has now been attacked by a more modern enemy
atmospheric pollution. Pollution has been eroding the marble
surfaces and other stones, and there is an urgent need for restoration
work. The monies from the appeal will be used to carry out this
work. Our contribution to the appeal is a token of Australia's
regard both for the architectural splendour of the Acropolis and for
the contribution made by Greeks to Australian society. It is a
demonstration of our recognition that Australia is a vital multicultural
society, and of our concern with the fanner homelands of
all Australian citizens.
Today, while we are celebrating Australia Day as a holiday, I
believe we should all reflect on Australia's past, her present
and her future. We should reflect on the values that make us proud
of Australia and led us to make Australia our home. We should
reflect on what we have done to strengthen these values and what
we may have done to weaken them. We should reflect on whether we
have just taken our values for granted and not thought at all.
Then we should reflect on what we are going to do about making
Australia the better place of which we all dream.