A &~ L
FOR PRESS 31 JANUARY 1978
ADDRESS* TO THE NATION
Good evening. On this Australia Day holiday it is good to
pause and think for a moment about those things that give
us a sense of national identity and unity, a sense of pride
in being Australian.. It is good to stop and think about
where we are heading as a nation, as one people.
of course, it's not just a question of thinking, it's also
a question of acting. Like any other group of people, Australians
are a product of the experiences they have had together, and
of the history, tradition and culture that many people have
brought to us from other lands.
We have been through good times, we have helped each other
through tough times, through war, through depression, through
flood, and again this summer through bushfires and drought.
Through it all we have built roads and great cities in Australia,
we have established great factories and farms, we have set up
vast mining projects in many parts of the country. We have
established a whole complex civilisation in Australia. And
when we get right down to it, Australia is one of the best
places to live in, and to bring up a family.
We have experienced many things together. We have achieved
a great deal. We share common values and aspirations; the
need to see that Australia grows and prospers; the need to
see that everyone has a fair gol the common commitment to
freedom, protecting people from unfairness and injustice.
But sometimes we take all of this for granted. We give too
much weight to division and conflict, when we should be
acting together for common aims and objectives.
Politicians emphasise too much the differences they have
with each other, when they should be working to build on
those things that unite us all.
We all know that Australia can be made a better country;
that by working together we can create an Australia in which
there is security and stability so we can plan our own and our
family's future; in which there is social justice and equal
opportunity for all Australians -no matter what their colour,
their background, -or -their occupation may -be; ' an Australia
that shows. care anda concern* for the disadvantaged, and which
rewards initiative and enterprise in individuals.-
Your Government is committed to working for these objectives.
It is part of our vision for Australia's future, to bring out
the things we agree on, not allow ourselves to be distracted
by partisan interests, by sectional demand. Australia is a
Civerse country, with many different ideas. But we are agreed
on the great -fundamental objectives that we ought to be
pursuing as a nation. We can achieve the things that tie-us
together. We can achieve the great ideals that we all share.
This isn't just a task for Government, it's a task for all
Australians. We have achieved so much working together as
one people, yet so much remains to be done. Not only for
ourselves, but for those who follow. Let's work at it, together.