PFRIME MINISTER
FOR PRESS 31 JANUARY, 1978
AUSTRALIA DAY MESSAGE
On this Australia Day holiday, it's good to pause and think
for a moment about those things that give us a sense of
national identity, of 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 is not just a question of thinking, it is 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
f actories 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 t4o see that Australia grows and prospers; the
need to see that everyone has a fair go; a 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 divisions and conflicts 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; dn Australia that shows care and concern for the
disadvantaged and which rewards initiative and enterprise
in individuals. / 2
2
Your Government is commited 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 diverse 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 is a task for
all Australians. We have achieved so much working together
as one people, yet so much remains to be done, nriot only
for ourselves, but for those who follow. Let's work
at it together. 000---