EMBARGOED UNTIL BROADCASTI
FOR MEDIA MONDAY, 1 FEBRUARY 1982
ADDRESS -TO THE NATION -FOR AUJSTRALIA DAY
Australia is now a country of fifteen million people. Our
population has doubled since the Second World War. It is.
timely to review some of our achievements over those years, and'-
on that basis to look ahead to the kind of Australia we want
to build for our children.
Since the 1940' s not only has our population doubled, material
living standards have also doubled, there has been enormous
development of Australia's resources and productive capacities,
family homes were vastly different in 1945 from what we take
for granted in the average home today; and our horizons as
a nation have been transformed and uplifted. The Australian
way of life has been enriched by people from almost every country,
educational opportunities have widened, cultural and artistic
activities have expanded, our comparative isolation from the
restof the world has been reduced by better communications,
and we have become more independent and outward looking as
well as vastly more self-confident as a nation.
There is a growing pride in Australia and things Australian,
and I am confident that any tendency to knock Australia is
fast becoming a thing of the past. Australia is known around
the world as a country which is stable but at the samne time
exciting, and people in many other countries now look to us
for inspiration and hope. There are famous Australians in
almost every field of human achievement, in sport and science,
in business and the arts. But it is important for us to
remember that the Australia that we know and love has been
essentially built by millions of average Australians.
It is their work and efforts, their values, their belief in
fair play, their commitment to the advancement of this country,
that have made Australia what it is. We have the opportunity
to keep building on their achievements, and as an open
society of fifteen million people, we have many high hopes
for the years ahead. Continuing economic growth is obviously
essential for many of these hopes to be realised. But I
believe that over and above that, we have all enjoyed the
feeling of being part of a more vibrant society in recent
years, and many of the traditional values of the Australian
way of life have been strengthened in the pro . cess. / 2
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We are lucky to possess the freedom and living standards which
we often take for granted, and we are also.-i4lucky that there are
grounds for optimism about the future.
There are obviously challenges we need to face up to if we are
to take advantage of our opportunities. There is no doubt that
unreasonableness and selfishness, whether in the form of
needless strikes or tax avoidance or whatever, can damage
us all. In addition, some of the problems of other countries
are certain to have an impact upon Australia's prospects,
especially in the short term, no matter how carefully we try
to insulate ourselves from them, because we live in. an
. interdependent world.
But. while the challenges are obvious and real, Australia has
enormous advantages as we look ahead. We have many resources,
especially energy resources, which the world wants and needs.
Our economy has great underlying strength, and the skills7
of our workforce are being progressively improved and
upgraded. Geographically, we are situated in one of the
fastest growing corners of the world, with the Pacific and
South East Asia on our doorstep.
Our potential is great, but we must remember that success is
not autcnatic, that our objectives will not be met by chance.
The world does not owe us a living, and while a population of
fifteen million may seem large for Australia, it is in fact
less tha-n half of one percent of the world's population. We
have the capacity and-the basis to go ahead, and continue to
grow. : ut if we are to achieve our common objectives, we
must cs-oerate and work together, we must accept the
responsibilities and obligations which we have to each other,
we must strive for the best, we must do everything within our
power to give people the opportunities and the security which
they need.
I have already spoken of the positive attitude towards
Australia and things Australian which is becoming more
prominent in our community. If this attitude can be extended,
so that people become committed to the well-being of the whole
community as well as themselves, then we will all benefit
and Australia will advance. As a result, we will build awell-
adjusted and more prosperous Australia for our children
and this is after all, one of the greatest objectives which
binds us together. 000---