PRIME MINISTER
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
PARLIAMENTARY LUNCHEON IN HONOUR OF
THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND
HIS EXCELLENCY DR PATRICK HILLERY AND MRS HILLERY
CANBERRA WEDNESDAY 5 JUNE 1985
Mr President, Mr s Hillery, Mr and Mrs Barry, Ambassador
and Mrs Small, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and
Gentlemen. This is indeed an historic occasion.
You, Mr President, are the first Head of State of
Ireland to visit Australia.
Your visit is welcomed by the Government, and by the
Australian people, not least by the five million
Australians with some Irish in them.
Any Australian who wishes to understand his country must
hav~ e an appreciation of Irish history and culture.
Since the first settlement in 1788 the Irish have made a
distinctive contribution to Australian life.
The Irish contribution to Australian politics has been
extraordinary. A number of my predecessors have been of
Irish descent: Scullin, Lyons and Faddenf for example,
and, of course, Curtin and Chifley, the two Australian
Prime Ministers whom I particularly admire as leaders,
who fought especially hard for the rights of ordinary
Australian men and women.
Today more than half the Members of my Ministry are of
Irish descent, and three of the six State Premiers have
Irish antecedents.
For a century and a half, the Irish in Australia were a
significant minority in a society dominated by English
connexfions and traditions. They were the ones who
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questioned and challenged attitudes to the prevailing
culture and religion. They sought and achieved a nation
broad and tolerant enough to include them as they were,
tolerant enough to accept those aspects of life they
considered most important.
This Irish contribution to the Australian ethos, was, at
the time of its making, often vigorously criticised and
sometimes fiercely resisted.
I recall particularly the establishment and development
of the Catholic education and welfare systems, the
controversies surrounding the place of religion in
politics which began in the 1840' s and only subsided in
the relatively recent past, the conscription
controversies of the First World War, the interaction
between capital and labour and, arising from this, most
importantly, the foundation and achievements of the
Australian Labor Party, in which the Irish tradition has
always been a vital one.
There are two particular characteristics of this Irish
contribution to contemporary Australia that are worth
emphasising. The first is that the tensions and divisions generated
by the religious, social and political controversies in
which Irish Australians were involved proved over the
longer term to be of a creative rather than a
destructive nature. No lasting bigotry or sectarianism
remains in Australia. The outcome, rather, has been a
constructive and protective Australian political system,
a system in which a continuing and vigorous debate about
the kind of society Australia should be can take place.
In this way, the Irish made a most important
contribution both in ensuring personal liberties in
Australia and in the development of a distinctively
Australian identity which encompasses the many
nationalities that have made this country their home.
Another hallmark of the Irish in Australia has been
their concentration on Australian, rather than Irish,
issues. It was the Irish, mofe than any other national
group, who first rejected the idea of Australia as
simply ' a new Britannia in another world' and compelled
others to become conscious of Australia's different
origins and culture. They did this by seeking to
encourage in Australia the development of a unique
national consciouSness.
At the same timer Irish Australians never forget their
essential Irishness. This was reflected in the Irish
social and cultural life that flourished in Australia
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during the peak years of Irish migration and in the
special affection which the many Australians of Irish
descent continue to have for the homeland of their
forefathers. it is apparent in our vigorous literary tradition,. from
Marcus Clarke to Tom Kenneally, in folk songs like wild
Colonial Boy and Moreton Bay: and also, importantly, in
the origin of Australian Rules Football in Gaelic
Football. I am sure we both wish the recently
inaugurated international competition between Australia.
and Ireland well.
In all this the Iri sh have set a standard for the
healthy diversity that now characterises Australian life
and institutions a standard whereby national groups do
not abandon the distinctive cultural traditions of their
homelands but which upholds their primary interest, as
Australians, with Australia's present and future role
and with making the most of the opportunities which
living in this country provide.
Ireland has decided that its modern destiny lies in
Europe, a decision with which you, Mr President, were
closely. associated. Australia sees its future in our
successful integration with the Western Pacific region.
Nevertheless, today, both our countries re'cognise the
importance of our interlocked histories to our
continuing relationship.
Au'stralia appreciated Ireland's hosting of the first
Australian Bicentennial Conference in Kilkenny in 1983.
Our Goverroient has recognised the value of the
connection'with the creation under the Whitlam
Government of the Chair of Australian History at
University College, Dublin, and the grant announced on
St Patricks Day this year to secure the future of the
Chair.
We hope that on the basis of our links the Irish
Government will be a major participant in our
Bicentenary in 1988.
We look forward to continued co-operation in the
cultural and tourism area and should continue to look
for opportunities to co-operate in the pursuit of shared
political ideals as well as for mutually beneficial
openings in the edonomic sphere.
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Hr President
Your visit has brought into focus the unique Irish
contribution to our nation and our national ethos. It
has not only caused the hearts of our Walshs, Kellys,
Murphys, Duffys, Keatings, Ryans and O'Reillys to swell
with pride, but it has also brought to the rest of us an
appreciation of that contribution.
I hope that you will take back with you to Ireland a
feeling of pride in the achievements of the Irish in
this land, and the knowledge that your country will
always have a special place in our hearts and minds.