Jj, UI) I( KI(
PRIME MINISTER
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY EMBARGOED UNTIL DELIVERY
SPEECH BY THE PRIME MINISTER
COMMONWEALTH PARLIAMENTARY CONFERENCE
CANBERRA 22 SEPTEMBER 1988
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen
This year, Australia celebrates two hundred years of
European settlement of this continent.
This anniversary has given the Australian people the
opportunity to celebrate their achievements, and the
achievements of their forefathers, in building a free,
prosperous and harmonious community in this land. And we
celebrate too the achievements of the Aboriginal people who
settled and cared for this land for more than 40,000 years
before 1788.
As part of our bicentennial celebrations, we have been
delighted to be visited by so many of our friends from
overseas not just the tourists who are appreci ating the
tremendous appeal of Australia as a holiday destinationj not
just the business people who are realising Australia's
potential as a source of exports and a place for investment
and joint ventures; but also the Government leaders,
ministers and parliamentarians who have visited us.
It is for this reason that the 34th Commonwealth
Parliamentary Conference is an important event for
Australians. You are all very welcome guests.
Visits such as yours serve to strengthen the already strong
ties of friendship that exist at the Government level -and
by extension, that exist at the people-to-people levelbetween
Australi& and the rest of the world.
One of the highlights of the Bicentennial year was he
opening of this new and permanent Parliament House which
will serve as the home for the Parliament of the
Commonwealth of Australia for the next two centuries and
more. 2179
It is a building, we say modestly, which is a magnificent
parliamentary home. It's already become a major attraction
for Australian and overseas visitors. This Great Hall and
the other formal spaces of this building have already served
as the focus for the formal hospitality extended to the
Heads of Government and Heads'of State who have visited
Australia for the Bicentenary.
Most importantly, this new building provides the most
tangible sort of proof that Australians place great and
enduring value on the system of parliamentary democracy.
Australians know the truth that people are best governed
when they govern themselves. It is from the people, through
the institution of Parliament, that Governments derive
legitimacy and it is through those Parliamentary
institutions that democratic Governments remain responsive
to the public will.
This Parliament reflects the diversity of the entire
Australian society and responds to the needs of the whole
Australian community.
So in our Bicentennial year, in this new Parliamentary
building, we are proud hosts indeed to this Conference.
As parliamentarians all, we have a heavy responsibility on
our shoulders.
It is the responsibility to conduct ourselves in our
Parliaments, in our communities and in the world at largein
such a way as to build up rather than erode the stature
of the institution of parliament..
It is the responsibility to honour those who have fought in
war and in peace to build and to ensure the survival of the
democratic principle.
It is the responsibility to understand the danger of taking
that principle for granted in a world in which so many
people live subjected to despotism, in many cases never
having experienced the liberties and dignities of a
democratic society.
As members of parliament we are o f course separated by
differences of individual and party opinion. But long after
those legitimate differences have been resolved or
forgotten, the institution of parliament must live on.
So our greatest obligation, our heaviest responsibility is
to ensure that our parliaments do endure, that they are not
eroded, are not allowed to wither, and do not succumb to
those forces which seek to repress diversity of view point
and which seek to suppress liberty of expression.
My emphasis tonight on diversity is appropriate in view of
the diversity of the Commonwealth of which we are all
members. 2180
Just as Parliamelits promote tolerance and understanding by
bringing together people of different backgrounds,
circumstances and views, so is this true of the Commonwealth
at large.
There can surely be no more disparate group of nations than
those that compose the Commonwealth itself. We represent
nations of every part of the world, of every continent, of
different traditions.
As Prime Minister, I have the pleasure every two years of
attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings. I
am very much looking forward to next year's meeting in Kuala
Lumpur, which will be my fourth CHOGM. At each meeting I
have been impressed by the determination shown by leaders to
come together in a constructive way to address issues of
international significance.
This ability of the Commonwealth to bring together
individuals and nations of extraordinary diversity is
apparent of course at all levels, not just Head of
Government. Your conference this week is a significant and
valuable example.
There are always people who claim that out of such diversity
can only come weakness and an overall approach based on the
lowest common denominator.
But the continuing resilience and relevance of the
Commonwealth puts the lie to such claims.
One need look no further than the Commonwealth's activity in
regard to Southern Africa.
In Zimbabwe, the Commonwealth was instrumental in the
negotiating process which culminated, as it should have,
with the majority black population gaining power.
In South Africa, the Commonwealth has played an important
role in the struggle to destroy the abhorrent system of
apartheid. Australia was proud to offer the services of our
former Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser for the Eminent Persons
Group on southern Africa and while the group's work was
disregarded by the intransigent South African government, we
remain convinced that the negotiating concept they proposed
provides the best basis for a settlement in the region.
I want to express my confidence in the Commonwealth's work.
I am confident we are working in the only acceptable way
towards the only acceptable goal and I am confident that
our work and pressure, together with the work and pressure
of other people of good will in the world will be
rewarded, eventually, with success.
We can only hope that the South African authorities will
come to their senses in time to avert catastrophe. As we
have said before, the authorities could begin this process
by immediately and unconditionally releasing Nelson Mandela. -2 18.1
4.
Ladies and Gentlemen lL
For the success of occasions such as this, and of the
programs which result from them, much credit is due to the
Commonwealth Secretariat, and our Secretary General, Sonny
Ramphal. In his three terms in office as secretary General, Sonny
Ramphal has contributed greatly to the well-being of the AlIT
Commonwealth family and to developing and maintaining
Commonwealth initiatives. He is now looking to move on at The
the end of his current term in 1990 and I take this cr1
opportunity to pay tribute to the leadership he has shown nex
aver his years in office. Ban
This cannot of course be a campaign speech, but you would Dem
not be unaware that we believe there is a candidate for this cau
position who, because of his experience in the Australian
parliamentary tradition and the wider Commonwealth, has Au&
impeccable credentials. 27-
None of our many visitors to this magnificent new Set
Parliamentary complex during our Bicentennial year is more w
welcome than you are, our fellow parliamentarians from ba
around the Commonwealth. N i
Pak
We welcome you, and wish you well in the remainder of your
deliberations and for the rest of your stay with us in Set
Australia. 34!
I now propose a toast to our distinguished visitors to thetr
34th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference. IM~ ie'
ex to r e
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Ile Co0 cui
2182