1.6.
TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER, THE HON P J KEATING MP
SPEECH TO THE IRISH-AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE,
ST PATRICK'S DAY BREAKFAST, MELBOURNE
17 MARCH 1992
E OE PROOF COPY
Thank you very much Gerry, Padric Flynn, Your Grace
Archbishop Little, Joan Kirner, Martin Burke, the Irish
Ambassador, ladies and gentlemen.
It is a great pleasure to be here this morning on
St Patrick's Day. I stayed last night in the Windsor Hotel
in Bob Menzies' old suite, contemplating St Patrick's Day,
and I thought I heard the chandelier moving, and I certainly
saw the wall-paper curl from the walls revealing a sort of
1950s look and beyond it. And I thought of that remark that
was passed so long ago when another famous person was lying
in his deathbed, another Irishman's deathbed in a Paris
hotel, and hie said either something has got to give here,
either the wallpaper or me. And of course, it was him. And
the wallpaper reminded me of that particular occasion in the
Windsor Hotel. But the temptation on St Patrick's Day is, I
think, always to trivialise the Irish. I'm not having a
shot at you Brian, not having a shot at the comedians, but
it is nice to0 be here with the Irish Chamber of Commerce for
the breakfast because it does reflect upon what Ireland does
export. And what Ireland exports to the world is nothing
trivial. It: is everything that counts, its Guiness, poetry,
passion, prose, and politics, and of course people, people
who have shaped nations. And as Padric said, and as Gerry
said, Australia without the Irish, a reflect on it would be
unimaginable!. In fact Australia without the Irish would be
unthinkable, Australians without the Irish would be
unspeakable. For the Irish in Australia have been the fount of Australian
nationalism. It is a bit like Oscar Wilde himself in that hotel room,
that rare combination of folley and mobility, are the Irish.
The jokers in the pack, but also the adventurers, the
lifeblood of the place, the people who know all about
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independence and its importance. And it is one of the
reasons why ZIll value that history of Ireland by the
Keatings, Padric, that you've given me this morning.
Indeed, my remarks a couple of weeks ago which Gerry refers
to about independence from England, struck a cord with the
Irish press and in Ireland, which I was very surprised at.
I doubt if any two cultures were more fundamentally opposed
than the Irish and the English, in religion, in tradition,
and more part~ icularly in history. Irish history, once you
got passed the Celtic legends, was the history of never
ending resist~ ance to England. In Australia, as Robert
Hughes put it: in his recent work, ' The Fatal Shore', he said
the Irish felt twice colonised, doubly aggrieved.
The remarkable thing is that an Australian identity emerged
from these two broad streams, the English and the Irish, and
of course I t~ hink we must say three, put the Scots in there
as well. In other words, even before post-war European
migration, before we regarded ourselves as having presided
over a multicultural triumph. We in fact pulled off a
multicultural triumph ourselves. An idea that Australia had
been formed out of a traditional difference in hostility.
And it is an amazing to think about that, that Australia as
a nation before our post-war program was formed out of these
peoples with traditional differences and hostilities. An
idea that suggested that Australia was a country wit~ h a
separate destiny, a separate future, and of course a
separate past:.
In 1992, I think two lessons present themselves to me. The
first, that is to turn our multicultural society into an
Australian strength which is becoming, which it will. become.
In second, to recognise that our destiny is separate. That
ours is bound to-be a destiny which is separate. Being
clear to ourselves and the world that we mean to make our
own way, a feeling which will be very important, the
harnessing of national will, reviewing our confidence and
pride in ourselves, including that sort of pride which lifts
us beyond social ' hatred against the original Australians,
the Aboriginals-That manifestation of a feeling which will
give us a much more powerful identity in the world as well.
I said a few things recently about the flag, but let me say
this. We've got to be certain of who we are to take our
place in the world, and we can't fly two symbols wit~ h our
nation for much longer.
A nation is eternally uncertain about its representational
image is of course a nation uncertain about itself. I spent
a decade trying to transform the Australian economy, Brian
remarked on it earlier, to make it a country with an
international economic ambition. It became increasingly
plain to me lthat'another kind of transformation is
necessary, a social transformation, a mental transformation,
because we ar. e not going to make it simply by getting the
nuts and bolts together, by getting the macro-economy right,
or Joan and me getting the railways right, or something else
right, we won't ever get it right until we get that mental
transformation that Australia is a country of its own
character. Australia is a country which will make its own
way in the world. That's the transformation we need to
really pull off our internationalisation, our true
independence. Recent events have made that quite clear to me. The uproar
when I made those quite unexceptional remarks to Queen
Elizabeth on her recent visit. The same sentiments which
have left this country always hesitating, always drawing
back, always missing the main chance, never seizing our own
history. Well that's the one thing the Irish can teach us,
their history and their destiny is forever their own and as
always remains forever Ireland's.
But when it said in Australia that the contribution we made
to Britain in World War I was not returned in full in World
War II when an Australian view is expressed scandal and
outrage. Yet those who care to consult the histories, even
those written by Englishmen, will find that it's not wrong
or even indeed those who recently consult the Financial
Times or the Guardian or the London Times, will find that it
was not wrong. Yet my dissatisfaction and disaffection is
not with Britain or the British, it is with those who cannot
find it in themselves to speak with an unashamed and
wholehearted Australian voice, who not only fail at the
essential task to grasp the future but will not even grasp
the past.
The Irish can teach them something about honouring their own
history and their traditions. But nor am I much impressed
with the new tack of those conservatives, those conservative
Australians, the idea that if we are not tugging the
forelock to Britain, we must be tugging it to Asia. It is
possible, you know, not to tug the forelock to anyone.
Padric, we have got to be in this country like the Irish
are, proud without being silly, parochial without being
unworldly, culturally secure without being culturally
arrogant. This is the great Irish legacy to Australia and
we thank your country for it.
Thank you.
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