Subjects: Centenary of Federation; federation, Canberra, Paralympics
E&OE................................
Thank you very much Senator Macdonald, Air Marshal Evans, the Chief Minister, the President of the Senate, Mr and Mrs Peter Henderson, ladies and gentlemen. May I commence my remarks by honouring the Ngunnawal people, the traditional owners of the land on which this building stands. And can I also compliment the Woden Valley Youth Choir as well as the Isabella Plains Primary School students for the magnificent rendition of Waltzing Matilda and the National Anthem and also the very evocative and relevant reminder of the debates that went on about the location of Australia's National Capital.
It is appropriate as we draw very close to the Centenary of Federation that we focus on all of those things that have contributed to the building of the Australian nation. Last night here in Canberra we honoured the Paralympians and that bought to an end an extraordinary two months in the life in the Australian nation. And it is a two months that wherever we live in Australia we will remember very fondly. But it also means that in terms of national observance we now turn our attention to the event that will run the whole year, commencing on the 1st of January next year, and the honouring of the Centenary of Federation will enable all of us, wherever we live, whatever our views may be on different issues, will enable all of us to honour the Australian achievement of the last one hundred years. And part of the Australian achievement has of course been the creation of Canberra as our national capital. It is a beautiful city, it is a city that does blend so many things as Senator Macdonald said. It's a city, of course, that first and foremost is seen by people around Australia as a centre of political fervour and activity but it is seen by the people as the Australian Capital Territory as their home and a very beautiful place in which to live and to raise their families.
This particular location has a special place in the history of Canberra. It was of course here that was originally constructed to view the construction of Lake Burley Griffin and it was on this veranda that one of my, indeed my most illustrious predecessors, inaugurated Lake Burley Griffin, or marked the completion of it in 1964 and in a few moment I will rededicate the plaque that was unveiled to mark Sir Robert Menzies' opening of Lake Burley Griffin back in 1964. But this is an event which reminds us of the importance of our history, it reminds us of a number of things about the Australian character and the Australian nation. As our young players told us only a few moments ago it's part of the Australian way to keep arguing and it's part of the Australian way to exchange vigorous points of view about political issues and long may it remain part of the Australian way because our capacity to do that with relative good humour, even in the most robust of circumstances, is one of the reasons why we have achieved such stability and such cohesion as a nation. There has always been rivalry between different parts of Australia, it's very much, I suppose, the yeast of the national existence and there's nothing wrong with that. Competitive federalism is alive and well as we have seen over the past few days in relation to some commercial rivalries between different states of Australia, that's why you have a federation. You have a federation to allow that kind of thing to happen but also to express the collective national will and there is nothing inconsistent with having a strong sense of regional identity, which Australians have, but at the end of the day recognising that we are Australians above everything else. And Canberra is a reminder of that.
In the time that I have been a Member of Parliament, which now stretches back to 1974, I have seen many changes. I have seen of course the opening of the now well established Parliament House and I was reflecting last night as I dined with the Paralympians at the Old Parliament House that some 14 years of my existence as a Member of Parliament was there and some 12-13 years in the new building. I have seen the opening of the new High Court and the dedication of many other, the gallery, and many other very important buildings. And this is the latest very important edifice to the spirit and the character of Canberra. And in the centenary year we will of course dedicate the National Museum. As I look back over those years and particularly over the last four and a half years there have been many examples of the commitment of the Government to building Canberra to even greater splendour as our National Capital.
Ladies and Gentlemen I congratulate Air Marshal Evans and the members of his authority on the leadership that they have displayed in cooperation with my ministerial colleague Ian Macdonald. I think this facility and that fact that it attracts I understand something like 330,000 visitors a year, I think it's a reminder of the growing interest of people in Canberra. The droves of school children who come through Parliament House and it's always an enjoyable experience for Members of Parliament to spend a few moments with them and to hear them talk excitedly of the different places they have visited in the national capital is a reminder to all of us of the special affection that so many people hold for the city of Canberra and for the Australian Capital Territory.
Ladies and Gentlemen I thank the authority and the Minister for inviting me to perform the honours today and if somebody hands me a pair of the traditional scissors I shall have great pleasure in cutting the ribbon.
[ends]