Well thank you very much Pat and ladies and gentlemen. It's quite a pleasure for me to be back in the Macarthur electorate, to be at the very birthplace of the agricultural industry in Australia, this very historic part of a very historic area of Australia and to have the opportunity again as I did last year of saying how important it is for our community, either at a national level or at a local level, to acknowledge the contribution of people who day in and day out work in an unrewarded, unsung capacity to build a better and a happier community.
Australia is the great volunteer nation of the world. It had something to do with the fact that we were a nation built with a small population over a vast area and unless we helped each other we didn't survive. And out of that necessity has grown the great spirit of volunteerism in Australia. And of course the spirit of volunteerism is always best expressed when we face great challenges. No country sees its citizens come together so spontaneously and seamlessly and effectively to deal with challenges or crisis as it does the Australian nation.
I've just come from Westmead hospital, children's hospital, where I launched Jason McCartney's book, "After Bali", which tells his story and his struggle and part of that story and part of that struggle for him and so many other people was the story of the help that he and many others received from the volunteers who assisted in the aftermath of that tragedy. And in your own community there are countless stories of people who have volunteered all of their lives to make it easier and happier and a little more hopeful for their fellow citizens.
So it is important at a time when we can reflect for a moment on many of the strengths that we have, as we come to the end of a remarkable sporting tournament, the Rugby World Cup, and we all hope that it will have the perfect finish on Saturday night, we all do, so you should all pray for a dry, hot night. But as reflect upon the gifts that this country has, its security, its stability, its economic strength, the good fortune we've had compared with so many other nations, we should reflect upon the things that we have internally generated in order to deliver that security and that stability and that strength. And sure we have great business men and women, we have great sports men and women, we have great doctors, we have great scientists, we have great business men, but most importantly of all we have a tremendous community spirit. There are things that are done for nothing in Australia because people want to help their fellow country men and women that are never done in that spirit in other parts of the world. And that is what enables us to achieve things that no other country can achieve.
So when Pat Farmer told me shortly after he was elected that he was going to inaugurate the Order of Macarthur award I thought to myself two things. Typical of the bloke whose instinct always is to recognise the contribution of others, and had a wonderful way to encapsulate the community gratitude for people who've come forward over the years to help. So I really am very happy to be here today and before concluding my remarks I want to say to you in case you hadn't noticed, you really have a terrific bloke as your local member, he really is. He is truly indefatigable, he works hard, he runs hard, he argues hard, he cares very much for the people of this area and he's a wonderful representative and I'm very proud to call him a friend and call him a colleague.
Ladies and gentlemen I congratulate the Macarthur community, I congratulate Pat and in advance all of those who will receive awards today, you epitomise better than anything the true Australian spirit of helping their mates, of working to build a better, a more secure and a more successful community. And long may that continue to be part of the spirit of our country.
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