Thank you very much Dr Kemp, Tom Harley, Senator Lees, Roger Beale, my other parliamentary colleagues, ladies and gentlemen.
The expression ‘distinctively Australian'; is an expression of quiet but determined pride that there is something very different, somewhat separate and something very special about Australia and Australians. It';s a preferable expression to the one more commonly used of ‘typically Australian'; because perhaps for a purpose such as this, the expression ‘typically Australian'; tends to delineate and therefore exclude, whereas the expression ‘distinctively Australian'; in a very positive way says to the world that there are things about the character of this country and its people, there are things about the natural and built heritage of this country, and there are aspects of the way of life of this country that do mark it out in a quite positive and special way from all of the others.
And that is best I can express it what the new heritage regime is all about. It is about establishing an opportunity for people from the community to express their views about those things from our past, whatever part of our heritage it may be – natural or built, concerning people, concerning events, concerning natural phenomena, or the interaction of all of those things – that ought to be recorded as forming part of our heritage as Australians. It does represent a continuity from the work of the National Heritage Commission and I want firstly to pay tribute to the work of former Governments stretching back to 1974, ‘73 indeed, when the legislation was first passed.
The natural heritage of this country is something that belongs to all of us, irrespective of our ethnic background – whether we';re indigenous Australians or European Australians, whether we were born here or have taken Australia as our nation. And of course whatever our political or religious beliefs may be, we are all together in wishing to preserve and nurture and promote to the better understanding of future generations of Australians the very rich heritage of our people and our community.
As both Tom Harley and David Kemp have indicated to you, there will be a new National Heritage Council which will advise the Minister on the listing by that Council, listing by the Minister rather, of all of those things that through an accumulation of suggestions from the community or otherwise, form part of the Australian heritage. And all Australians will be able to nominate sites or places that they would like to have on the national heritage list, and in the first instance they will be encouraged to nominate sites around three very particular themes.
The first of those is the theme of a wide and ancient land, the second is building a nation, and thirdly the Australian spirit. And the theme of a wide and ancient land refers to the unique role that the Australian environment plays in our sense of individual cultural identity. This has particular resonance and significance for indigenous Australians, but it';s important for us all, in recognising where we have come from, our great adaptability and the ongoing evolution of the environments of Australia. The theme of building the nation describes the development and defence of the so-called political and physical infrastructure that has built Australia as a nation. A century after Federation, we should continue to celebrate our democratic institutions which have stood the test of more than 100 years and given us the freedom and independence that we tend all too often to take for granted.
And under the theme of the Australian spirit, we want to recognise those places that have helped shape Australia';s character and defined our national identity. One core value is our sense of mateship that has been revealed in the fellowship, selflessness and cooperative self-reliance evident in all times of adversity. Not only has mateship been crucial in times of war and conflict, but it has also been essential in helping us to cope with great distances, isolation and often an unpredictable environment. Another core value of the Australian spirit is that of a fair go, that does encapsulate our striving for fairness at the heart of our free and egalitarian community.
And we';re going to be providing some further details in the months ahead as to how this programme will operate. But being pragmatic and to ensure its success, we';ve committed funding of $52.6 million to the new national heritage system. And the Heritage Council, as David has indicated, will advise the Minister. And as he has also indicated, for the first time the legislation will provide real protection for those places that have been listed.
I want to announce today and take this opportunity to indicate that I intend to put forward to the National Heritage Council. The first nomination for the list early next year – the Anzac experience at Gallipoli, of course, is recognised as the most defining event in Australia';s history that has provided so much in the years that have gone by since 1915, so much of the inspiration for our sense of independence, our sense of our place as a nation in the world, of our separate identity from others – those qualities that we like to believe lie at the heart of the Australian spirit and the Australian character. And it seems to me that the Government entirely appropriate that the Anzac site at Gallipoli should represent the first nomination for inclusion on the National Heritage List. And, although it';s not on Australian territory, anyone who has visited the place will know that once you go there you feel it is as Australian as the piece of land on which your home is built. And it has a powerful and ongoing influence on the psyche, not only of older Australians, but as we so frequently now remark and rejoice in the fact that it also has a powerful and growing impact on the psyche of younger Australians who see visiting that place as being increasingly some kind of right of passage for them as young Australians.
I';m pleased to say that our desire to nominate this already has the enthusiastic backing and enthusiastic support of the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark. And accordingly, the Government has commenced discussions about improving the place in our nation';s premier heritage list.
It is vital, in connection with the projects and the regime that we';re launching today, that we maintain those records which are part of our heritage. In recognition of this, I announce that the Government will provide funding for the digital copying and recording of the Gallipoli correspondents of the famous war correspondent CEW Bean and his fellow reporters from the Gallipoli campaign. These documents will thus become available on the internet and will include some 200 newspaper articles, images and interpretive pieces. And I';d like to thank the CEW Bean Foundation, which has been involved in supporting this very important project.
And finally, ladies and gentlemen, can I remind you that meeting here at Chowder Bay Heritage Area, which containes one of the first buildings which has been restored by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust. The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, which was supported by Federal Government contributions by about $115 million, will in the years ahead restore to the people of Australia seven important sites, including nearly 140 hectares of prime harbour foreshore land. It is an example for the whole nation of co-operation between governments and citizens in preserving places of beauty and places which are of great importance to the heritage of our nation.
I want to conclude by thanking my colleague, David Kemp, and his predecessors for the enormous energy and commitment that they have both brought to this project. By David, I';d like to thank those Senators, including Senator Reid, who supported the Government';s legislation and ensured that the way forward that';s been outlined today has become a reality.
Wherever we come from, whatever we believe in, politically or otherwise, we all care very much about this nation and its future. We all love the fact that we are Australians. We all admire the contribution of our forebears. We all want this to be a stable, prosperous, contented, unified community, part of that is having a framework of understanding and recalling and recording what has made us who we are today. The new National Heritage Regime is part of that endeavour, I think it will be a very important part. I thank you Tom for arranging this event today. I thank you for your contribution in the past as Chairman of the Commission. I wish the new regime well. It will succeed because it will have the goodwill of all Australians.
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