E&OE…………………………………………………………
Well, thank you very much Mr Chairman and can I first of all acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which this gathering takes place, to my parliamentary colleague and friend Barry Haase the federal member for the largest electorate in the world, my other parliamentary colleagues Alan Eggleston and Matt Burnie and Mr Mayor, ladies and gentlemen.
It';s a special pleasure to be back in Kalgoorlie and also to see for the first time this wonderful hall of fame and to say how very pleased I am that the Government decided to support it out of the federation fund and how important it is for us as a nation with a very diverse history to understand and to protect and promote a better appreciation of the different things that have contributed and the different activities that have contributed to the modern Australia.
I am, of course, here to officially open an art exhibition of the Ngaanyatjarra people, which brings their special insight into the impact of mining and exploration on their lifes experience and to their culture. And to say how important as part of the understanding of the diversity of our country how important it is for all of us to appreciate the contribution of that understanding and that art to the solutions to modern day problems and modern day challenges.
I hope the exhibition is very successful, clearly by your presence today there is very great local support and very great local interest.
It';s also an opportunity for me here in Kalgoorlie, in a city which is synonymous with the mining history of Australia, it is a metaphor for so much that mining has contributed to the Australian nation, to say how important is the mining industry to the future of this country. We often have debates about what are new industries and old industries, we often have debates about what is the future of Australia. And, obviously, the export future of Australia lies in many things and, obviously, the economic future of Australia lies in many things. And that the rise in the significance of service industries has been one of the phenomena of recent economic developments in our country. But nothing will replace the central role played by the mining industry in the wealth and the export capacity of Australia.
Australia';s mining industry is world class in efficiency. It';s world class it its environmental respects and it';s world class, of course, in the contribution that it is making to the development of this country. It has its critics, and many of them are unreasonable and I applaud the way in which the mining industry and the resource sector generally in this country has embraced the importance of sustainable development, has embraced the importance of environmental care and nurturing and how many of the great mining companies of Australia have been pioneers in partnerships with the indigenous people of Australia, recognising as we all must that economic empowerment and economic participation for the indigenous people of this country is crucial to their future. All the theories in the world will not replace the value of employment, will not replace the value of sustainable economic opportunities and will not replace the value of the embracement of the indigenous people as part of our economic future. And that is why my Government has placed such a great emphasis on what I call practical reconciliation, on giving all of the people of this country, irrespective of their background or their heritage, economic opportunity. And the greatest measure of that, of course, is to give people employment. And I';m very proud of the fact that unemployment in this country is now at a 22 year low. And for the first time since 1968, we have an unemployment rate below six per cent and an inflation rate below three per cent, that';s the end of the economic statistics, but I';m very proud of that. I think it';s something of a golden double and I thought it was worth referring to here in Kalgoorlie in those terms.
But ladies and gentlemen, today brings together all of the representatives of your community. It brings together the indigenous people. It brings together your political representatives. It brings together the representatives of the mining industry. It brings together the religious leaders who are so important to all of our communities. It brings together representatives of the service sector. It brings together, of course, the citizens of this very special part of Australia which has such a special character. And I';m reminded, of course, of the crucial role that this city played more than 100 years ago in decisions taken about the formation of the Commonwealth of Australia. And without the wisdom displayed on that occasion by the citizens of Kalgoorlie, the Commonwealth may not have been what it';s grown to be and it is a piece of the history of this part of Australia, as I prefer to primarily describe it, it is the history of this part of Australia which has played a crucial role. And a lot of Australians know a bit about Kalgoorlie who';ve never visited it. And I';m pleased that this is probably the third or fourth time I';ve been here, the third time Barry reminds me, he';d want me to do a fourth and a fifth probably in the next few months but we';ll see about that, that I';ve been here.
But it';s great to be back. I wish the art exhibition well. I compliment the community on the sense of cohesion that is represented by this gathering and I';m very very pleased to survey the quality and the wisdom of the investment we made in supporting the hall of fame out of the federation fund.
I declare the exhibition open and thank you very much for having me.
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