Acknowledgements
Sepp Blatter [FIFA President]
Frank Lowy [Chairman, Football Federation Australia]
Distinguished delegates distinguished observers
Citizens of the world
Lovers of football
Welcome to Australia. Welcome to Sydney.
And welcome to this great building, the symbol of Sydney to the world.
I acknowledge the First Australians on whose land we meet, and whose cultures we celebrate as the oldest continuing cultures in human history.
And I acknowledge the people of Burma and the people of China who have in recent times experienced great tragedies
I am honoured to open the 58th Congress of FIFA this afternoon.
You are all welcome guests in our country.
With 208 member associations, an event like this Congress is a reminder that football is the most truly global support of all.
Look around this hall and you are reminded of just how football brings together people from every corner of the world.
And as I look around this hall, I am reminded of the modern face of Australia.
A nation of extraordinary ethnic and cultural diversity.
Apart from the first Australians, we are a nation of migrants.
21 million people. 1 in 4 were born overseas. In fact, our people came from virtually all of the nations represented at this forum.
From Asia, from Africa, from the Americas, from Europe and from the Middle East.
In our earliest years, people came to Australia from Britain and Ireland - often not of their own free choice.
But in the years since the Second World War, Australia has become one of the most multicultural nations on earth.
We also seek to be an inclusive nation including indigenous Australians to whom I delivered an apology in Parliament for the great wrongs of past as part of our healing for the future.
Migrants to Australia have brought a belief in freedom; an enthusiasm to build a new life; a determination to work hard.
And often, they have brought one other thing as well: A passion for football.
It's something Australians are reminded of every week at the hundreds of football matches held in cities, suburbs and towns around Australia.
You need only look at our ‘A League' teams to see the diversity of modern Australia.
With a population of such richly diverse backgrounds, we could almost stage our own World Cup here at home.
One of Australia's proudest sporting moments was when we made the FIFA World Cup Finals in Germany in 2006 - the first time in 32 years.
Moments like John Aloisi's penalty goal that took us to the World Cup become a shared national memory.
It is extraordinary to consider how much of the world's population shares such memories of football.
But football is indeed the universal language.
It is more than a game - it is a powerful force that can bring nations together and help shape young lives through the discipline of playing in a team.
I know that FIFA understands this, with the valuable work that is done in developing nations through the GOAL project led by the President of the Asian Football Confederation, Mohamed Bin Hammam.
I am delighted that Football Federation Australia also announced yesterday a social responsibility partnership with UNICEF Australia, focused on supporting development activity for children in the Asia Pacific region.
Such programs highlight the role that football can play in developing economies.
And as a proud member of the Asian Football Confederation, I also want to wish China, Iraq and Qatar the best for the qualifying matches coming up in the weeks ahead.
Football is a passion that is shared between the nations and people of the world.
That is one of the reasons why the Australian Government strongly supports Australia's bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018.
Our goal is for Australia to be a good international citizen, engaged with our region and contributing to peace and development throughout the world.
We are a people committed to the principle of good international citizenship.
We are also a nation of sports lovers, and would like to see sports play a greater role in the relations between nations and peoples. A positive force.
That's why it was a great privilege for us to host the Olympic Games in 2000.
That was an extraordinary event that created a great sense of community among Australians. And a great sense of Australia as an open, international society.
Visitors and locals mingled in front of enormous screens in public squares across the city and the nation.
Some 46,000 Australians took part as unpaid volunteers - as guides and assistants, giving the typically warm and friendly Australian welcome to visitors from all around the world.
For those 46,000 Australians, it was an experience to remember.
I'm sure they'll be telling their children and grandchildren about it for years to come.
Australians loved the opportunity to be a part of such a global celebration of sport and community.
I hope that you have a taste of the same relaxed, friendly hospitality in your time here.
Conclusion
Let me conclude by saying, I wish you the very best for this, the 58th FIFA Congress.
I hope that you are able to get away from work enough to soak up all that Sydney has to offer...
The Harbour, the Bridge, a beautiful and truly global city.
And thanks to our Italian, Greek and Turkish heritage, you can even get some decent coffee here.
We can also offer you some of the best cuisine in the world.
Australians have taken their heritage from Greece, China, Lebanon, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, India and elsewhere and - combined with the freshest local ingredients - we've made up something new - modern Australian cuisine, or Australians simply call it, “mod Oz”.
I hope too that you can visit some of the other highlights of Australia - including my home State of Queensland.
Sydney is a wonderful city, but Australia doesn't end here.
I wish you a successful Congress, and an enjoyable time in Australia.
You are truly welcome visitors to our country, for this, the 58th FIFA Congress.