I acknowledge the First Australians on whose land we meet, and whose cultures we celebrate as among the oldest continuing cultures in human history.
Tonight is much more than the launch of the GenOne ad campaign.
Tonight is a snapshot of the changing times in our country.
We all have reason to have great belief and hope in what lies ahead for Indigenous Australians and indeed our nation as a whole.
Belief in the growing desire of all Australians to bring about overdue and crucial change.
And hope that our generation is witnessing the Closing of the Gap.
Eddie mentioned the Apology.
We know the Apology was not the end of the healing process.
It was only the beginning.
It was not about the Prime Minister of a country standing up and making a statement.
It was about the evolving cultural DNA of a nation finding its voice.
It started the building of momentum in our society - momentum which we must now maintain and even accelerate.
We must build on the growing recognition that Indigenous business is everyone's business.
Since the Apology, we have seen a renewed focus on creating opportunities for Indigenous people in this country.
Almost 12 months ago, the Australian Government officially endorsed the landmark United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Jenny Macklin said at the time that this was a step forward in "re-setting" the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
And this year we have committed our support for the establishment of the National Congress of Australia's First Peoples.
We have reason to be optimistic about where we are headed and I'll tell you why.
We are only three months into 2010 but we have already seen a number of events centered on building a new era in Indigenous engagement and opportunity.
The first was the inaugural rugby league match on the Gold Coast between the NRL All Stars team and the NRL Indigenous All Stars team in February.
Twiggy was there. And I'm sure he will join me in saying that it was a magnificent game, won by the Indigenous All Stars.
And it was a win off the field as well as on.
A couple of weeks later, we had the Indigenous Business Leaders' Forum in Parliament House.
The forum was all about how we can change attitudes and how business can get a better understanding of how to attract and, importantly, retain indigenous workers.
The response was overwhelming.
The room wasn't big enough for everyone who wanted to come.
We had to turn away 150 business leaders - such was the enthusiasm to get involved.
And that provided great encouragement for our new Government Ambassador for Business Action, Colin Carter, who will be working closely with Twiggy and others.
Colin has already visited corporate leaders across the country with the objective of bridging the gap between government and the private sector as we work towards the shared goal of growing Indigenous business.
Just a few days after the Business Leaders' Forum, I attended the opening of the National Centre of Indigenous Excellence here in Sydney.
If you haven't been over to have a look around at what I believe will be the launchpad for many great Indigenous leaders, I thoroughly recommend you go and visit Jason Glanville and his team.
The Indigenous Land Corporation has built a world-class education facility in Redfern that offers great practical help for young Indigenous Australians to reach their potential.
More importantly, it offers a place that allows them to envision new futures - like the futures that Jack and Tania have carved for themselves through hard work and the grasping of opportunities.
All these initiatives sent strong messages to our nation about what can be achieved by Indigenous Australians in the educational, sporting and business spheres.
And tonight we have GenerationOne.
A campaign which, as Twiggy has said, is all about taking responsibility, and changing hearts and minds.
The GenerationOne campaign will reach across our continent and across all sectors of our society.
It will send a strong message back to Indigenous Australians - that we want to create an Australia that values their achievements.
A nation that creates opportunities for those achievements to find purpose.
A nation that appreciates - equally - the hopes and aspirations of Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians.
I applaud the private sector for the GenOne initiative - in particular Andrew and Nicola Forrest, James Packer, Kerry Stokes and Lindsay Fox for their funding of the national campaign.
Of course, Twiggy was the brains behind The Australian Employment Covenant (AEC), which aims to secure 50,000 sustainable jobs for Indigenous Australians.
The AEC is about the Australian Government, employers and Indigenous people working together in partnership to provide Indigenous Australians - who are ready to turn their dreams into reality - the opportunity to do so.
But GenerationOne is taking the message a step further -- it's about getting out into the national conscience.
It is not enough to just get corporate Australia on board.
GenerationOne is about engaging all Australians to effect change.
And change will only come when we all change the way we think and act every single day of our lives.
Only then can we relegate the divide between non Indigenous and Indigenous Australians to history.
This launch is a step in the right direction.
As a Government we have always been upfront about calling for partners across the community in strengthening our work to Close the Gap.
Disadvantage is hard to reconcile in such a prosperous nation as ours.
The Australian identity is defined by the concept of the 'fair go'.
There are too many Indigenous Australians who don't get a fair go.
Too many who battle prejudice or lack of understanding and lack the basic opportunities of education and training.
The GenerationOne campaign is about rectifying that.
Just as government cannot tackle this problem alone, nor can pure philanthropic endeavour.
The bottom line is we're all Australians, and we are all in this together.
As I said at the outset, there is a cultural shift underway in Australia.
A shift in perceptions and a belief in the reality that Indigenous Australians deserve the same opportunities as non Indigenous Australians.
This campaign will help harness these changing attitudes.
Because in this campaign all Australians can participate, regardless of their political views and background.
If you are already active you can do more.
If you have never participated in a movement, you can make a start now and play a simple role to create real change.
I applaud the captains of industry throughout our nation who are passionate about effecting change.
I wish Generation One every success in inspiring that passion in others.