ad V~ OR MEDIA IEVNESJJAY, .7ANUAI{ Y 26 193
iiNNOUNCEMENT OF~ BICENhTENNIAL PRO) GRAM'
Thei Prime Minister today rleased outline pro~ posals for: i
programd of nauionail anrd intornaL jonal events to commemora.& e
Au~ raiaiii B~ icen~ tenary in 1988.
It is anf imaginative, varied and excitingJ col1lection of
activities by-ought togethev by The Austi~ a~ an BicentennialJ
Authority 0fte-: two years of extensi. ve consultaLtions with a.
13ections3 of the? Ausatralian community.
As a bas is for planningj the Comnoiwea1th Gove rnment ha~ s agro~ ed
to wori~ nt $ 166 million ( July 1952 prices) toward ah p ror of
national & nd intccnational activiLics.
This commitme~ rt is; additional to the C2ommonnwalth's recent
anouncemients of major projects lSinkodc to tho K1centerniyy.
These projectni arc The Aunti ral inn PBicynternia) R. oad D7? e'op; nenth
Prog~ ram~, the new. s Parl1i.~ a! int Nioose, the Alice Springs-Dorwin
Rilway~, T. he Australian Nati onal. Glcry ' s Bicentennial1
Colle~ ctio~ n, Rcdaelopment of the Australian War Mecmorial anid
the conaLruction of the Australian Radio Telescope.
Tile firm Commonw~ c'a Ith f ina:~ ncial com'mi tm:~ ent of 166 wi on to
specific Bicenitenniial activities to be~ developed by The
Autralian Bcenrtennial Authority Will allow the Statc and
Territory' Governments, 1/ jcal Governments and tne private sector
to work with the CuirmoNwcaith in planning thcir contributions
to ensuruc the success of these Bicentenniial activities.
Each of the States and thy Northen: n Tocrtory has agrecd to
enter into dietai led necotiations to dw~ elop and stage Che
nlatijonal and intorncit iorict programr of activi t in. Thr is,.
howevcer, no cor-,. jiitie~ nt to the funding and sLhcy in of any
inidivi~ dual1 item at thin S; tA e. Develor'menta! 3 wort~ on theseindi
vidual itemCs will proceed over the next 1 2-18( months be foure
final decisions will bec made on the a'ctivities to be
incocrporarod into K. e progjram of Bicentennial activi tics.
rn Uts dat form the program combinew communni ty act ivi tics,
education cnt~ i-rincn and thQ pyo'i s ior of-perm~ anen t
faci lit ies in a prog~ ramn whi ch wi. ll strengthen our nati~ onal
identity, purpone and w4ill. 12 E: MBARGO: 1 0 C( AX
The proposed acti. ixtics œ-ai1. inito a riiI)~ COL of qnczj, a2: ea. s:
ACo ~ malt/ SL~ ic CI~ r~ ii~ t veprogramn to provi. de
mnemorianls to tVce 13. Centetnary;
* Major events to provide( a facus o Autstrcii. nsr in 1988,
includin a Trav'el Ii ncl Bgh iX'i ion on I.-he theme2 of the
1.34. c en t-e i irv ' The A3cii; nAchieve-; f ti'
Ccduce. tional andJ inormtior acti1vities including atn irnjuiry
into Auutzra1ijul !-tje r cqrail-in schools which would le ad #%-oC
a deeper ciation among yoni, AusGt., rk1in~ s of their h-. ritc., o
and Austr-al'a p: ith in the futurc;
Communi~ t. Y basedl activities, inclu~ ding a nationw,, ide proqUrlii
or P nvo)...) men1, offe( ring a: il Austrnliafls the'
oppoturi t ofcoring toa boftr unjderstajnd in, of Aborigina).
traditions aind azpiretions;
Pt r. d -e n t eY. ta 1xnir. t tltJ. V i t . CS i tI uLc JincII C r fc r I1: iS , rcZ0
P, 11 countri; wilhich l'e colit ributed to. the d.'. versity of
toda" y's AUstra) ian communit-yi
* A year-dcong proqar of mlajor 1s'porting activities. O
The planiic~ & n' 2 oO Eleehnea -j teia1pr: gn
J': ould be very i-ruch a p~ rr-h~ pbetween ovrncit at all1
1, nv eIs b: k is s, c) ' nr-iunics mn j. ndjv xduJals.
The Austr& an,., i Ticmtcnnia I ALut1oity has ib; er sn b s t~ o
r. Ia n and co-ordiv-, attu the year-long picogran of acta\' iLies.
Throucjh itsc nieLtor); of Sta~ te Councils and Advisory' CommittCees
the t w~ i1llh ocb e a focalI point frinfocrma t ion Uie. i
a~ nd iatc alvni 11 be the-body through r;; nich
Australieans frort ail'L walk.-; of l~ ite ca: n channel their
(, rithuLSili1, tal-ntn, and ide. is to m~ ake 1.988z a 9rea3t occasion fo
LIS 4.1.
As eisa ~ t~ a en1d Of thiG kind(' it is ir~ o~ rtai-11
that the-Authority enosthe.: r3uppor and confidence of aill
( Coverrar. eri tr; end th, comm~ un ity arnd tha~ t there i. Fs a closz Crd
offective Orkinc9 rel at iOlnlzVip betV. ee1kn all. gr0ups onnCted,
% with the Ulicentenr,: Ly.
Every' co--pany, ovgani Eat ion r * clui) and pesnhas, thQ chanct? of
p~ t~ cp-. igin the Y1, iccnte'mary. Inldeed it. s plcasin3! to
no0te the Ievel of S nterust 3nd activity alrc:, dNy underway ( m
) 3iccntcnnial actiVi. t 2c5, As a ret) Lof the cslhrod' : pr e~:
Lhe Dicencriazrly will be ek UnicjUc Uni LyingcIO ri
The program has a . etroq ewhasi s on comimunity and icducat~ jonii)
~ asect& 4 w.. hich should l-ad t~ o imaprovcweints in the que li ty of.
13. fe in thci yeaz. s a r: the 3i centenaxy-
' Above all the l3iitcr> ary will. provide an op: potun ity for a, 11
Ausltvam4ans to reflect on t: eir origins, to learn the J.: srs
of historv aind to ttihree i to plan f0L' a bt: tbr-6ociy 3.-1 t: i
fEuuwe.
The Bicentenary will be0 a mot ii-portant event tor Australi.
it will be a time for rcviewing the advm'ces of the past and
weiglhing the o& dporLunit iL ehllengcs ooffi the future. It
will be an occ4sion for all Austrnliains. 000--
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