Australian High Commission

Canada

Address: Suite 710, 50 O'Connor Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 6L2 - Tel: 613-236-0841 - Fax: 613-236-4376

AUSTRALIA DAY 2010

Remarks by the High Commissioner

26 January 2010

Good evening

Ministers, Speaker of the House, Parliamentary Secretaries, Members of Parliament and Senators, Members of the Diplomatic community, Friends of Australia, Fellow Australians and Ladies and Gentlemen

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to this celebration of Australia Day.

We have had many Australia Day celebrations here in Ottawa over the years.

This year we celebrate 70 years since the establishment of the Australian High Commission in 1940. In that time, we have achieved a great deal by working together. Last year was no exception. If you will bear with me, I’d like to highlight a few highlights.

Of particular note was the release late last year of Nigel Brennan and Amanda Lindhout from their lengthy captivity in Somalia – this case was one in which our two governments maintained a close and productive operational cooperation that ultimately produced a wonderful result.

I want to publicly put on the record Australia’s appreciation for the enormous contribution by Canada to bringing this case to a resolution.

Second, we continued to serve side by side in Afghanistan, working together under the banner of our shared values and ideals. Our military forces have distinguished themselves in challenging circumstances and have forged a strong and deserved reputation for achieving results. The same can be said for our civilian forces in the country.

Third, we have participated in the London and Pittsburgh G20 summits focussed on shoring up the global financial system and setting the path for economic recovery.

And finally, we have worked together in Haiti to deal with the crisis in that country. Australia has made a big contribution to Haitian reconstruction and we welcome Canadian leadership in mobilising and coordinating the international effort.

Bilaterally, our people linkages have continued to blossom. 15,000 young Canadians and Australians undertake working holidays in the other country each year. And almost 4,000 Canadian students are based in Australia at present. 14,000 temporary workers moved to and from both countries in the past year.

Looking ahead, we are focussed on maximising the potential of our linkages, building on what we have achieved over the past 69 years.

We’re looking forward to working with Canada to make the G20 Toronto summit a big success, one that advances economic recovery and entrenches the G20 as the global economic steering group. PM Rudd will make his first visit to Canada to attend the summit.

Before that, we’re also looking forward to the Games in Vancouver. For all those events that the Australian team of 35 or so will not be participating in, we will be barracking for Canada!

Also next year, our two governments will launch a major public policy initiative that we think has the potential to further strengthen our links across myriad fields of government policy from climate change, to tax, to social policy and indigenous affairs.

I want to thank all of our friends and partners in the Canadian Government and in the non-government sector for your continuing cooperation and friendship, qualities that seem to me quintessentially Canadian, except on the ice. And in the Tim Hortons queue.

For myself and all of us at the High Commission, we look forward to torqueing up our links even further in the years ahead. I have little doubt that we can repeat and even exceed our past achievements.

Without further ado, I would like to invite you to charge your glasses and join me in offering a toast to Australia and to strong Australia-Canada links.

Thank you.