ADDRESS AT THE LUNCHEON HOSTED BY THE IRISH-AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, MELBOURNE
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY ROBINSON, ON THURSDAY, 29 OCTOBER, 1992.
Is aoibhinn liom bheith anseo i gcathair fíorálainn Melbourne agus gabhaim buíochas ó chroí libh as an deis a thabhairt dom labhairt libh inniú.
I am delighted to be here in this beautiful city of Melbourne, which was so named by Governor Richard Bourke from County Limerick in Ireland, to speak to the Irish-Australian Chamber of Commerce today.
I began my speech to you here in Irish because it is often forgotten that Irish was the second most widely-used language in Australia for most of the 19th Century. This is only one of the many factors which give the Ireland/Australia relationship its unique quality. An Irish person in Australia immediately feels at home and I believe the converse is also true - one thinks of the tale of the Australian visitors to Dublin who had a marvellously enjoyable time and who were only surprised by the number of Australian names they came across.
Despite obvious differences of size and of climate the number of similarities between our countries is legion. Fully 42% of Australians, or almost 7 million people, can claim some Irish ancestry. This makes Australia the most Irish country in the world outside Ireland. Furthermore the Irish connection with Australia dates right back to the beginning of European settlement in 1788. I might mention that, according to a recent publication on family names in Australia, there were no less than six Robinsons on the First Fleet in 1788 and four of them were convicts. The Irish were therefore in on the ground floor in the building of modern Australia.
We are all aware of the tremendous contribution of the Irish and their descendants to the creation of a broad inclusive identity in this country, an identity which became distinctively Australian. In his book, The Irish in Australia, Professor Patrick O'Farrell, gives us a penetrating insight into the Irish role in this country, a role about which he writes as follows:
"....the Irish were the key dynamic factor... in the provocative and liberating impact of their role as a powerful minority, aggressive enough to contest for a significant say in determining the character of Australian life and institutions. ........ the Irish rejected or questioned the system ... with the effect of creating a new, modified system, a unique Australian blend ... They provided a constant liberalising creative irritant, and gave notice that the old-world social order could not be reproduced in Australia."
The Irish dealt the first blow to the narrow concept of reproducing outmoded old world social structures under the Southern Cross. It now seems particularly fitting that the Australian community of Irish origin is leading the way towards the broad fields of opportunity which exist in greater contact, both commercial and cultural, with Australia's Asian neighbours. Clearly a contributory factor to this desirable development is that the Irish-Australian community is increasingly conscious of its own proud traditions and ancestral culture.
As business people I am sure you would like to hear about economic conditions in Ireland, conditions which have changed dramatically in recent years. Ireland's rate of economic growth has been higher than the European Community average in recent years, while our inflation rate and Exchequer borrowing have been among the lowest in the EC and our exports have been particularly buoyant. Unemployment, however, has remained our major economic problem, not because of job losses but due to the rapid growth in our labour force.
Despite these very substantial improvements achieved in the context of a difficult international economic climate, Irish unemployment levels remain high and their reduction is given the highest priority in our economic policy. To achieve this objective our industrial development agencies are to be reorganised to take account of new challenges and opportunities.
IDA Ireland, the Industrial Development Authority, will, as an autonomous organisation, be charged with promoting job creation through industrial development and the attraction of overseas investment to Ireland. The new body will continue to be a one stop shop for companies or entrepreneurs, offering financial incentives, site selection and the promotion of joint ventures and technology transfers. Ireland offers a particularly attractive incentive package to investors, including very favourable rates of corporate tax, a comprehensive system of grants and guaranteed repatriation of profits.
These incentives have combined to make Ireland the most profitable location in Europe. Evidence of this includes the over 1,000 overseas-owned companies now operating in Ireland, from the US, Britain, Germany, Japan and, of course, Australia. Further advantages are conferred by our young, well-educated, computer-literate workforce; excellent telecommunications; high productivity; stable currency, developed industrial infrastructure and access to a European market of 345 million consumers. Ireland can therefore provide the ideal base to exploit the opportunities offered by the world's largest market.
Many Australian investors have already availed of these advantages. There are now 13 Australian companies in Ireland, employing 850 people. These include Beamish and Crawfords brewery, owned by Elders and National Irish Bank whose parent is National Australia Bank. Investment is of course a two-way process and I am glad that many of the larger Irish companies have already invested in Australia: Fitzwilton, Allied Irish Banks, Waterford/Wedgwood Ltd., Masstock, Coolmore Stud and several mining companies.
IDA Ireland has responsibility for marketing Dublin's International Financial Services Centre. Over 130 companies are already trading there, including many major banks and financial institutions from Japan, Germany and the United States. To date three Australian companies - QBE Insurance, National Irish Bank/National Australia Bank and Pacific Dunlop - have decided to locate at the Centre. I can assure other Australian enterprises who may wish to investigate the possibility of operating at the Dublin IFSC, or of investment in Ireland generally, that, in addition to the wholehearted support, advice and assistance which they will receive from IDA Ireland, they will also be afforded a very warm and sincere welcome in Ireland.
As Australians you are the inheritors of a proud and ancient tradition, one which deserves to be transmitted to your children's children in all its fullness. It is heartening to note the great resurgence of interest in all things Irish in Australia in recent years. The ties that bind our two countries are strong and durable and neither time nor the tyranny of distance has been able to sever or weaken them. I look forward to the continued strengthening and development of Irish-Australian links, both commercial and cultural, and I have no doubt that Melbourne will continue to play its part, as it has done so magnificently in the past.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh.