REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE ANNUAL DINNER OF THE IRISH AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT THE ANNUAL DINNER OF THE IRISH AUSTRALIAN BUSINESS ASSOCIATION 19TH MARCH 1999
Ambassador, Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen.
I am delighted to be here at the annual dinner of the Irish Australian Business Association. I would like to convey particular thanks to your Chairman, Frank Cavanagh for this very welcome invitation.
As many of you will be aware, last year I had the privilege of visiting Australia, a visit of which I have extremely warm and wonderful memories. Memories I had the chance to mull over a couple of weeks ago when Margaret Reid, President of the Australian Senate, visited Ireland. She and her husband, Martin and I, met as old friends with a store of shared memories. In my travels I had the pleasure of attending a number of events which brought together Irish and Australian business people, including the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce in Melbourne, the Irish Business Awards Dinner in Sydney and co-incidentally, an organisation with the same name as yourselves, the Irish Australian Business Association in Perth.
I was particularly struck by the vitality and closeness of the business links which have developed between our two countries. Perhaps this is not so surprising, given the extraordinary influence that the Irish have had in Australia. Indeed the Irish presence there is by far the largest as a proportion of the population than anywhere else in the world, including the United States. This has been reflected in the major influence Irish people have had in the life and culture of Australia and, as I saw for myself, in the very high regard and real affection in which the Irish are held there.
What is perhaps more surprising, is that despite the distance that separates us, the links today are of far more than historical or nostalgic interest. In business terms in particular, they are growing daily in vitality in both directions. Just one indication of this is that the value of bilateral trade more than trebled during the 1990’s.
There is a sound economic basis for this. First of all, Ireland’s position as a gateway to Europe, and to the enormous potential of the European market, is of significant and growing importance to Australian companies. This factor, together with our buoyant economy, skilled labour force and lack of a language barrier, have proved to be decisive factors for Australian companies who have chosen to invest in Ireland in recent years.
We were delighted to welcome two additional companies to the fold last year - I&E systems and Minelab Electronics.
Australia has proved to be an equally attractive market for Irish companies, and is now our fifth largest trading partner outside the EU. It is particularly encouraging to see that small and medium sized Irish businesses, which are so crucial to our economic wellbeing, are succeeding particularly well. Their success in building up a competitive edge and winning over very valuable niche markets, is in no small part due to their reputation for flexibility and responding to customer needs. Indeed, there are now more than 120 Irish companies doing business in Australia, particularly in the electronics, software and telecommunications sectors.
It is a mark of the extraordinary distance which Ireland has travelled in such a short time that we now have such a range of young, innovative high tech companies that can compete with the best on any international market.
A key factor in this success has undoubtedly been the strong business partnerships and friendships which have developed between Irish and Australian business people. Business is not a sentimental arena, yet it is people-driven, it relies on relationships of trust and mutual understanding. It flourishes where strong networks are painstakingly crafted by people like you, people who know intimately and intuitively that friendship building is a key component in building trust, respect, understanding – the pillars on which healthy relationships – including business relationships – rest easily.
Although Ireland’s economic success is recent, our historical experience has prepared us well for current opportunities. Over years of emigration, when economic necessity drove our people abroad, we learned to survive and thrive in new environments and new cultures. That experience, although born of necessity and often at great personal cost to the individuals concerned, has provided us with a wonderful network of Irish people and those of Irish background around the globe. Today they form a huge reservoir of energy, freshening our cultural development, helping ease the way for our ‘business outreach’. That network provides us also with a sense of openness to new experiences and a willingness to grasp new opportunities with enthusiasm and confidence. It allows us to experience Ireland as the centre, the universe as the rim.
That network and ethos are quite extraordinary and unique resources. Nowhere are they more alive and dynamic than in Australia. I have had the pleasure of seeing for myself the energy, optimism and vitality that exists in the Irish business community there. I am delighted to see that this ethos is mirrored in the Australian experience in this country.
Those links have been strengthened and deepened by organisations such as the Irish Australian Business Association. Your work has proved invaluable in helping to build contacts, friendships and opportunities between our two countries, to the benefit of each.
We look forward to a State Visit by Sir William and Lady Deane, Governor General of Australia – another major opportunity for Ireland and Australia to showcase their fondness for each other and their interdependence. We look forward to that visit which will also be an important indication of your work.
I congratulate all of you on your success to date and I wish you even greater success in the future.
Guím gach rath ar an gCumann agus gura fada buan é. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.