Speech by the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese to the 10th Anniversary Dinner
Speech by the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese to the 10th Anniversary Dinner of the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce
President Norman Fay and Marie Fay, Distinguished Guests.
I am delighted to be with you in this beautiful city of Melbourne - named by Governor Richard Bourke from Limerick - to join the Members and Friends of the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry on this historic night of celebration and achievement. As I look across this huge gathering it is so evident that your achievement is all the more remarkable when one considers that it is only ten years ago that Gerry Higgins and Gerry Lonergan, with a few close friends decided that it was time to bring together those in Melbourne and from across Victoria with an involvement in business and an interest in Ireland.
It is perhaps no coincidence that their meeting took place ten years ago - in 1988. For 1988 was the year when people across this country and elsewhere came together to mark the Bicentenary of the establishment of Australia’s first European settlement. It was the year when Australians focussed on their history and their heritage and celebrated the many great achievements of this remarkable and respected democracy. It was the year when Irish Australians celebrated their contribution to this nation, and were reminded by Patrick O’Farrell that they “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”. But above all, it was a year when people looked to the future, as did Gerry Higgins and Gerry Lonergan, and decided that fresh ideas, innovative strategies and, in some cases, new institutions could deepen and enrich Australian life and indeed Australia’s relationships with others across the world.
Those who came together ten years ago to establish the Irish Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry recognised the profound nature of the Irish influence on Australia. They recognised that the Irish presence in Australia was more consistent, more comprehensive and more assertive than elsewhere. It is much larger, as a proportion of the overall population, than anywhere else in the world, including the United States. The founders of the Chamber also recognised that across the business community - particularly here in Melbourne - in this most Irish of Australian cities - in the offices of Chief Executives and in the board rooms of major companies there would invariably be an Irish Australian presence. Very soon they discovered that there was more than a passing wish - there was a lively and widespread interest - to contribute to the work of the Chamber and to enhance the Irish Australian business relationship. That they succeeded so well is celebrated by the fact that this Chamber now has grown to over 300 members. From the attendance here this evening it has many more enthusiastic supporters, who rightly want to recognise and to rejoice in ten years of outstanding achievement.
Ladies and Gentlemen.
The last decade has also been a period of outstanding achievement for the Irish economy. As I have travelled across Australia, I have been able to speak of the phenomenal growth and development which is now taking place in Ireland. What is happening in economic terms is without precedent in the history of our State. Over the last decade our economy has grown by some 60% in real terms and our unemployment has declined by some 50%. This year up to 50,000 new jobs will be created. Over the last decade we have seen the welcome return of many skilled Irish women and men who want to be part of this growth - we have, in effect, seen the reversal of the pattern of Irish emigration for over a century and a half. Above all there is the promise - indeed the confidence - that the economic progress being made today will have profound and exciting implications for the entire lifestyle - cultural and social - of the Irish people well into the new millennium.
There is of course still much to do. The progress we have made must be sustained for the benefit of all our people and for future generations. Over the last ten years and more we have learned many valuable lessons. We have learned of the benefits of a consensus approach to economic policy. We have understood the importance of having a longer term economic perspective. We have recognised the need to be a respected and reliable partner in the global trading economy. Today Ireland has joined Belgium and Singapore in being - on a per capita basis - the three largest exporting countries in the world.
Indeed, we profoundly agree with those in Australia who believe that globalization is one of the most crucial and central trends affecting both large and small economies. Globalization offers huge opportunities for internationally competitive economies. It also brings challenges for economic management. It increases competitive pressures in markets and makes globally based trade rules and disciplines even more important. Both Ireland and Australia recognised these facts when we became founding members of the World Trade Organisation.
The creation of an international economic environment which fosters trade and investment is vital. Nonetheless central to the health and progress of any nation’s trading performance are the range and depth of its individual bilateral relationships. Today Australia is Ireland’s sixth most valuable market outside the European Union and Ireland is ranked ahead of larger European Union economies, such as Austria and Denmark, in Australia’s overall trading partnerships.
This year Ireland marks 25 years of membership of the European Union. The story of our membership is central to an appreciation of our current economic success. Our membership of the Union has made Ireland a significantly more attractive location for foreign investment. The volume and quality of investment in such areas as electronics, computer software and pharmaceuticals would hardly have arisen without access to European markets. We have also been able to make good use of European funding in developing our infrastructure, modernising our telecommunications systems, strengthening our tourism sector, advancing our agriculture and investing in the education of our young people - our greatest asset as a nation.
The many Irish companies which have a presence in Australia and Australian firms operating in Ireland are testimony to the success of our efforts to build a prosperous future. They are also testimony to the success of your work and the work of other dynamic organisations and agencies committed to the task of advancing our valuable investment relationships. And I am very pleased to note that present at this gathering here this evening are representatives of Minelab - an Adelaide based engineering company, which has just announced that it will become the newest member of that family of Australian companies with bases in Ireland. I am equally delighted to welcome the fact that the Bank of Ireland, based here in Melbourne, has recently joined the growing number of major Irish companies locating in Australia
Institution building and commercial linkages are vital to our future - but so also is the ever increasing contact between people. Tourism has grown dramatically in recent years due to well focussed promotion by Bord Failte, working jointly in many areas with the Northern Ireland Tourist Authority. The truly impressive progress in this area is due also to the numerous travel agencies - like your own Shamrock Travel and others - who work with such great effect in bringing more and more Australian tourists to Ireland. While it is not a primary purpose of my visit here to invite all Australians to come to Ireland, it is a very important one, and I want to assure them, if any assurance is necessary, of an enthusiastic and sincere welcome.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I know of the profound interest which you have - as do all those around the world who love and care for Ireland and its people - in developments in Northern Ireland. I am aware that here in Australia you enthusiastically welcome the Good Friday Agreement. That Agreement offers an unparrelled opportunity - an enormous empowerment to us all - to achieve a new beginning in the relationships within Northern Ireland, between the North and the South, and between Ireland and Britain. It is an opportunity which was embraced by the people of Ireland when they voted overwhelmingly, in the different jurisdictions, to endorse its provisions on 22 May. Again - a month later on 25 June - some 77% of the people of Northern Ireland, who voted in the Assembly elections, supported those parties who negotiated the Agreement. The will of the people is clear. It is incumbent on all who believe in democracy to accept that fact. Indeed it is incumbent on all to accept that fact and to fully respect the overwhelming choice which the people have made for peace and for the values of community, for the rebuilding of lives and for the achievement of progress and prosperity. What happened in Omagh, which caused so much pain and anguish, must never happen again - it is not part of our traditions - it cannot be part of our future.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
What we wish for ourselves - peace, progress and prosperity - we wish for all people and for the global Irish family - and for you - the members of that family - here in Melbourne.
Norman Fay will, I know, soon be standing aside at the end of his two year term as President of the Chamber - I am very thankful that the Irish Constitution provides for a somewhat longer term for its Presidents. Before concluding, I would like to pay a special tribute to Norman for all he has achieved during that two years of his stewardship. The Chamber has grown in numbers, expanded in its focus and is now better positioned than ever to make a very real and dynamic contribution to the economic relationship between Ireland and Australia.
I want to thank Norman, his wife Marie and the entire Committee of the Chamber for their dedicated work in organising this wonderful celebration of ten years of remarkable success. I want to thank Gerry Higgins and Gerry Lonergan and all those over the years - the list of names is far too numerous for individual acclamation - who have worked with such dedication to bring the Chamber to this magnificent moment. Thank you all for your warm friendship, for your enthusiastic welcome and splendid hospitality and, above all else, for your affection for the land of which I am so proud to be president.