ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE TO THE IRISH AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF IRELAND, MARY McALEESE TO THE IRISH AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY, MELBOURNE
Dia dhíbh a chairde agus beannachtaí na Féile Padraig oraibh go léir. Is mór an onóir agus is mór an pléisiúir dom bheith anseo libh inniu.
President of the Australia Ireland Chamber of Commerce.
Distinguished Guests.
My husband Martin and I are delighted to be spending St. Patrick’s Day with you in Melbourne and I bring warmest greetings from Ireland to each of you and to your families on this special day for the Irish and the friends of Ireland around the world.
It is a source of great pride to me that as President of Ireland I can travel to a place as far from Ireland as it is possible to get and find here a vibrant organisation dedicated to promoting professional and business relationships between Ireland and Australia. This visit gives me a welcome opportunity to say a heartfelt thank you for all you do to ensure the continuing contemporary and flourishing growth of the strong links between our two countries, which are history’s legacy. I would like to pay particular tribute to the Chamber President, Patrick Moloughney, the Board of Directors and CEO, Marie Fay, for their tremendous work in supporting the development of the Chamber since its establishment in 1988. From your dedication and vision have come many benefits that flow both ways, bringing opportunities to new generations of Irish and Australians and vindicating the sacrifices of past generations through whose lives we inherited a deep kinship with, and a love for, one another.
St. Patrick’s Day in Australia is itself a wonderful showcase of the vibrancy of the Irish community. On this day we get a special insight into the spirit of the Irish, the rich cultural heritage, the love of life and of company, expressed in music, dance, in pageant, in a shared meal and a gathering like ours. That spirit helped many an immigrant to transcend loneliness and adversity and I have no doubt that even those of our ancestors who struggled most would be very proud indeed to see the self-confidence and success of both modern Australia and modern Ireland. They would be prouder still to see the strong ties that bind us and keep on binding us in every generation, ties you clearly regard as a very sacred trust.
This Chamber has a wide embrace as we can see from the range and diversity of businesses represented here today. You know better than most how important a healthy trading environment is to the continuing fortunes and prosperity of the Australian and the Irish people. In a very competitive world there is no easy way to attract investment and to create jobs. There is only the way you do it and that is by putting in the hours and putting in the effort. That effort is underpinned by a faith in the Australian and the Irish people and a determination that their fullest potential will be realised.
It is striking how many similarities there are between the economic development of Ireland and Australia – and indeed of Victoria. The economic success of the Irish community here mirrors the outstanding economic strides Ireland has made in recent decades, thanks to a mix of membership of the European Union, our youthful educated labour force, our investment friendly financial climate, our social partnership and our willingness to embrace change.
Back in the 1980’s Ireland’s average income per head stood at 65% of the European Union average. Today’s figure is exactly twice that – 130%, making Ireland by far the best-performing European economy and we are of course the only English speaking country inside the Euro zone. Direct foreign investment has been substantial and it has brought a renewed confidence and vigour to our indigent investors. Between them they have transformed Ireland into one of the world’s foremost-globalised export economies.
The 1,200 and more foreign companies, which have set-up operations throughout Ireland, cover a wide range of activities from manufacturing to e-Business activities in sectors as diverse as electronics, software, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, financial and international services. The result of this is that we are just as likely to be known for our high-tech exports as for our more traditional exports of agricultural products and in fact it is a matter of some righteous satisfaction that we have been ranked as the world’s number one exporter of computer software.
As a small island people on the periphery of Europe we have realised both the importance and potential of our overseas links. Through membership of the United Nations and the European Union we have been able to engage on an equal footing with countries across the world building networks of shared endeavour. And of course we have close contact with the global Irish network, which stretches, to almost every country in the world with Australia featuring very prominently among them. The Government of Ireland’s Asia-Pacific Strategy aims to deepen and enrich our cultural, economic and political links with the countries of this region. We know well the importance, which Australia attaches to its relationship with Asia and as relative newcomers to the area, though not to Australia, we see our relationship with Australia as key to the development of effective connections with the region.
The region is of crucial importance for Ireland as it includes Australia, South Asia, South-East Asia and North-East Asia, accounting for 56% of the world’s population, 25% of world GNP, and 22% of the world’s international trade. Our economic and commercial relations are of increasing importance with exports to the region as a whole reaching € 10 billion in 2002 making Asia our third-largest regional trading partner, after the European Union and North America.
Our business with Australia continues to grow and today two-way trade is valued at about 1.3 billion Australian dollars. The landscape of opportunity has been opening up dramatically for our two countries in recent years. Despite the ups and downs that beset the world’s economic trends Ireland and Australia have the rigor and the imagination to transcend the current difficulties and strive for better things ahead. We are two ambitious, successful nations. We know and respect each other with a special intimacy. We are comfortable with each other and so are well able to short-circuit the journey towards trust and familiarity on which business partnerships and joint initiatives both depend and thrive. Recently I welcomed Australia’s new Ambassador to Ireland, former Senator Dr. John Herron, whose father was born in Co. Wexford. I know from discussions with him that he is determined that Australian business should grasp the opportunities of exporting into Ireland’s open and growing economy and we are determined that we too will keep on developing opportunities for trade the other way.
You are the heads, hands and hearts of that work. Your knowledge of both countries and their respective business environments is a wonderful resource on which to build the shared future we aspire to. You are ambassadors for both Australia and Ireland and we are each very, very blessed to have you and to have the gift of your commitment, to the work of this Chamber. May you prosper and may Ireland and Australia prosper with you and through you.
It has been an honour for Martin and I to meet and to share St. Patrick’s Day with you.
Go raibh maith agaibh.