Good evening, friends.
Buona festa della repubblica!
It’s such a pleasure to be with you to celebrate Italy’s national day.
The story of Italian Australians is deeply and proudly woven into the fabric of our nation.
Over so many generations, Italian families have made their lives here and enriched this country beyond measure.
You have played such a cherished role in the shaping of our modern nation that Australia without Italians is quite simply beyond imagining.
We are so profoundly interwoven that Italy’s joys and sorrows are also ours to celebrate and to mourn.
Italy’s national day is a time to recognise the contribution that generations of Italian migrants, their children and grandchildren, have made to Australia.
As the modern Italian Republic marks its birthday, it is the perfect time to celebrate the land that for, so many Australians, holds their beginnings.
I am proud of my own Italian connections and all that they mean to me.
Which is why I’m so happy to join you here at the Fullerton Hotel.
Once Sydney’s general post office, this building remains a landmark.
Think of the great river of letters between Australia and Italy that has flowed through here.
All those words of love and longing exchanged between friends and family, separated by oceans.
News of the new world, news of the old. Accounts of dreams come true and ambitions thwarted.
Of opportunities lost and found.
There is such a poignancy at the heart of the decision to settle in a new country – to pull up roots and head to a strange and distant land.
And such courage.
Sometimes it’s a decision driven by the desire for new opportunities or a fresh chance, sometimes by the very real need for sanctuary.
Australia has been in the fortunate position of being able to offer all of that. And what we have gained in return is extraordinary diversity, the breadth that is one of greatest strengths as a nation.
We both celebrate our differences, and draw strength from our unity as Australians.
That is the big beating heart of our great nation’s story.
And Italians are such an important part of it.
No organisation knows that better than our generous hosts tonight, Co.As.It..
Co.As.It has been working with and for Italians here since 1968, striving to the urgent welfare needs of Italian migrants, and preserving Italian language and culture.
But focusing on the priorities of the present didn’t mean losing sight of the future.
Co.As.It. has grown and changed alongside the people it serves.
Through aged care and community services, family history, cultural activities and an Italian bilingual school, Co.As.It. continues to support people to make connections and find a sense of belonging.
Co.As.It. was established as an investment in the Italian community in Australia, because it believed in its future.
And that faith has been rewarded tenfold – to the benefit of us all.
When I spoke to Co.As.It.’s family history group in 2017, I said that discovering my Italian heritage found a missing piece in my life.
It is so important for people to know where they come from. To have that family connection. To celebrate their heritage with pride.
It has enriched my life beyond measure and I congratulate Co.As.It. for giving the same gift to its community.
It’s a pleasure to be with you this evening in honour of Italy’s national day, and the history we share.
Thank you.