I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
I’m so pleased to be back here at my old school to congratulate all the new members of the College Parliament.
Being chosen to represent your peers is a recognition of your qualities.
It speaks for everything you’ve achieved through your time at school so far.
It’s also a challenge for the year ahead: to use your talents to serve others.
Because whether it’s Federal Parliament, or College Parliament, the honour and the privilege is never about the position you hold or the title you’re given.
The great privilege of being chosen to serve, is the opportunity to make a positive difference for others and to make this great school an even better place.
You do that by being true to yourself, by holding strong to your values.
And you do it by being willing to listen and learn, because no one comes to these jobs with all the answers to every question.
My greatest mentor in public life, Tom Uren, served in Federal Parliament for 32 years.
He used to say you should try and learn something new every day, because that’s how you grow as a person.
That advice still lives with me every day I have the extraordinary honour of serving as the 31st Prime Minister of Australia.
To the senior students here, I understand that as you get closer to the end of your time at school, there are more challenges and more pressure.
I still remember the expectation you put on yourself ahead of those final exams.
Education is a precious thing and it’s right to take it seriously and to work hard in pursuit of your goals.
But what I also remember from my time at school is the fun you have along the way and all the friends you make.
That matters too and it stays with you.
As do the values that were nurtured at this school.
For all of you, this is a special time in your life and I want to encourage you to enjoy it and to look forward with optimism, because there is a bright future ahead for you and for our country.
The years ahead will define Australia’s future and each of you will be part of it.
Part of a global economy being redefined by technology and clean energy and digital transformation.
Every country is facing these challenges and no country is better placed than Australia to make these changes work for us and to seize the opportunities ahead of us.
When I was at school, people still talked about the ‘tyranny of distance’.
The idea that down in this part of the world we were cut-off from the markets and economies that shaped global prosperity.
Today, we stand on the doorstep of the fastest growing region in the world, in human history.
The tyranny of distance has been replaced by the opportunity of proximity.
And with our resources and our people and our talent and smarts, Australia can make this moment our own.
We can be part of the solution to global climate change.
We can provide the energy to power a new generation of good jobs.
And we can drive breakthroughs in technology that will create new opportunities.
We can achieve all this while nourishing our Australian sense of fairness and social justice.
Showing kindness to those doing it tough, looking after the most vulnerable in our society.
Making sure that as our nation moves ahead, no-one is held back and no-one is left behind.
I’ve always been an optimist about Australia’s future.
And when I see the drive and passion of your generation, I’m optimistic that we can make this greatest country on earth, even greater.
I wish you all the very best for the future.