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. Thankyou to Auntie Annie for her Welcome to Country.
I will say that I'm very proud to lead a government that will give Australians the opportunity to recognise that privilege we have sharing this beautiful country over half with the oldest continuous culture on Earth, and recognising them in our Constitution in a referendum that will be held in the last quarter of this year.
I want to welcome Anne Webster, the Federal member here, and the state members who are here. Robyn, we had a chat - I think it was before 7, it was pretty early in Canberra - about three weeks ago, when we weren't able to proceed because of the weather because we literally weren't able to fly into here.
So I was really pleased that when I talked with Robyn, and sent my apologies, I committed to coming back as soon as possible. One of the things I try to do was always do what I say I will do.
And here we are today, just a few weeks later. I was chatting with Robyn about that when she attended the Australian Council of Local Government just a week later there in Canberra, which it was much colder than it is here. It's all relative here.
Can I also say that I'm so pleased to be here in this beautiful town. We were a bit early getting here today, we allowed for a bit of turbulence. So it meant that we got dropped off right at the other end of the city and went for a walk through and had a chat with many of the locals who stopped and were surprised somewhat that the Prime Minister was walking down the main street of Horsham.
But it's a fantastic thing. One of the great honours and privileges that I have is going out and about. I want to ensure that I'm a Prime Minister for the whole country. And that means going not just the big city, we're going to our regional cities and our regional towns, as well as our remote communities. That is why I was really pleased to take on the invitation to visit here at this absolutely fabulous riverfront system.
Our waterfronts are precious. I used to live pretty close to a river in Sydney. And it's always a centre. There's something about Australia and that egalitarian ethos that we have, that we have the public spaces that are so important. Because it says, as much as we all struggle these days with social media with that sort of individualism that's very much a part of modern society, we're social beings.
We want to gather in places. We want to have barbecues. We want to gather families and have young and old be able to enjoy facilities.
And that's why this facility here jointly funded by the Federal and the State Labor Government, as well I thank the Andrews Government for their contribution, as well as the council to make a difference here. A $3.2 million project that will really highlight the beauty of this river and the riverfront here.
You should cherish the ovals and the open spaces, the botanic gardens that are here. This is truly a beautiful city. And this project here enhances that even more.
I know that this revitalisation work along the Wimmera River will keep drawing in tourists, making a difference for people who want to explore the Wimmera Region and the many National Parks and enjoy the good company of the friendly locals. I must say, the cafes along the strip there look pretty fantastic as well.
I'm sure that the Angling Club - the mayor was telling me that along the adjuncts that are off the walk there, there's a place where people can come and chuck a line in the river. And that's a great thing as well.
I'm sure that there'll be a lot of stories here at this park in the riverfront about just how big the fish was that got away. And I'm sure that every fish will be exactly as huge as the fisherpeople say it is. So that's a good thing.
Could I just congratulate everyone associated with this project. Projects like this create jobs during construction. Although I note that the young people here who greeted me, and thank you for that, they were very proud that they participated in the artwork. That's now a part of this.
And as they grow up, hopefully they can show their kids and maybe even their grandkids - hopefully not too soon for the parents involved - they can show them that they made a contribution to the artwork that made this such a fantastic facility.
That sense of ownership that it has, by participating and engaging and involving people, is exactly the principle that we have for our engagement with local governments.
It's what we're trying to do with consultations, as well, on the Voice. Engaging people, giving them that sense of belonging and that sense of ownership. You've done that by engaging the local kids and that's a fantastic thing.
So congratulations, particularly to the Mayor and the council for all the work that you have done. And it's great that so many members of the local community have come out for today's opening, so congratulations.