Its a pleasure to be here with you to celebrate the Year of the Snake and welcome in the New Year.
This is a special time of year a time to spend with family and friends and a time to celebrate our culture and our traditions. These New Year celebrations and traditions - the sharing of food, ang pows, the lion dance, firecrackers and so much more - remind us of our roots: of our lineage and of the longevity and persistence of the Chinese culture.
It is also a time in which we are reminded of the diversity of modern Australia; that the fabric of our Australian community is woven by many cultures and many histories.
We speak with many accents, but we are one people. This is the great multicultural story that is at the heart of our nation.
Just as the New Year speaks to the past and to our present, it also prompts us to look ahead.
Our world is being transformed by the shift east. The weight of economic power and global influence is moving from West to East in a shift that is both inexorable and profound.
Consider some of what we already anticipate:
- By the end of this decade, Asia is set to overtake the combined economic output of Europe and North America to become the world's largest economic power; and,
- Asia will not only be the largest production zone, but will be the largest consumption zone and home to most of the worlds middle class which is expected to rise by 2.5 billion people by 2030.
That is why the Government released the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper to develop the strategy, the policies and the thinking that will best position Australia in the decades ahead.
It is also why in the coming years, organisations such as the Chinese Chamber of Commerce, which already contribute so much to our nation, will become increasingly more important.
Developing and strengthening the links between Australia and our Asian neighbours has always been important. Now it is an imperative.
Australia's multiculturalism is an economic resource as well as a national asset.
From the early years of this nation's history, Chinese Australians have brought an ethic of work and a culture of aspiration.
The contribution of the Chinese community to the development of this country has been enormous. And, at this point in the Australian story it is a contribution that can grow even more.
The value of Chinese language and Asia literacy more broadly is increasingly prized, and will only continue. As was discussed in the Asian Century White Paper, these are capabilities of national importance.
But the Asian language and literacy skills are not the only contribution multiculturalism makes to Australia's advancement in the Asian Century.
Because prospering in Asia in the decades ahead will demand more than learning a single new language or one new model of doing business. The challenges and opportunities are larger than that.
Economic power will be spread across the region, not land in one single country.
It wont be enough to tap into a single market when the economic opportunities of the next decades will be spread from Beijing to Bangkok, from Jakarta to Jaipur.
Economies that will thrive in the future are those with people that are highly skilled and adaptable to different markets and cultures. Those that can establish and utilise people-to-people links, with people that can bridge the differences of timezones, locations and culture. Those that understand that business relationships are more than the sum of transactions; that a deeper engagement is required. And, most fundamentally, those who understand the opportunity that comes from having an open mind.
Open mindedness brings the opportunity to learn: to gain something new.
Just as an open economy demands the engagement and reform that drives success, open mindedness encourages adaptability and innovation.
Australians speak over 260 languages and we identify with more than 270 ancestries.
We are a society that is open, tolerant and vibrant; where living and working with people of many races and diverse backgrounds is increasingly the norm.
It is a social and economic foundation that enables the open-mindedness and cultural adaptability which are critical skill sets in this century of change.
We support multiculturalism not only because it is one of the defining features of our nation, not only because we value diversity, and not only because we believe tolerance and respect are fundamental to modern Australia.
We support multiculturalism because it is one of this nation's great resources as we meet the challenge of change and opportunity that is this the Asian Century.
One of the central responsibilities of government is to look ahead, and to make the choices today to enable the next generation to prosper.
We should always ensure that our children have better opportunities than those we were given.
This is not automatic. It requires hard work. It requires the right policies, the right plans and the political will to see them through.
This is something that the many generations of Chinese migrants have understood - and that this generation must work to provide the next with greater opportunity.
This is the driving logic behind the Labor Government's policies to reform our schools, build modern infrastructure and sustain growth and jobs; creating more opportunity for Australians today and for those that follow.
As I said at the start of my remarks, Chinese New Year is an opportunity to look to the future.
I wish the Chinese Chamber of Commerce all success in the year ahead, and I hope that for everyone here tonight the future for you and for your family is one filled with happiness, health and prosperity.
Gongxifaci.
