Here we are. Thank you for coming. I hope you enjoyed your journey here today.

Where ever you came in from, you would have been able to see kunanyi/Mt Wellington on your journey, with its organ pipes towering over this beautiful city. And then you walked into this room, designed by the Colonial architect Henry Hunter, to see the kind of building which can only really be found in the oldest colonies, New South Wales and Tasmania. And behind me here, a different kind of organ pipes. Built in London, but improved here in Tasmania in 1929, including by adding a case made from Tasmanian blackwood. Our place, and our people. Our story. And thats what I want to talk to you about today. Im not here to talk about politics or policies, because after all these are just the tools we use to talk about what really matters to us. And I do want to talk about what really matters to us. I want to talk about what it means for us to live here, in this beautiful place. I want to talk about what our island, our archipelago, really is. And about what it could be. I want to talk about us, and who we are. And if today I sound like I have sense of urgency well, I do. Because in the past, every time the world has changed, Tasmania and our people have changed with it. But right now it seems like we are struggling to change quickly enough. It seems like were in danger of being stuck in endless debates that go nowhere and hold us back.

The world is changing rapidly, its climate and its markets, and we must change with it. Again. And we can. Let me start by telling you a story. There was this bloke called Dave. One day he and a mate were having a few beers, and Dave said, Mate. Ive had an idea. I'm going to build a place. Its gonna be all about death. Death? said his mate. Nah mate. No ones interested in death. Well, said Dave, It could be about sex too. [pause] It could have... you know...death machines and poo machinesand sex. Itll be a museum and an art gallery, and I'm going to get the best designers and build it somewhere really beautiful and make it so extraordinary that people will come from all over the world to see it. "And..... Im going to build it..... in Glenorchy. We can imagine what his mate might have said. "Idiot. Give me the car keys. Youre not driving. Well OK, MONA might not have come about quite like that, but David Walsh is a great example of what innovators and entrepreneurs can offer. Now I know we haven't all got a spare $100 million kicking around down the back of the couch, but this is not about how much money you've got. It's about belief. It's about the belief that David Walsh had in his ideas, and his judgement. And its about the belief that other Tasmanians can have in theirs.

Who knows, perhaps there are now students at our Art School who believe, thanks to David's lesson, that they could be as good as any artist in the world. Perhaps there are other tourism entrepreneurs who now believe that they could do something perhaps not as big, but just as remarkable. Or perhaps there is a single mum somewhere in Moonah, or Moriarty, or Melton Mowbray, who reads books to her children every night because she knows that one day they could also achieve great things. Perhaps that would be David's greatest gift to Tasmania. Not his museum, not the countless jobs for everyone from artists to builders to taxi drivers to boatbuilders to waiters to graphic designers, but his lesson that if we have confidence in how world class we can be, we can do great things. All around Tasmania, people are taking business risks, acting on their belief in their own judgement. Whether it's Hagley hazelnut farmer George French, or orchardist Tim Reid down at Geeveston, or the Hammond family doing those spectacular musters of wagyu cattle across the sands to Robbins Island. Whether its Bob Clifford at Incat, or Rob Pennicott off the spectacular south coast of Bruny Island, people who had a dream and believed in themselves are creating Tasmania's future. Tasmanian innovators are even realising that climate change will bring opportunities along with challenges. Tasmanian winemakers like Frogmore Creek have begun experimenting with Mediterranean varieties like shiraz.

The ideas that will create our future won't come from government, or politicians, or overseas corporations or mainland blow-ins. The ideas that will form our future will come from us, the Tasmanian people. And they will come. Because Tasmania punches above its weight. Weve produced award winning scientists, mathematicians, architects, actors, dancers, musicians, Commonwealth Book Prize winning writers, Archibald Prize winners even Nobel Prize winners. We lead the world in Antarctic and marine science. We have more scientists per capita than any other state. We have world class medical and scientific research facilities. We have a first class university ranked in the top 2% of universities in the world. We are building a new future right now. All around us, it's happening. The Tasmanian economy has been undergoing a quiet transformation for a decade, moving out of an over reliance on resource based industries into a more diversified and more resilient economy. This transformation started later than it should have, and because of that has been harder for some Tasmanians than it needed to be. And its not finished yet. But look at us now. We're selling cherries to Japan, truffles to France and tulips to Amsterdam.

Jobs are being created in viticulture, in acquaculture, cut flowers, honey, small fruits, boutique beer and cider to broad acre farming. Jobs are being created in the digital economy, in the creative economy, in the knowledge economy and, of course, in tourism. Weve always known our tourism potential. We now have over a million tourists arriving here every twelve months and they are staying longer, and spending more money. They're not coming here because we're the same as anywhere else; they come here because were different. They come here because we're unique as a people and unique as a place. And there it is. The real drivers of our future prosperity are those things that make us different to the rest of the country, and unique in the world. We shouldnt be trying to compete in global markets by offering cheaper prices - created by dropping wages or relaxing workplace safety or environmental standards - because we should have too much respect for our people and our place to do that. Our people, our place. And we are a small place, with a small population. But being small is one of our greatest assets. Small means we are nimble and flexible; better able to change in response to a changing world, and to change fast. To adapt, evolve, innovate and create. Because small places know that relationships matter, and that staying connected is key. Staying connected with each other and with our markets.

Fibre optics will support that connection. For Tasmania, fibre optics must be the great driver and enabler of prosperity in this century, as the big hydro schemes were in the last. If the Commonwealth won't roll it out to the door, we should do it ourselves. We should borrow if we need to, or partner with the private sector, but however we do it, it must be done. We need to remind ourselves that we can take these risks and be bold. We need to act with the confidence that we can be the best. Because the world is changing and Tasmania has got what the world wants and what weve got the world is willing to pay for. Why is that? Its simple. In a world racked by climate change we are on track to be 100% renewable energy by 2020, and we have some of the most carbon rich forests in the world. In a world of poisoned and dying environments we have healthy and clean agricultural land. In a world harried by scares about food contamination we have high quality, clean, safe food supplies. In a world of growing tension over water resources we have abundant and clean fresh water. International students come to Tasmania from countries where the cities are so big they swallow the countryside and where you cant see the horizon for the smog. Recently some of them described to us their first experience of seeing a sky clean of pollution. They said that for the first time they had seen the stars and they had seen a rainbow.

They were stunned by Tasmanias beauty. We were stunned to think that a life could be lived without having seen the stars. We were stunned that what we enjoy so easily is such a rare and treasured thing. Clean air, clean water. And we have even more than that. In an overcrowded world, where people dont know their neighbours and rarely see green and growing things, where countries are shattered by division and sectarianism, we have space, we have peace, we have supportive communities and safe public places. In Tasmania we can live in a city and at the end of our working day we can go fishing, or surfing, or for a walk in a forest. People across the globe have heard about the island that hangs like a tear drop on the face of the world and they long for what we have. When people buy our food, our herbs, our wines, when they come to visit, they know they are buying a piece of something that is clean and unbroken. They know they are buying a memory of the world the way it used to be, when the place that things came from, and the people who made them, were important. [pause] Success will require collaboration. Whether it's a footy club, a farm, a family or a business, nothing works well unless we work together.

And were good at it. The way we work together is one of the things that makes Tasmania special. You can see it in our economy, where interconnectedness of business is as important as the interconnectedness of our people. Tourism supports our wine industry, which is underpinned by our natural environment which in turn supports tourism. Cycles of support and connection which attract digital innovators and artists to make Tasmania their home. Our economy is like an ecosystem, where each part supports the whole. And you can see our interconnectedness in our people. You know, if you are a Tasmanian, whether you are a sea-changer, a migrant, whether you arrived yesterday, or your people have lived here for 200 years, or 40 000, if you are a Tasmanian you are part of something unique. You might have spent your first days here an exile sick with longing for your old life, but you wouldnt be in Tasmania long before you would have known that here you could build something new. You would have sensed the strong bonds of friends and families and communities that life is built on here. Its those bonds which make Tasmania different. We feel connected to each other because we are from a small place, an island. Maybe its because we have always been at the edge of the world, and maybe thats a good thing. Being away from the centre of things gives us perspective. Because the worlds craziness, the frenzied buying and selling of stocks, the race to be super rich, doesnt mean much here. In Tasmania we work hard for things that mean more to us than money.
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Look how we look after each other in crises. Remember Beaconsfield. Remember Dunalley. There is a small army of Tasmanians working for their communities working for no money - in sport, the arts, heritage projects, welfare services, schools and emergency services. Our rate of volunteering soars above the national average far above the rate in the states with the big paypackets. And its not just our own people we care for either. We are supposedly the poorest state in the country, but thats because some people measure wealth using only money. Remember, in times of crisis we are the biggest donors per capita to national appeals for help. We welcome people who have had the trauma of being a refugee, and Tasmanians volunteer in record numbers to help them build new lives here. When the Australian Government built a high security detention centre at Pontville, Tasmanians broke into it. Not all of our locals were convinced about asylum seekers, but they couldnt help themselves because down here we welcome strangers so in the Tasmanians went, carrying gifts of beanies. We opened our schools to them, and opened our hearts. This is what we Tasmanians contribute to Australia. We are a generous, open and welcoming people. And thats why we should be seeing what is happening on Manus Island right now and saying, no, demanding, that Pontville be reopened and those poor people whose only crime is seeking a better life, have their applications for asylum processed here.
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Where we can look after them. A Tasmanian wrote the Australian Constitution Andrew Inglis Clark had hopes of an independent republic where the strong helped the weak. I predict that when our Constitution finally gets its preamble a Tasmanian will write it. Because that is what we do. We are nation builders. And if you want proof that the frantic pursuit of wealth and economic growth doesnt build nations, let us spend a moment with the thoughts of West Australian Premier Colin Barnett. Colin Barnett, running a state which in the 1990s was a net recipient of Commonwealth dollars but which has recently been made rich through geological fluke and the hard work of ordinary miners. Colin Barnett, who objects to the amount of GST revenue allocated to Tasmania, and ridicules us as beggars, who calls us the mendicant state. Colin Barnett, who said that if Western Australia had to continue to subsidise Tasmanians it would go its own way. Really Colin? Where would you go? Further out into the Indian Ocean? Well, off you go Colin.... Because rather than secede, Tasmania, the second oldest colony, the first state to vote overwhelmingly for Federation and the vision of nation-building that that represented, Tasmania, the state rich in natural beauty, history, stories, culture, produce, arts and architecture TASMANIA IS HERE TO STAY. [PAUSE]
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The mainland states and the rest of the world can watch us with envy, and we are happy to welcome their people, who come here fleeing drought, and violence, and overcrowding, and excessive heat, and disillusionment with their big city lives. [pause] And when our economy has completed its transition, when it is the envy of Australia, we will not treat your state, Mr Barnett, they way you have tried to treat us. We will be generous, not selfish, with our wealth. [pause] We know building a new economy is not going to be easy. Our pride in this place doesnt blind us to our challenges. Tasmania has been affected by rising exchange rates and shifting global markets, and change is never easy. There are still people, entire workplaces, who have lost their jobs and many who are finding it hard to get work. We have people whose jobs are too uncertain and this is a tragedy. Because we know what unemployment does to families and communities. And our fear of unemployment has made us desperate and vulnerable to gold-toothed salesmen offering short-term solutions and megaprojects as the answer to all our problems.

We know our economy is at a cross-road, but we are going to stay the course because we are determined to build a prosperous, cooperative future. We can build a new economy.

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We can meet the challenges that face us. We can. We can use our size to our advantage. We know that a small society in conflict with itself cant succeed. We know that the conflict in one sector affects the whole economy. But if we work together we can create jobs in new industries and we can utilise new technologies. We can build more housing that our people can afford and we can invest more in public transport so communities are healthy and settled. We can support our young people into higher levels of training and education and we can offer them a better future. We can build strong communities with good infrastructure that enjoy beautiful common space, good schools and good will. We can create a new civic life. [Pause] Our detractors say were too insular. They say were too small, too underdeveloped, too poor, too lacking in insight, in innovation, in education. They say were not capable of looking after ourselves and that we need to become part of Victoria. Weve been told all that before. Weve even been told that we will have to learn to accept a lower standard of living than other parts of Australia. Do they think that they could threaten us with that?

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Do they think we dont know about lower standards of living? Dont they know that there have been times when we have learned more than we ever needed to know about poverty? Do they think we dont know how to endure tough times? Do they think we don't know about triumph over adversity here in Tasmania? In their arrogance, do they think that we live here because were second rate, and that they can bully us into being the same as them? DONT THEY KNOW THAT WE WOULD RATHER LIVE HERE THAN LIVE ANYWHERE ELSE? They cant scare us. Weve lived through depressions and recessions, weve lived through redundancies and factory closures and we not only survived, we never forgot who we are and what we have here and we never stopped being proud of Tasmania. We have fought for this place and we will never abandon our stewardship of it. That is the story on which we base our hopes for Tasmania, it is the story of our place and our people. .. Where should I end this story? I am going to end it where Tasmanias story began and where a speech like this would normally begin. I am going to end it by paying my respect to the palawa people, the original custodians of this land - lutruwita, Tasmania. Right here, on the land under our feet, is the place where the first starved, exiled white people watched and copied the ways of the

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Aboriginal people watched how they found food, how they lived in this place, how they survived. Because this is a place where there is a spirit of more than survival there is a spirit of ingenuity, creativity, resilience, independence and triumph over adversity. That spirit is more valuable than any amount of minerals under the ground. And it is this spirit that will help us to do the unpredictable. . There are howling gusts of change blowing all around the world. But we live in the roaring 40s. We can respond to that change and build a culture that helps us live the right way. We can build something new; create lives of work, connection and prosperity, while we nurture this place that we love. We took Aboriginal land and paid for it with brutality. The palawa survived and have reclaimed their identity. We should forge a treaty with our first people, because justice has not yet been done. We've lived through dark periods of corrupted relationships between government and business and it nearly tore us apart. We can leave that behind. Weve lived through bitterness and conflict. We can leave that behind. Weve lived through the pain of massive and disruptive shifts in our economy. Were leaving that behind. Weve been lectured on our limitations, but now we can tell a new story about what Tasmania is and who we are. There is great change upon us. But this time its our change.
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Because were moving beyond survival now. The Tasmanians who live on this island, and the Tasmanians of the diaspora, stand on the cusp of something truly remarkable. We are creating a new way of life, and a new economy that builds jobs and nurtures our island. We are. And well do it together, the people of this great state, nurtured by the spirit of this beautiful island, lutruwita, Tasmania.

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