2017 Australia Day Flag Raising Ceremony

Our Premier, Ministers, Leader of the Opposition, other Members of Parliament, our Mayor and Councillors, Service Chiefs, ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys.

It is a great source of pride, for Kaye and me, that we have spent every Australia Day of this 26^th governorship here, in this vibrant, grand City of Townsville.

Our continued presence here in regional Queensland, on this vitally important national day, resonates very much with my intention to be a Governor for all Queenslanders.

Our State’s geographical distances aside, today is, above all, about promoting unity, and reaffirming our commitment, as citizens of Australia, to the pursuit of an upliftingshared future for us all. 

Speaking of uplifting futures for us all, I publicly congratulate Queensland’s own Professor Alan Mackay-Sim without further ado upon his being named Australian of the Year – a great honour for him, and for our State. 

Kaye and I have experienced first-hand, on many varied occasions, this commitment to an uplifting shared future in the people of Townsville, and indeed in Queenslanders all around our vast State: people imbued with dedication to mutual support and optimal outcomes.   

We witnessed it this morning, as we all joined in acknowledging – and at once do so again, the Wulgurukaba and Bindal peoples, peoples who have tended these lands for thousands of years; their contributions, and those of our Torres Strait Island community, continue to enrich Townsville and Queensland life.

We have also seen that commitment in the proud military personnel of this region, who deserve our unstinting support whether at peace or at war, and whose impeccable ceremonial turnout this morning augurs well for the security and cohesiveness of our nation; our appreciation of their sacrifice only heightened by apparently never-ending challenges to national security.

And we have been heartened to see that commitment – to a beneficial shared future – in all of you, ladies and gentlemen, the remarkable citizens of Townsville, as you go about your daily lives, at work and at home, guided by conspicuous care for each other, and respect for your State and nation.

And I was very honoured to join our Premier and Mayor at the ceremony welcoming so many new citizens earlier this morning. What a special day it is for them all!

Kaye and I wish you all a most invigorating twenty-seventeen, as we go about, in so many meaningful ways, the celebration of our nation… the celebration of our State. Thank you.