Reception On Board RSS Resolution Republic of Singapore Navy

Thank you, High Commissioner, Colonel Chuan, for your introductory words this evening. Kaye and I are delighted to join you all tonight on board the RSS Resolution.

I was very pleased to learn that the Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Ballarat participated in the Fleet Review in Singapore, alongside vessels from around 20 other nations, as part of the Singaporean Navy’s significant 50th anniversary commemorations in May.

This wonderful display of naval diplomacy reaffirms many of the long-standing friendships and relationships which Singapore enjoys.

The presence here tonight of the High Commissioner, and many senior members of the Singaporean and Australian armed forces, reaffirms the particularly warm relations between our two nations.

In this year of conspicuous and solemn commemoration, we pay particular gratitude to all those who fought and died alongside each other in an attempt to halt the advancing Japanese.

Seventy five years on, we celebrate that relations between our two nations extend far beyond defence and security to encompass trade, innovation, education and science, and warm people-to-people links, to the mutual benefit of our citizenries.

Kaye and I are deeply appreciative of the hospitality and kind welcome afforded to us during our official visit to Singapore in 2015. We visit again this month, to welcome the Queen’s Baton Relay on its journey to Queensland ahead of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.

We hope your time in Queensland, Commander Chuan, Lieutenant Colonel Khee, is as equally warm for you and your crew as was our time in Singapore. 

It is a great honour for Kaye and I to be here tonight, as we do our best to render what is an excellent established relationship between Singapore and Queensland, and Singapore and Australia, even more enduring and mutually beneficial.