60th Anniversary of Malta’s Independence Reception

Shadow Minister for Multiculturalism, Mr John-Paul Langbroek MP; High Commissioner of Malta to Australia, His Excellency Mr Mario Farrugia Borg; Honorary Consul for Malta in Southeast Queensland, Ms Sandra Micallef; Members of the Consular Corps; distinguished guests; ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Jagera and Turrbal people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

Graeme and I are delighted that you have been able to join us at Government House tonight to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of Malta’s independence.

Throughout history, the basic human desire for freedom from oppression has driven people all over the world to fight for independence.

It’s a desire that saw the people of Malta resist invaders and colonial powers for almost 3,000 years.

The Phoenicians, the Carthaginians, the Romans, the Byzantine Empire, the Arabs, the Normans, the French, and finally the British, all wanted to control the rugged cliffs and rocky coastlines of the island of Malta because of its unique strategic location in the Mediterranean.

But controlling the land itself also meant controlling the people, and while that long list of successive invaders and colonisers had military superiority – and inevitably left their stamp on the language and culture of the island – none were ever able to dominate the resilient and defiant spirit of the Maltese people.

The world saw a magnificent display of that spirit during the second World War when the Maltese showed extraordinary bravery during the relentless, three-year siege by Germany and Italy.

At the end of the war, the great national pride that had produced such fierce resistance saw Britain and Malta embark on a peaceful political process leading to independence, and it is the culmination of that process on the 21^st of September 1964 that we remember and celebrate today.

The Australian National Archives reveal that Maltese immigrants have been coming to Australia for more than 200 years – in fact the first of them, in 1810, were not voluntary immigrants at all, but convicts!

But in the first half of the 20^th century, Maltese migration to Queensland gathered strength, thanks, first, to the economic opportunities offered by the sugar industry, mining, and construction, and then to the devastation of Malta during the Second World War.

Since then, we have seen an influx of new arrivals and the growth of a strong, close-knit community of more than 22,000 Queenslanders with Maltese ancestry, many of whom are here tonight.

That connection between Queensland and Malta has actually been a constant since 1876 because, in that year, the eight-pointed cross of the Knights of Malta, was chosen by Queen Victoria as the symbol for our State.

Tonight, as we celebrate 60 years of Malta’s independence, we are reminded that Queensland and Malta share a symbol that, around the world, signifies protection, bravery, and self-sacrifice.

Happy independence day!