SENATOR THE HON PENNY WONG
MINISTER FOR FINANCE AND DEREGULATION
DEPUTY LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE SENATE
SPEECH
PW 270/13
23 February 2013
CHINESE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE SOUTH AUSTRALIA
2013 CHINESE NEW YEAR DINNER
***check against delivery***
[Acknowledgements omitted]
It’s 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,
Parliament House, Canberra ACT 2600 Australia  Tel: (02) 6277 7400 Fax: (02) 6273 4110
•
Asia will not only be the largest production zone, but will be the largest
consumption zone and home to most of the world’s middle class – which is
expected to rise by 2.5 billion people by 2030.
This transformation of the global economy will similarly transform the Australian
economy, and we have the opportunity to turn this change to our advantage.
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 won’t 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 peopleto-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.
Gong xi fa cái.