WHO WE ARE: The power of speech

Wednesday May 9, 2007 04:08 PM

Who We Are

To learn why State governments should be abolished, go to The next big thing.

A column about Australia by David Dale, published in The Sun-Herald, 2/3/2008
It was short, clear and dignified, but was it the most important speech ever given on this continent?

We've had a month to ponder Kevin Rudd's apology. The latest Morgan opinion poll gives him a 77 per cent approval rating -- probably the highest in prime ministerial history -- and federal Labor would get 65 per cent of the two-party preferred vote if an election were held now. So apparently Australians were pleased with it.

But in historical context, its status might shrink a bit, or even enlarge. Consider these six excerpts from 220 years of rhetoric in a nation often described as inarticulate, and try to guess who uttered them:

1. "We took the traditional lands and smashed the traditional way of life. We brought the diseases. The alcohol. We committed the murders. We took the children from their mothers. It was our ignorance and our prejudice and our failure to imagine these things being done to us ... If we have a sense of justice, as well as common sense, we will forge a new partnership."

2. "You have my sacred word of honour that whenever ye commit a fault, you shall be punished, and most severely. I am no stranger to the use you make of every indulgence ... again I add that a vigorous execution of the law (whatever it may cost my feeling) shall follow closely upon the heels of every offender."

3. "The crimson thread of kinship runs through us all. As separate colonies we are of little consequence, but the potentate does not exist, the ruling authority in human affairs does not exist, who would lightly consider the decision of a united Australasia. We would grow at once: in a day, as it were: from a group of disunited communities into one solid, powerful, rich and widely respected power."

4. "It is not the bad qualities but the good qualities of these alien races that make them dangerous to us. It is their inexhaustible energy, their power of applying themselves to new tasks, their endurance and low standard of living that make them such competitors. We are united in the resolve that this Commonwealth shall be established on the firm foundation of unity of race."

5. "Our nation has been changed by this event. Australia has been affected very deeply, but the Australian spirit has not been broken. The Australian spirit will remain strong and free and open and tolerant."

6. "We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry."

The speakers were Paul Keating, launching the Year of Indigenous People, December 1992; Arthur Phillip addressing the population of Sydney, February 1788; Henry Parkes addressing the Federation Conference, February, 1890; Alfred Deakin introducing the White Australia policy, September, 1901; John Howard at the memorial service after the Bali bombings, October, 2002; and Kevin Rudd in Federal Parliament, February, 2008.

Give us your vote on which had the greatest historical significance, or nominate another speech.

David Dale is the author of Who We Are -- A snapshot of Australia today (Allen and Unwin). To discuss Australian attitudes, go to http://blogs.sunherald.com.au/whoweare.

COMMENTS

Paul Keating's - It was the recession we had to have speech. When people remember his time in office, it is what they most remember & despite being the truth, it cost Labor the next election, the election that by all odds & all pundits they should never had lost....

by Kate on March 01, 2008 at 12:31 PM

I would nominate the speech by Mustafa Ataturk in 1934 about the ANZAC fallen as a most significant one in Australia's history.
In I May;
Those heroes that shed their blood
And lost their lives...
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly Country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours...
You, the mothers,
Who sent their sons front far away countries
Wipe away your tears,
Your sons are now lying in our bosom
And are in peace
After having lost their lives on this land
They have become our sons as well
......................
Algenon of Perth

by Algenon on March 01, 2008 at 05:35 PM

I agree that Ataturk's speech is the most significant in Australian history. He said it all so beautifully to a nation mourning the heavy losses we suffered there.

by Alan Parkhouse on March 02, 2008 at 12:13 AM

Arthur Calwell's anti-Vietnam speech in parliament in 1965. He knew the punters would hate an anti-war speech only 20 years after the end of ww2, he knew it would lose Labor the next election and he didn't care. He said what was right. The war was wrong and he knew it in the mid-60s before any Australians set foot there.
"It is not our desire, when servicemen are about to be sent to distant battlefields, and when war - cruel, costly and interminable - stares us in the face, that the nation should be divided. But it is the government which has brought this tragic situation about, and we will not shirk our responsibilities in stating the views we think serve Australia best. Therefore, we say, we oppose this decision, firmly and completely ...
"The course we have agreed to take today is fraught with difficulty. I cannot promise you that easy popularity can be bought in times like these. Nor are we looking for it. When the drums beat and the trumpets sound, the voice of reason and right can be heard in the land only with difficulty. But if we are to have the courage of our convictions, then we must do our best to make that voice heard.
"I offer you the probability that you will be traduced, that your motives will be misrepresented, that your patriotism will be impugned, that your courage will be called into question. But I also offer you the sure and certain knowledge that we will be be vindicated ... "

by John on March 02, 2008 at 01:01 AM

Mark Latham's anti-Iraq invasion speech.

by Marilyn on March 02, 2008 at 02:16 AM

Rudd's speech pales into insignificance compared to Keatings, however the Turkish Mustafa Ataturk has my vote.

by Clare Ruddock on March 02, 2008 at 05:14 AM

"We took the traditional lands and smashed the traditional way of life. We brought the diseases. The alcohol. We committed the murders. We took the children from their mothers. It was our ignorance and our prejudice and our failure to imagine these things being done to us ... If we have a sense of justice, as well as common sense, we will forge a new partnership." (Paul Keating, launching the Year of Indigenous People, December 1992)

and

"We apologise for the laws and policies of successive Parliaments and governments that have inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss on these our fellow Australians. To the mothers and the fathers, the brothers and the sisters, for the breaking up of families and communities, we say sorry. And for the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry." (Kevin Rudd in Federal Parliament, February, 2008)

by Ralph (non-aboriginal) on March 02, 2008 at 05:34 AM

There is one underlying fact in most of these speeches, every one, is dealing with the repercussions of religous attitude and persecution, and it's terrible aftermath, it inflicts on all it comes in contact with, if you would like to learn more, I suggest to all readers to view, zeitgeist, at google.
My favorite speech in Australia's history, is the speech by Jack Curtin, in the early days of the Australian War against Japan, when we had been deserted by Britain, and left defenseless by the previous pathetic Menzies govt, when Menzies own govt had refused to serve under his incompetence.
The speech where Curtin challenged the Japanese to dare to invade our shores, where he states that we will fight them inch for inch yard by yard, because the Australian people are the only people that stand for Advancing and will be the only people that will be doing any advancing.
I think it was nick named, The Hell Fire Speech, nothing comes close to the strength and passion, to meld the Australian people into one, before or after, and I hope this country is never left in or put in a situation like that again!
When Advance Australia Fair was made our national Anthem, this speech was exactly what best describes the Australian strength of character in adversity.

by Rod Hall on March 02, 2008 at 05:56 AM

The greatest speach was that of John Curtin to the people of the United States of America. it was one of appeal for help in a dark hour, but also an appeal by a proud man representing a proud people who were willing to fight to the bitter end and give no quarter.

by Stephen Ward on March 02, 2008 at 06:46 AM

Historically the most significant speech is that of Deakin. It set the tone of Australian society for decades and still leaves lasting legacies. Without that legacy, would we have gone to so many wars? Would we have had the stolen generations? Would we have allowed the health and living conditions of aborigines to be so poor that life expectancy and infant mortality are worse today than for many countries of the world? Would we have had Tampa and children overboard? Would we have been so keen to blindly follow the USA to Vietnam, Iraq and into the war on terror? Would we have a national cricket team behaving as they do today? Would we have a situation where so many Aussies today can only speak one language?

by Longy on March 02, 2008 at 07:15 AM

This speech of PM Billy Hughes 1921, signifies the date and events which established the Commonwealth of Australia as an independent, sovereign Nation.
However the High Court of Australia in 1999 found that we became independent of the UK via the Australia Acts 1986.
After Hughes speech read what Justice Kirby and Callinan think of the Australia Acts from the same transcript of Sue V Hill.
Hansard Hof R, 30 September 1921 at page 11631 in a speech by Hon. Billy Hughes, PM and Attorney General, in quoting the opening words of the 1921 Imperial Conference, Lloyd George PM of the United Kingdom stated
ï¿½In recognition of their services and achievements in the War the British Dominions have now been accepted fully into the comity of the nations of the whole world. They are signatories to the Treaty of Versailles and of all other Treaties of Peace; they are members of the Assembly of the League of Nations and their representatives have already attended meetings of the League: in other words, they have achieved full national status, and they now stand beside the United Kingdom as equal partners in the dignitaries of the British Commonwealth. If there are any means by which that status can be rendered even more clear to their own communities and to the world at large, we shall be glad to have them put forward at this Conference.ï¿½
ï¿½In these words, the Prime Minister of Britain, the President of the Conference, set out in clear and unambiguous language the concept of a partnership of free nations, all equal in dignity and responsibility, to which the Conference subsequently formally and officially set its seal.ï¿½(Hughes).
Kirby J: (transcript) Your reference to 1986 is a reliance on the Australia Acts, including the Act of a foreign country and an Act of the Australian Parliament, without the sanction of the people you say that altered our constitution.
Mr Finch: No your Honour, we say that that concluded the process ï¿½
Mr Finch: If the constitution were found to be of a different effect, then what we say about the affect of the Australia Acts would, in effect, I suppose, amount to an assertion that the Australia Acts had amended the Constitution.
Callinan J: Yes, which I think is what Justice Kirby was effectively alluding to.

by nic faulkner on March 02, 2008 at 07:29 AM

Although I think Keating's is the most apt, I find Deakon's speech promoting 'white Australia' interesting, albeit disgusting. The very factors concerning those 'aliens' he mentioned then, still apply. Asians, through their willingness to work and take on jobs Australians don't want, are able to succeed here. It may well be these reasons that eventually China will rplace America as the world economic power.

by longfulan on March 02, 2008 at 07:55 AM

it will have to be keating, despite of his flaws. he is a visionary!

by lombardo on March 02, 2008 at 09:31 AM

One could hardly say that the Mustafa Ataturk is the most significant speech in Australian histroy. Sure the sentiment is nice and it may have fostered better post-war Australian-Turkish relations, but its impact on Australian history is minimal. The Deakin speech on the other hand precipitated 7 decades of exclusionary federal migration policy. Perhaps the Rudd speech of 2008 will become the most significant ... if it really signals the beginning of reconciliation and an improved lot for Aborigines (we can hope)

by Simon on March 02, 2008 at 09:40 AM

Paul Keating. His was the first lone, courageous voice that began to turn the tide which finally prevailed against all the prejudice and racism. And his words remain simple, strong, emotive and powerful. So much of this nations foundations are steeped in the blood of the disposession of the aboriginal peoples. Australians owe them an enormous debt.

by Megan on March 02, 2008 at 09:59 AM

Must agree with Algenon's Ataturk nomination, it is so beatiful and powerful, certainly helped to shape our post war identity as a young nation.

by Beks Burt on March 02, 2008 at 10:00 AM

The speech delivered by Keating , at the funeral service of the Unknown Australian Soldier, 11 November 1993 stands out for me along with Attaturk's

by Michael Morgan on March 02, 2008 at 10:25 AM

I think George Reid, the NSW Premier, advanced Australian politics tremendously when he announced in 1894 that his huge stomach was not a pregnancy but the gut of politicians - all piss and wind.

by peter on March 02, 2008 at 11:02 AM

Mustafa Attaturk's speech is legendary. Could we have ever made a similiar one about the Japanese? Our greatest speeches were never spoken.

by peter on March 02, 2008 at 11:08 AM

Paul Keating's Rememberance day speech, 11 Nov 1993......
"We do not know this Australian's name and we never will.
We do not know his rank or his battalion. We do not know where he was born, nor precisely how and when he died. We do not know where in Australia he had made his home or when he left it for the battlefields of Europe. We do not know his age or his circumstances ï¿½ whether he was from the city or the bush; what occupation he left to become a soldier; what religion, if he had a religion; if he was married or single. We do not know who loved him or whom he loved. If he had children we do not know who they are. His family is lost to us as he was lost to them. We will never know who this Australian was.
Yet he has always been among those whom we have honoured. We know that he was one of the 45,000 Australians who died on the Western Front. One of the 416,000 Australians who volunteered for service in the First World War. One of the 324,000 Australians who served overseas in that war and one of the 60,000 Australians who died on foreign soil. One of the 100,000 Australians who have died in wars this century.
He is all of them. And he is one of us. ....."

by DJ Hilton on March 02, 2008 at 11:27 AM

Henry Parkes is by far the most intelligent and inspiring speech. He understood that cultural and racial diversity is divisive and destroys social cohesion. It is a shared culture and kinship that unifies a country. No great nation was ever founded on multiculturalism, and none ever will be. Multiculturalism is just cultural schizophrenia, and is a clear indication of a nation in decline. There are dozens of examples throughout history, from the Roman empire to the British and American empires. Australia will break up on racial and cultural lines, just like Yugoslavia, Czeckoslavakia, and the Soviet Union.
It may be unfashionable to point this out in an environment saturated with politically correct ideology, but it remains true nevertheless. Our founding fathers knew the truth, which is why their speeches will remain inspirational long after the ideology of our contemporary politicians is proven to be nonsense beyond any doubt.

by Greg on March 02, 2008 at 12:24 PM

John Howard's speech is the odd one out. All the others meant what they said. Howard had his fingers crossed behind his back when he said:
"The Australian spirit will remain strong ...open and tolerant"

by Mike H on March 02, 2008 at 01:17 PM

Kim Beazley Snr's speech at the WA Labor Party state conference in Perth in 1970:
"When I joined the Labor Party it contained the cream of the working class. As I look about me now all I see are the dregs of the middle class. When will you middle-class perverts stop using the Labor Party as a cultural spittoon?"

by HAL 9000 on March 02, 2008 at 01:19 PM

Keating's speech at Redfern Park gets my vote. But a close second is his speech at the dedication of the tomb of the unknown soldier in Canberra. A dignified eulogy to the sacrifice of citizen soldiers rather than a glorification of war. You can listen to it on the War Memorial website.

by Paul Murphy on March 02, 2008 at 03:23 PM

Keating's speeches were written by Don Watson. No problem, but Watson should really get the credit.
Rudd apparently wrote his own

by Bonnie on March 02, 2008 at 03:48 PM

Bonnie - you're right about Watson writing the speeches. But Keating took the responsibility for them. That's the difference between a writer or a journalist, and someone who's got the guts to go into public affairs.

by Daniel Jenkins on March 02, 2008 at 04:55 PM

keating's speech (written by don watson) gets my vote.
i was able to study it for my HSC english exams and i found moving and beautiful.

by jen on March 02, 2008 at 06:24 PM

My choice:
(a ) keatings speech
(b) rudds speech
(c) Parkes speech
(d)Howards speech
(e)arthur phillips speech
(5) alfred Deakins racist speeech

by hortense vaughan on March 02, 2008 at 07:07 PM

The best written, best constructed and most moving speeches I think are (in no particular order)
Mustafa Ataturk
Arthur Caldwell anti conscription speech
John Curtin's speech, quoted in the War Memorial, saying that unlike the totalitarian countries, the people of Australia, even at the hight of War still had to consent to the actions of government and his general mobilisation speech in Martin place.
Ben Chifley's Light on the Hill speech.
Gough Whitlam's 1972 election speech. It still sends shivers down my spine - the hope, the optimism, the vision, the plans.
Howard's speeches made me cringe and feel sorry for my country and KRudd's apology was poorly written and not at all what was needed in a speech but hte apology was long over due.
Some of vthe speeches in the Federation debates are also wonderful. But I think that Whitlam's speech does it.

by Ari on March 02, 2008 at 07:21 PM

Keating in my opinion, is Australia's greatest ever orator.

by Ken Livingstone on March 02, 2008 at 08:10 PM

Keating talked a lot of hot air about justice but did he ever dispense it to East Timor? In fact, ask the world who Keating was and most folks will say "Paul who?"
Kevin Rudd's apology speech, without a doubt, will be remembered by us and the world at large. It's already being used by folks in the USA to illustrate what their government should do.

by Noons on March 02, 2008 at 09:51 PM

It takes a visionary to put down the foundation, Rudds speech wouldn't have existed had it not been for Keatings speech a decade earlier.
Keating is without a doubt the most controversial and engaging speaker of modern Australia. Sure, the rest of the world might not know who Paul Keating is - but they sure as hell know the Australia that Paul Keating influenced. How many ex-PMs still get a reaction out of people the way he does? Whitlam, maybe.
John Howards only memorable speeches are the ones where he flat-out lied his backside off. And in 10 years Australia will have forgotten Howards...but we will remember being scared, not strong, in the face of world terror. We might scratch our chins as to why it took so long to "say sorry" as well.
I think Bob Hawkes "kids and poverty" speech is pretty funny in hindsight too.

by Freerad on March 03, 2008 at 06:57 AM

Keating was undoubtably Australia's greatest orater. He saw the bigger picture more than any other PM.
Noons - you are kidding, during Keatings term he was known as one of the most powerful leaders in the world.

by Burto on March 03, 2008 at 07:13 AM

The speech being forgotten in all of this is Keating's at the entombment of the Unknown Soldier. It has been referred to by wiser heads than mine as greater than Lincoln at Gettysburg

by Cyrus on March 03, 2008 at 08:16 AM

I remember best the speech Gough Whitlam made after being 'deposed' in which he asked us to 'maintain the rage'. Gough made my life better by making it possible for me to go back to university even though I was poor and a single mother. More broadly, he started to compensate the aboriginal people, he bought the boys back from Vietnam and he changed the PMG to Australia Post. Sadly he was hounded by the media who dug up all the sleaze they could find. But Gough was a true stateman, a visionary and he helped us become a more automnomous nation.

by Ruth Armstrong on March 03, 2008 at 08:42 AM

I strongly believe that the most important speech ever made in the History of this country was Kevin Rudd's acceptance speech during his election win.

by william hurst on March 03, 2008 at 08:43 AM

I would prefer Saddam pre-invasion speech when he warned the murderous Anglo-American leaders to leave his people alone.

by Ghali on March 03, 2008 at 09:03 AM

We have as yet,as a nation,never had a P.M. that has not claimed they dont do much work..a bit like journalists,and some Centrelink staff.The greatest speech made was Lindy Chamberlains The dingo stole my baby....echoing on and on like something from a sheep and billabong.It was a speech,a rallying call for justice never seen before or again.We voted with our hearts ,we didnt show up at the booth.We downed tools when something stared at us in an uncompromising way.I saw the Keatings or saw the Hawke,I saw the trying it on Policewoman and the QC.I knew the husband s anger chopping into a tree.I decided Law should not be left up to judges,Lawyers and Police.Alas nothing has been learnt.

by philiptravers on March 03, 2008 at 09:33 AM

Keating might have been known as a "powerful leader" by the kowtowing hordes of the Whitlam-ALP. No one else knew him for anything other than fondling royals.
Do not confuse rudeness and aggressive behaviour with recognition: they are worlds apart, as Rudd has proven.

by Noons on March 03, 2008 at 09:42 AM

Agree with earlier poster that Calwell's anti-Vietnam speech in parliament was among the best. For me, Curtin's liberty loan speech is the most inspiring

by Ben Cubby on March 03, 2008 at 09:48 AM

Simple, honest, insightful, memorable - Bob Hawke's "...any boss who sacks anyone for not turning up to work tomorrow is a bum." Zeitgeist in less than a sentence.

by hook or by crook on March 03, 2008 at 09:52 AM

I thought it was comment by an Australian only? I nominate Paul Keating's "Redern" speech of 1992. But if it's open to those not Australians, Nelson Mandela's "Free at Last" speech (1991) comes close.

by Colin on March 03, 2008 at 09:52 AM

I have already voted so will not cheat. But although I am a bit young to remember Callwell's speech against the Vietnam War in 1966 I admire his tremendous courage. He was right, Menzies and Holt were wrong. And he was vindicated by the 1969 and 1972 elections, even though it was Gough Whitlam who led the party by then.

by Colin on March 03, 2008 at 10:06 AM

Kate - Keating's "recession we had to have" comments (it was not a speech but rather off-the-cuff remarks to a press conference) did not cost Labor the next election. Labor WON the next election which was in March 1993 with Keating as Prime Minister; Labor then lost the 1996 election to Howard's Coalition.
It's amazing how we all make up 'facts' to help out a good story.

by Lachlan Malloch on March 03, 2008 at 10:16 AM

You all missed the point - a great speech by an Australian PM that reflects the ambitions, loves, hates, fears and very soul of its people:
"Any boss who sacks a worker for not turning up today is a bum" - RJ Hawke

by Micky on March 03, 2008 at 10:18 AM

Burto - if you're going to talk about great oratory, please write "undoubtedly" and not "undoubtably".
And Keating was "one of the most powerful leaders in the world" when he was in office? Crikey!

by Lachlan Malloch on March 03, 2008 at 10:19 AM

Menzies `forgotten people'' speech. Made on radio and they were his own words that helped define his philosophy and that of the Liberals.
Paul Keating was simply reading the words of his speechwriter at Redfern.

by Me on March 03, 2008 at 10:27 AM

Of all the Australian political speeches I have heard first hand, Keating's dedication of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is the finest I have heard. I was in tears as I listened to it and I am tearing up just thinking about it.
Is it the most significant speech politically or historically? No. Historical significance belongs to Parkes' speech galvanising the Federation movement, Jack Curtin's wartime speeches, even Whitlam on the steps of Parliament House on 11 November 1975.
Keating's oration of Don Watson's words at both the War Memorial and Redfern Park are, in my opinion, two of the best recent Australian political speeches.

by Ozpuck on March 03, 2008 at 10:30 AM

I think the finest speech in Australian History was Keating's 'return of the unknown soldier' on rememberence day 1993.
"This Unknown Australian is not interred here to glorify war over peace; or to assert a soldier's character above a civilian's; or one race or one nation or one religion above another; or men above women; or the war in which he fought and died above any other war; or one generation above any that has been or will come later.
The Unknown Soldier honours the memory of all those men and women who laid down their lives for Australia. His tomb is a reminder of what we have lost in war and what we have gained.
...
It is not too much to hope, therefore, that this Unknown Australian Soldier might continue to serve his country - he might enshrine a nation's love of peace and remind us that, in the sacrifice of the men and women whose names are recorded here, there is faith enough for all of us."

by Dismal Scientist on March 03, 2008 at 10:43 AM

Don't forget Bill Clinton's Sydney speech of 1996. It stood out for me as he spoke so much more eloquantly of what is is to be an Australian than our own Prime Minister of the time.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2889/is_n47_v32/ai_19114693

by Fergus on March 03, 2008 at 11:03 AM

Lachlan - Sorry for the spelling error. If you were as vigilant at making a decent comment as you are at correcting people, you may have some credibility. What do you mean "when he was in office"?

by Burto on March 03, 2008 at 11:12 AM

It's appropriate that Paul Keating should be mentioned here.
No one has spun more crap to the Australian people than Paul Keating. His year of the "Indigenous" did not include an apology. Rudd's speech was not a technical apology.
Spin and high interest rates is all the ALP have ever done for Australia.

by Paul on March 03, 2008 at 11:14 AM

Ozpuck. I think you summed it up beautifully. Keatings speeches were/are very moving. But when I try to picture myself in Curtin's shoes with the situation we were facing- his ability to speak for Australia without fear and without causing fear, maintaining our dignity and galvanising our determination makes me both proud and humble as an Australian.

by Paul Kelly on March 03, 2008 at 11:32 AM

I think the finest speech in Australian History was Keating's 'return of the unknown soldier' on rememberence day 1993.
Hear hear

by George William on March 03, 2008 at 11:46 AM

Dear Greg,
Xenophobia : "An excessive and irrational fear of foreign people, places, or objects. People who are xenophobic may display fear or even anger toward others who are foreign."

The greatness of Australia is in its tolerance and acceptance. Sadly, there are those who are evil, stupid, arrogant, greedy but above all ignorant in every race.

I believe that Rudd's speech although by no comparison to any of the other strong in its rehtoric; it is simple sentiments was understood by all (including my 6 year old who is Autistic)…I truly am “Sorry” for all the past wrongs and hope that our great nation purposely Advance Australia Fair.

by hany on March 03, 2008 at 12:33 PM

It has to be a Keating speech - Redfern or the return of the unknown soldier - both are good. No other PM in Australia has a musical named after them - the man is a great speaker - he may have had a good speech writer but the delivery is equally as important.

by G on March 03, 2008 at 12:37 PM

Kate, I think you have your history a little mixed up. Keatings "recession we had to have" speech was fairly early on when he was treasurer in the Hawke govt. The "losing the un-losable election" tag is generally kept for Dr John Hewson, when he lost to Keating trying to introduce a GST

by Wozza on March 03, 2008 at 12:40 PM

Maybe not great oratory but from Gough Whitlam in 1975, after the Gurindji people waited 9 ridiculously long years. And the photo that accompanies this speech is now iconic and one that no doubt most Australians would recognise...
"On this great day, I, Prime Minister of Australia, speak to you on behalf of all Australian people – all those who honour and love this land we live in. For them I want to say to you: I want this to acknowledge that we Australians have still much to do to redress the injustice and oppression that has for so long been the lot of Black Australians.
Vincent Lingiari, I solemnly hand to you these deeds as proof, in Australian law, that these lands belong to the Gurindji people and I put into your hands part of the earth itself as a sign that this land will be the possession of you and your children forever."

by Lisa on March 03, 2008 at 01:26 PM

I certainly loved Kevin's speech, but I much preferred the "sorry" speech made by the actor John Howard in an episode of the ABC comedy The Games. It was so good, I doubt any real politician could have come close.

I strongly recommend looking it up on YouTube.

by DexX on March 03, 2008 at 01:43 PM

I cannot put one above any other nor deplor any as being contemptuous. Speeches as have been highlighted here reflect the times, a direction, a lost object. Each of us with our modern prejudices seek to reinterpret history. There is much to criticise in many of these. A weak Federation has lead to the continuing confusion between Federal and State rights which still costs us millions. A short sighted White Australia policy allowed entrenched racism and its overthrow provoked a counter of multiculturalism which gave many their dignity but the opportunity to the assorted conmen and spivs which have preyed on their fellow communities for their own gain. These fixers continue only to be uncovered by bodies such as ICAC.
Curtin, out of necessity looked to the US in WW2 despite the fact that US forces had been smashed in the Pacific and were in retreat. That reliance on the US has had its side effects in later years, notably Vietnam and Iraq. We continue to do the dance with US to retain our technological military superiority over neighbours and that leads us up the alleyway of excess and a reliance on a sometimes corrupt military-industrial complex.
Aboriginals have borne the brunt of an often aggressive settlement of their lands and dispossession which follows. Social Darwinism was actively practised in the belief that they would ultimately be absorbed or die out. They didn't and they won't. Policies of self determination were misused to ply them with grog and drugs, to create bureaucracies of self interest and excess. They have further alienated them to objects of scorn or dismay.
I hope that the good and timely speech does never go away. That it is never replaced by short magic grabs on the news, or pictures. That politicians will think that sticking your neck out for something that matters, no matter how popular or unpopular it may be is far more important than showing their good side to the camera, better than being seen to be hiding from the truth.
We are lucky to have access to so many words in those speeches and others, it is a pity we do not heed most of them and continue to make the same mistakes.

by The Old Guy on March 03, 2008 at 01:43 PM

Keating's speech was glorious. Delivered at a time of economic and social readjustment .. it was bold and genuinely beautiful. Not sure Oz has caught up, though there's now a chance.

by greg on March 03, 2008 at 01:52 PM

I think Paul Keating's various speeches are very hard to beat. So inspirational, so powerful, so unforgettable and he meant what he was saying every time. You know, I can't think of a single comparable speech in the last 11 years.
When Rudd brings on the republic again (and this time, without Howard, it will slam home) we need to think about Keating as our President. I think he would be truly fantastic.

by Ian James on March 03, 2008 at 03:01 PM

I was not aware of Ataturk's speech and after reading it I would make that the most significant of our history.
Of the Australian speeches above I would have to vote for Deakin

by Colin Hadden on March 03, 2008 at 03:13 PM

Paul - you state that Paul Keating's Year of the Indigenous did not include an apology. It's worth noting that the apology was first widely called for as a result of the 'Bringing Them Home Report' on the Stolen Generations. Paul Keating's Government commissioned this report and it was not handed down until after the Howard Government was elected. A little difficult for Keating to offer an official apology at that point.
Back to the speeches - no one seems to have mentioned Ben Chifley's 'Light on the Hill' speech. Perhaps not the most significant speech in Australian history but it is a landmark in articulating the ethos and aims of the Labor Party and is surely worth a mention?

by Kat on March 03, 2008 at 03:34 PM

Paul Keating's is the strongest, which is not surprising since he is one of Australia's greatest orators.

by Melanie on March 03, 2008 at 03:57 PM

A strong speech is no antidote for incompetence, economic or othewise. Keating was certainly did that well in his tenure as leader.

by PRC on March 03, 2008 at 04:23 PM

Keating's speeches were a collaboration, I suspect, between Don Watson and himself. Watson wrote the way Keating thought and spoke. No euphemisms, no unambiguous language. Keating is a clear sighted visionary and he had the good fortune to link up with a magnificent speech writer. The biggest challenge remains for many people to overcome their inability to imagine the horrors of which Keating spoke, happening to them.
Rudd's was not a great speech but I believe the delivery was heartfelt. They both said what had to be said whereas Howard was only capable of saying what was needed to get re-elected.

by Denise Davies on March 03, 2008 at 05:53 PM

I agree with James that Keating speeches are pretty hard to beat, but I don't think that means in any way that if we become a republic and if the head of the republic is indeed called President, it doesn't translate to him being the man for the job. Keating had his time and his place; his speeches as written by Don Watson and his own witicisms will forever colour our history annuls. The best thing about Keating is that his tongue is still as sharp as ever, as witnessed by the 'dessicated coconut' and 'all tip no iceberg' comments of last year.

by shaygb on March 03, 2008 at 05:57 PM

The 'Old Guy' has summed it up beautifully - and I agree with Ozpuk in a previous comment.

Whether through age, life expericence, study or other interests that comments are written, The Old Guy summarises them and reminds us of many truly amazing speeches; some we did not have the privelege of hearing, just the pleasure of reading the written word of great Australians.

The great sadness is that most speeches are inevitably, and unfortunately, are about wars, the courage of a nation and then, the brave/well-meaning attempts to bring the peoples from 60,000 year-old settlements and those who found themselves in the same space for just 200 odd years together.

I applaud those who chose to take a stand and 'talk the talk' to our nation in the first place; to those who commented, many thanks. You reminded me of Ataturk; a speech that I love, however neglected to link with this article -one which I refer to often in another contemporay issue of our time in Australia - multiculturism and Islam faith in our secular society.

My choice in the end - the Keating speech at the return of 'The Unknown Soldier'....afterall, he may have been an Aborigine.

by ROBYN on March 03, 2008 at 06:02 PM

Even though Keating had a speechwriter (who happened to pen most of his inspirational speeches). This in no way should detract from his command of the language. One only has to read any article that he pens for newspapers nowadays, even his letters to the editor in the competing Broadsheets. Further proof of his vernacular and vitriol can be read in Hansard or on You Tube with footage of his Parliamentary Days.

by Peter on March 03, 2008 at 06:35 PM

i like to nominated the speech made by father of turks ataturk to anzacs
Those heroes that shed their blood
And lost their lives...
You are now lying in the soil of a friendly Country.
Therefore rest in peace.
There is no difference between the Johnnies
And the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side
Here in this country of ours...
You, the mothers,
Who sent their sons front far away countries
Wipe away your tears,
Your sons are now lying in our bosom
And are in peace
After having lost their lives on this land
They have become our sons as well
......................

by ken on March 03, 2008 at 06:42 PM

We get the politicians - and oratory - that we vote for. If the Howard and Rudd years sound monotonous, it's because that's what we want. Take the apology - Keating's speech was powerful, heartfelt and true, and he was loathed as much for his social vision as for the recession. Rudd's seemed to have been written by a committee with the word banality in its mission statement, but it said what had to be said and he's adored. Nelson's tried to be more historically honest, seeing history from its multiple angles (as it always should be seen; albeit he was balancing factions, but that doesn't change the final product). He ended up being confusing and is universally sniggered at these days. We flog the grandiloquent, we love the beige, we ignore the ambiguous. The Howard years are not behind us.

by Nicholas on March 03, 2008 at 07:01 PM

Paul Keating's oratory in my is view is unsurpassed. Three of the speeches that Don Watson (arguably this country's greatest ever speechwriter) wrote for him stand up & resonate even more powerfully today. The Unknown Solider speech is magnificent, like wise the famous Redfern speech & a little known one that Keating gave at Winton on the anniversary of Waltzing Matilda. The last would have made Banjo Patterson proud.

by Todd Slater on March 03, 2008 at 08:51 PM

Keating's Redfern speech is the only one that brings tears to my eyes. Each word of the speech has immense power.

by Jen Smith on March 03, 2008 at 10:57 PM

If there is one thing that this blog tells me it's this: there is an urgent need for a book that collects all of these speeches and includes a brief introductory para to provide the context in which they were made.

DD replies: See page 80 of the book 'Who we Are".

by Yuri Shukost on March 05, 2008 at 10:03 AM

Yuri - there is such a book entitled "Well May We Say...The Speeches that made Australia" Edited by Sally Warhaft (Pub: Black Inc. Melb. Vic. 2004)

by Mary on March 11, 2008 at 06:40 PM

The Sun-Herald

Who We Are

WHO WE ARE: The power of speech

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