Address to Australian Local Government Association 2024 National General Assembly, National Convention Centre, Canberra ACT

[E&OE]

I cannot tell you just how exciting it is for me to have my first public address, my first official address, to all of you in my birthplace, Canberra.

I acknowledge that this morning we gather on the lands of the traditional custodians — the Ngunnawal — and recognise any other people or families with connection to the lands of the ACT and surrounding regions.

I pay my respects to their elders, past and present.

I want to particularly acknowledge Paul House for his deep connection to this country. I, my family, have known the House family for a long time. Canberrans are like that. Those of you who live here will know that to be the case.

Paul and his mother, Matilda, are well known to my sisters. There is a lovely connection there, probably bonded by the fact that both Paul and I were born in old Canberra Hospital, as he pointed out.

That 'welcome' to all of us, together with that wonderful playing, I thought was just magnificent. I'd like to acknowledge Paul's leadership and deep connection to this country.

Interestingly, the last time I was in this great theatre was a couple of years ago at the invitation of June Oscar, one of our nation's great leaders, an Indigenous leader.

It was a gathering here, for the first very first time, of First Nations women from around the country. The gathering was as full as it is today, with those First Nations women representing almost every part of our continent.

The spirit and delight of being together here, that day, and thinking about the future of this country was something very special for a number of us non-Indigenous women, to be invited and to sit and listen.

So, I feel there is a lot going on this room for me today to be thankful for and excited about.

• Councillor Linda Scott, President, Australian Local Government Association
• Local mayors and councillors
• Paul House (whom I have acknowledged)
• Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

Linda, thank you very much for your somewhat extraordinarily full-of-foresight invitation to address this important event. I am so delighted that this is my first official public event since being sworn in as your 28th Governor-General on Monday.

Given that the focus of my address in the Senate was care and kindness and respect, it seems so appropriate to start my term in the company of local government leaders.

As your communities know, it is local government and local decision-making that make a significant difference in the lives of so many. Your theme for this year, 'Building community trust', could not be more timely.

So, firstly, from me on behalf of all Australians, thank you for all that you do. You epitomise so much of what I spoke about on Monday: passion, commitment, kindness and care, and deep engagement in your communities.

In my swearing-in speech, I referred to the listening I have been doing since the Prime Minister announced my appointment, from those who have held this position over many years to people in the street all around the country.

It was particularly important to spend time with my predecessor, General David Hurley. I want to acknowledge the very fine service of the Hurleys over the past five years and thank them both for their gracious welcoming of Simeon and me to Government House.

One of the topics General Hurley discussed with me was our shared interest in ever-increasing natural disasters and the question of who bears the risk of those events.

I know that the former Governor-General often visited many of your communities, particularly after significant events, and came back many times. We spoke about his eight visits to Lismore, in the wake of repeated floods.

So, it was also appropriate that my first official meeting as Governor-General was with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Lismore City Council, Steve Krieg and Jeri Hall. We met yesterday, where I committed to continue General Hurley’s practise and will visit Lismore and meet the community and listen carefully to their experiences, with a particular focus on recovery and mental health.

Our meeting and discussion was a great example of how trust is built and reflects what I have heard across the country in recent months — that communities crave kindness and care and seek empathy from those with power over the decisions affecting them. They deserve respect and engagement.

I also heard repeatedly that Australians desire unity and optimism. We must be realistic and remain vigilant about contemporary challenges that place strains on confidence and optimism across our communities. That is why your theme is so vital.

I have been paying attention to the Edelman Trust Barometer for many years now. I have used it a lot in the corporate work I've done and in communities wherever I've found time to think about the purpose of trust. 

The 2024 edition reveals that only 52% of people trust NGOs, business, government and media, and that ‘government’ sadly is seen as less competent and ethical than business.

It is important to point out that it is local government that is consistently the highest ranked level of government when it comes to community trust.

Many of you will have read the 2023 Australian Cohesion Index which found that the sense of national pride and belonging in Australia sadly declined by 20% from 2007 to 2022.

I know that you live these trends every day and understand them well because you are so close to communities and people. That is why you are here at this Assembly, to build that trust and pride and help restore the country to having a real sense of belonging, particularly in your communities.

It is why, when thinking about the role of a Governor-General in 2024, I wanted to listen closely to as many people as I could before taking on this role. And why, given that my role is above politics and seeks to represent all Australians, the themes of care, kindness and respect emerged so clearly as my focus.

No group understands what can be achieved through kindness, care and respect better than all of you — those who are at the coalface of addressing challenges in communities. It is why all of you have put up your hands to represent your communities, and why you are best placed to listen — to those who are marginalised, who feel like they don't belong, who feel left behind. You also celebrate and uplift them.

It is your work and leadership that can build community trust. It is, of course, why I am so delighted that you are the first gathering of leaders from across the country I am spending time with — my third day in the job!

One of my first priorities in this role is to listen to the aspirations and experiences of young people. I know that is what you do in your communities as well. They are most often mischaracterised as uninterested in our civics and institutions. They often get a very bad wrap, totally unjustifiably.

That is why, until recently, having learned so much from young people as the Chair of the Foundation for Young Australians, which I had to give up on the day I was appointed to Governor-General, I wanted to ensure that as many young people as possible were present in the Senate Chamber when I was sworn in.

I made reference to them in the chamber on the basis that these are young people for whom entering the chamber of our Parliament was probably a first-time experience for them. It was very important to me that the chamber was full of people who were experiencing the heart of our democracy for the first time and that they felt respected and included.

Despite having grown up amongst the huge dislocation of COVID-19 and experienced tough economic challenges and mental health stresses, young Australians teach us so much. And they are so engaged with local government.

For our democracy to work well, we need all our citizens to know how it works, particularly at the local government level and particularly through the eyes and experiences of young people.

At the Foundation for Young Australians, focus was given to this in two ways. First, the creation of an organisation called YLab Foundation for Young Australians — a social enterprise that builds the capacity of both young people and government to design a better future together, bridging the gap between young people and government so local challenges can be tackled together. There are representatives of YLab here today.

Second, the Young Mayors program. This innovative program backs young people to take on an active role in their local community through democratically elected youth councils of 11 to 17-year-olds in partnership with the local council and administered by the Australian Electoral Commission.

I am thrilled that the first of those young men, Krys Gakowski, from Mackay, where he is now the Deputy Mayor of Mackay, joined me in the Senate Chamber on Monday and is here with you today. In acknowledging his new role, I would also like to acknowledge Mayor Greg Williamson from Mackay who was the first Mayor to take a chance on piloting the program. There are now other pilots in Cairns, Wollongong, Horsham, Hepburn and soon to be in Hume.

The YLab team and those young mayors are exhibiting here at this Assembly. Do go up to them and meet them. They are extraordinary young Australians. Like all of you, who hold these offices, they are totally engaged with the power of 'trust in government'. They tell us a different story about young people who encounter often completely inappropriate ways to discuss young people across the country. And they are whom the future of the country depends upon.

As Mayors, Shire Presidents and Councillors, you possess an enormous amount of local knowledge that can help inform so much of our future.

I was delighted to see so many members of ALGA recognised in the Order of Australia in the 2024 Australia Day and The King’s Birthday Honours lists. Congratulations to you all! I hope you celebrate well. I hope you wear your pins with pride. I hope that in receiving those pins you go back to your communities and think deeply and carefully about nominating others in your communities who would be deserving of an Australian honour. We want to make sure that many diverse people doing the work that you do are honoured in the Australian Honours system.

In wishing you all well in your discussions at this Assembly, I want to say how much I am really looking forward to engaging with you during my term.

I won't just be visiting Lismore. It simply happened to be the first request yesterday. I want to visit as many communities as possible all around the country. I will be visible. I will listen when I visit and then take your messages back where I can to whoever I can.

In closing, I’d like to take the opportunity to acknowledge the service and commitment of Councillor Linda Scott, your President, who has led ALGA so effectively during her four-year term and who retires from the Presidency in September.

Linda has been a great friend of mine. In many different parts of our work together I have seen the work she has done as President of this august organisation. She is coming to the end of her term and deserves a round of applause.

Thank you for having me today. Thank you for your warm welcome as I arrived. It will always be the case that you were the first group of leaders in the country that I was able to address as your Governor-General.

I really look forward to coming to see you in your place and to listen carefully to all you want to teach me.

Thank you.

[Ends]