Speech to Paralympics Australia Paralympian of the Year Gala

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I am so thrilled to be with you tonight 

I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. 

You have brought me many significant firsts: 

• My first event as your Governor-General at Admiralty House in Sydney was to announce Madison de Rosario and Brenden Hall as the flagbearers for the 2024 Paris Paralympic games. 
• The first patronage I accepted with a great sense of honour and a deep sense of respect for you was Paralympics Australia. 
• My first overseas destination was Paris, for the Paralympic Games. 
• And nothing could keep me away from the hangar at Mascot to welcome you all home from Paris.  

These firsts were part of a larger commitment that I made when I was sworn-in in July …  

... to put care, kindness and respect at the heart of everything I do ... 

… and to celebrate the people, organisations and communities whose impact makes a profound difference in Australia and around the world. 

Being your supporter-in-chief is a big part of that commitment. 

And you have all given me some of the greatest moments of the first six months of my term ... 

... including providing the screams of support at your events –in a perhaps un-vice regal way – as you took on the world’s best in Paris, won medals, performed to the very limits of endurance and made us all so very proud.  

I have had many opportunities over recent months to witness the depth and breadth of the impact of para-athletes and Paralympians and the movement that is the Australian Paralympic Movement. 

Two weeks ago, I spoke to studio executives, filmmakers, creatives and decisionmakers at the inaugural Bus Stop Films Employment Summit in Sydney.  

For those that don’t know, Bus Stop is an Australian success story. 

In just 15 years it has grown from two people and a dream into a pioneering organisation creating an inclusive Australia with a vibrant film industry that sets the benchmark for diversity in storytelling and employment pathways for people with disability.   

Wonderfully, and historically, six young Australians with disability, all Bus Stop alumni, worked on the broadcast of the Paris Paralympics.  

It is clear to me that Bus Stop Films and the Paralympic movement are reflective of an emerging truth about Australia. 

That, when we choose to, we can be a deeply inclusive society – with work to do certainly ... but with genuine momentum towards celebrating diversity and growing inclusion.  

And that, just as you compete fiercely and strive for excellence, Australians are passionate supporters of our Paralympians. 

In 2024, broadcast partners, sponsors and others made the decision to show more of the Paris games live than ever before.  

And Australians couldn’t get enough of it. 

Not because it was the right thing to do – although it was – but because the Paralympics provide the content Australian audiences want to see 

I witnessed this earlier this month at my first Open Day at Government House in Canberra.  

Almost 3,000 people strolled through the gates at Yarralumla to learn about the role of the Governor-General, enjoy the house and grounds on a beautiful spring day, and meet some special guests, including Vanessa Low and Michael Roeger. 

It was a delight to share the day with Vanessa and Michael. 

Of course, they were a highlight for visitors who lined up to marvel at their medals, and take selfies with two of our Paralympic heroes. 

And it goes to a very simple truth – one I will always endorse –: 

Our Paralympians – all of you – you are the stars of the show. 

I believe modern holders of high office must have a centre of gravity, a purpose and guiding idea – from which their work and connection with all Australians flows. 

For me that is care, kindness and respect. 

Care is the gentle thought and the outstretched hand that Australians have always been ready to share  

… care for each other, care for those who care for others, care for our extraordinary continent and its environmental beauty. 

That includes care for country, care for civics and institutions and care in the way in which we discuss and debate the issues of our time without judgement, anger, or violence. 

Care creates community 

And community unlocks the strength of Australia. 

Care isn’t always easy. 

In fact, it is often hard to do.  

And it must be accountable and measurable. 

Where it exists, it should be amplified and its story told so others can hear. 

Care is at the heart of the Paralympic movement.     

It is why I am so proud to be your patron. 

Why I am so deeply honoured to be here with you tonight. 

And where I have the opportunity not only to be part of celebrating your sporting and athletic brilliance, but to thank you for using your voices at the Games to remind all Australians that all bodies, and all abilities, belong everywhere all the time – and not just for two weeks every four years. 

I am now looking forward with such excitement to the years of preparation towards Los Angeles in 2028 and Brisbane in 2032. 

And to all of your performances on the world stage, and here at home, including the Commonwealth Games. 

Whether through your remarkable athleticism, your tactical nous, or hard work – the blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice to get to the world-stage – you set an example for all of us.  

You teach us all so much about care. 

You are the very best of Australia. 

Thank you.