American Australian Association Friends of Victoria Alumni Reception in New York

It is a great pleasure to join you tonight.

As I arrived here yesterday, I reflected on my earliest memories of this city.

But it’s not Times Square, of The Met, or of Central Park that immediately comes to mind.

Rather, it is memories of a screaming baby in the back seat of a car.

At the time, my husband and I were undertaking post-doctoral research in the US, and we decided it would be a brilliant idea to drive through this city with our one-year-old.

This was, of course, long before Google Maps existed to tell me that the exit I so confidently directed my husband down was taking us the wrong way.

So, I am very relieved to be back in this incredible city tonight with someone else doing the navigating.

Victorians and New Yorkers seem to have always made a habit of finding our way into each other’s cities.

Today there are roughly 100,000 Australians living in the United States, with many of them right here in New York, and that community is certainly making its mark.

Australian food hospitality is steadily spreading out across the city; apart from the coffee shops there is now the Old Mates Pub in downtown Manhattan, and I’m reliably informed that Australian-style hand-roll sushi is starting to catch on.

But while food and coffee undoubtedly bring us closer, our connections run far deeper.

America has contributed so much to Australian life and culture, so it is only fair that we return the favour.

We have sent you many of our brightest researchers, our boldest entrepreneurs, and of course, Hugh Jackman.

Victoria, much like New York, is open to the world. Both are centers of commerce, culture, education, and ideas.

And most importantly, both have been made and remade by people who arrived seeking a better life.

We see it in the numbers—more than a third of New Yorkers, and nearly a third of Victorians, were born overseas.

These are so much more than just statistics.

They represent the people who didn't just move across the world for a job, they came here to make it their home.

As the inscription on the Statue of Liberty reads:

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Victoria may not have such a grand sculpture, but we do offer that same promise.

As Australia’s national anthem simply declares:

"For those who've come across the seas, we've boundless plains to share."

And while the relationship between Australia and the United States is often described through MoUs, as well as trade and defence agreements, those are just frameworks.

Ultimately, the relationship is sustained by people.

The American Australian Association understands this perfectly.

Founded here in New York in 1948, it has spent more than 75 years turning the friendship between our countries into practical opportunities…

…investing more than 19 million US dollars in scholarships…

…and helping over 1,150 brilliant scholars bring our two nations closer together.

Because at the end of the day, building the connections that truly last comes down to finding the right people.

Whether it’s making a quick introduction, picking up the phone, or just being willing to open a door for someone who is a long way from home, trying to get their start.

That is why tonight’s gathering matters.

As alumni and Friends of Victoria, you are our State’s network right here in New York.

You carry Victoria's skills and ambitions into the boardrooms, universities, and the neighbourhoods of this incredible city.

Our job now is to keep those connections moving in both directions.

To encourage the next student to pack their bags and study abroad.

To help the next Victorian company find its first American partner.

And to welcome the next American researcher, artist, or entrepreneur down to Victoria.

Because just as our states were shaped by those who crossed oceans to build a new home, our future will in turn be strengthened by those who cross oceans today to build new partnerships.

So let us continue fostering the friendship between Australia and the United States in that exact same spirit, one person, one opportunity, and one story at a time.

Thank you to the American Australian Association for hosting us all tonight, and for keeping this great friendship strong.