City of Wodonga Civic Reception

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this building stands and pay my respects to their Elders, past and present.

In 1842, the Australian Constitutions Act granted the first representative government in our nation.

In defining the Northern boundary of what was then the Port Phillip District, the Act described:

“…a straight line drawn from Cape How to the nearest source of the River Murray and thence the course of that river to the eastern boundary of the province of South Australia…”

It is not well documented why this specific river was chosen as the border.

But it has remained so across time, including 175 years ago when the Port Phillip District became the Colony of Victoria, and 125 years ago when it became a State.

In fact, Wodonga might once have become part of an Australian Capital Territory, when neighbouring Albury was considered as a possible site for the federal capital.

The idea was short-lived, however. At a public meeting on the proposal, Albury received just one vote.

That solitary supporter was the local member for Indi, Isaac Isaacs, who had grown up in Yackandandah and who apparently liked the idea of having the nation’s capital just down the road.

It seems more than a century before the invention of video conferencing, that he was an early advocate of working from home.

He would later become the first Governor-General to reside in Canberra.

And so it was that Wodonga was destined to remain a border town, almost halfway between the new national capital and the former one, being Melbourne.

As you would know better than anyone, there are certain complications that come with living on a border.

For example, if I were to spend the night on the other side of the river, protocol requires the flag above Government House in Melbourne to be lowered, because the Governor is out of state.

Yet while the ‘border anomalies’ you face are more complicated and ongoing, the uniqueness of this region has also spawned a distinct culture.

There is a pragmatism born from a history of working through these complexities…

…an instinct for innovation to utilise the natural resources of these lands…

… And a spirit of self-reliance that comes from knowing that the best ideas do not always come from a capital city.

These are all characteristics I have experienced firsthand on my visit this week.

It is important to see them in action, because that is how best one understands the nuances of all that is going on here.

And the stories and perspectives shared with me here do not just remain here.

They become part of what I carry back to Government House, and part of the story I tell about Victoria.

It was just last month that Narendra Modi, leader of the world’s largest democracy, visited Government House with a trade delegation.

It was just last week that I returned from an Official Visit to North America, where I was promoting greater investment into our State.

And it was just a couple of days ago that I had the most recent of my regular meetings with Victorian Government Ministers at Executive Council.

All these engagements are opportunities to pass on the things I have seen and heard on visits like this one.

So I thank the Council for their hospitality, and all I have met with for sharing their insights.

The exact reasons why the Murray River was chosen to be the border may keep us wondering.

Instead, we can just be grateful that decision has meant our State is home to this dynamic region.

And we must ensure the Victorians who live and work here are supported to seize the opportunities of the future, as they continue to make a profound contribution to our State.

In that spirit, I look forward to speaking with more of you tonight.

Thank you.