NFL Business Engagement in Denver

It is a pleasure to join you this evening.

In 1893, the historian Frederick Jackson Turner wrote about the American character.

He opined that American democracy was “…born of no theorist's dream...” but rather “It came out of the American forest.”

Turner argued that the process of settlement across the continent in the nineteenth century had left an enduring mark on identity of the American nation.

It was an idea that became known as the Frontier Thesis.

In Denver, that story takes its form from the gold rush that commenced here in 1859.

Earlier that same decade, on the other side of the world, Victoria was writing its own frontier story, with early pastoral prosperity followed too by an intense gold rush which began in 1851.

In Australia, the wilderness of the forest – or bush, as we call it – is also deeply ingrained in our national psyche.

One of our own historians echoed Turner when he wrote that “…the official Australian worldview is that all that is distinct and admirable in the national character and belief comes from the bush.”

We find in ourselves other similarities to the characteristics Turner identified when describing America:

Individual freedoms offered by widespread land availability…

…opportunity achieved through isolation from imperial class hierarchies…

…and a resourcefulness forged in the harsh conditions of life on the land.

It is perhaps no surprise that this same rebellious streak resulted in some of the most famous outlaws of their time calling our states home.

Here in Colorado, you have figures like the legendary dentist turned gunslinger Doc Holliday, who spent his last days up in Glenwood Springs.

Back home in Victoria, we have Ned Kelly, our most notorious bushranger, made famous for taking on the authorities in a suit of homemade iron armour.

Of course, the Frontier Theory is contested, and is one that ignores the detrimental impacts to the First Peoples of our nations who were displaced as a result.

But there is no doubt it holds a power in our national myths.

People do not need to experience the frontier to understand its cultural significance.

The frontiers have long since closed, but their legacies still shape our states and their people.

And their ideals continue to be absorbed as new generations arrive from across the world.

I say that as a representative of Australia’s most diverse State.

And I know I am here in one of America’s most dynamic and innovative cities.

Australia and the United States – and Victoria and Colorado particularly – are still places defined by ingenuity and aspiration.

The opportunities created as our states were formed have built future aspirations.

And our resourcefulness still thrives among our many innovators and entrepreneurs who pioneer new ideas and take them to the world.

How much of our successes today can be attributed to our beginnings on the frontier is difficult to determine.

The stories of our beginnings have driven Colorado and Victoria forward.

And they will be more important than ever as we look to the industries of the future.

Whether in quantum technology, defence, or aerospace – future prosperity depends on that same spirit of resourcefulness as we venture into the unknown.

Now we are not so isolated, and we have the opportunity to collaborate and build shared success together.

Australians and Americans remain innovative and ambitious people.

What other countries could be so bold as to invent their own national sports – and to continue to draw the ire of Europeans by calling them football?

In a few months’ time, the first-ever NFL regular season game in the Asia-Pacific will take place in Melbourne.

It is, of course, a significant event for Victorians who take great pride in living in one of the sporting capitals of the world.

But the game also represents something greater – that is, our ongoing commitment to engage with our friends in America.

The new frontier lies before us – and it is one we can navigate together.

Doing so depends on the same principles of resourcefulness and endeavour that our states and nations are known for.

I look forward to speaking with many of you tonight and inviting you to engage further with Victoria and all that we have to offer.

Thank you.