And it’s why we honor all those who have served there for our security, including 32 Australian patriots who gave their lives, among them Captain Bryce Duffy, Corporal Ashley Birt, and Lance Corporal Luke Gavin. It is why I salute Australia - outside of NATO, the largest contributor of troops to this vital mission. And none of us will ever forget those we’ve lost to al Qaeda’s terror in the years since, including innocent Australians.Īnd that’s why, as both the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader indicated, we are determined to succeed in Afghanistan. In the United States, we will never forget how Australia invoked the ANZUS Treaty - for the first time ever - showing that our two nations stood as one. We will never forget the attacks of 9/11, that took the lives not only of Americans, but people from many nations, including Australia. This solidarity has sustained us through a difficult decade. And it will be a reminder that - from the trenches of the First World War to the mountains of Afghanistan - Aussies and Americans have stood together, we have fought together, we have given lives together in every single major conflict of the past hundred years. Later today, in Darwin, I’ll join the Prime Minister in saluting our brave men and women in uniform. This morning, I was humbled and deeply moved by a visit to your war memorial to pay my respects to Australia’s fallen sons and daughters. Nor has our progress come without great sacrifice. President to visit the Northern Territory, where I’ll meet the Traditional Owners of the Land. And it’s the spirit I’ll see later today when I become the first U.S. It’s the spirit of progress, in America, which allows me to stand before you today, as President of the United States. That’s the spirit we saw in this chamber three years ago, as this nation inspired the world with a historic gesture of reconciliation with Indigenous Australians. But we are countries with a willingness to face our imperfections, and to keep reaching for our ideals. Of course, progress in our society has not always come without tensions, or struggles to overcome a painful past. And we are citizens who live by a common creed - no matter who you are, no matter what you look like, everyone deserves a fair chance everyone deserves a fair go. Generations of immigrants who, with each new arrival, add a new thread to the brilliant tapestry of our nations. Dreamers who toiled with hearts and hands to lay railroads and to build cities. Settlers who pushed west across sweeping plains. Ancestors who crossed vast oceans - some by choice, some in chains. In each other’s story we see so much of ourselves. But this is a Lucky Country, and today I feel lucky to be here as we mark the 60th anniversary of our unbreakable alliance. (Laughter.)īut to a young American boy, Australia and its people - your optimism, your easy-going ways, your irreverent sense of humor - all felt so familiar. I really do love that one and I will be introducing that into the vernacular in Washington. (Laughter.) Last night I did try to talk some "Strine." (Laughter.) Today I don’t want to subject you to any earbashing. As an eight-year-old, I couldn’t always understand your foreign language. I first came to Australia as a child, traveling between my birthplace of Hawaii, and Indonesia, where I would live for four years. And here, in this city - this ancient “meeting place” - I want to acknowledge the original inhabitants of this land, and one of the world’s oldest continuous cultures, the First Australians. To you and the people of Australia, thank you for your extraordinary hospitality. President, members of the House and Senate, ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for the honor of standing in this great chamber to reaffirm the bonds between the United States and the Commonwealth of Australia, two of the world’s oldest democracies and two of the world's oldest friends. PRESIDENT OBAMA: Prime Minister Gillard, Leader Abbott, thank you both for your very warm welcome.
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