CANBERRA, ACT, July 7 -- The Prime Minister of Australia issued the following media release:
Governor-General Reverend Sir David Tiva Kapu.
Prime Minister the Honourable Matthew Wale.
Honourable Ministers and Members of Parliament
Distinguished guests
Church and community leaders
Ladies and gentlemen
On behalf of the people of Australia, it is my great honour to congratulate you and your country on 48 years of independence.
We gather today to commemorate those whose vision made independence possible, half a century ago.
To celebrate the change and progress those five decades have brought to the life of your nation and the lives of its citizens.
And to dedicate ourselves to building on what has gone before us.
To realising a futur...