"Voyages of the Pacific Ancestors"

Exhibition Opening, Australian National Museum

Introduction

Thank you for that introduction. I'd first like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land that we stand on the Ngunnawal people, and pay respects to their elders past and present.

I'd also like to acknowledge the presence of numerous diplomatic representatives here today, particularly High Commissioners from our Pacific Island neighbours

It's a pleasure to be here at the Australian National Museum for the opening of this extraordinary exhibition and I thank the Director, Craddock Morton, for the invitation.

In many ways this exhibit is as an allegory of our own foreign policy engagement with the Pacific. It documents a journey of intrigue and ultimately fruitful engagement with the complexity and challenge of our great and diverse region. Through the lens of this exhibit we are helped in our understanding of the cultural diversity of modern Pacific societies and appreciation of the cultural and societal sophistication inherent in all Pacific cultures.
This mirrors the Australian Government's current engagement with the Pacific region. We understand that a one-size-fits-all approach doesn't work and that our policies must encompass an appreciation of and respect for each unique Pacific society - their history, their people as well as their historic and contemporary relationships with each other.

In the same way we wouldn't take our foreign policy folder on Italy into a meeting with the Finns, neither should we expect to front up to Port Vila nor expect Vanuatu's policy concerns to mirror those of the Tongans. At the same time, an awareness of the unique deeper history that binds all our regional neighbours together can overcome the sometimes unhelpful labels and stereotypes inherited from earlier historical periods.

Working with the Foreign Minister and Trade Minister, as Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs my day-to-day job involves the framing and delivery of the Australian Government's policy priorities in the Pacific.

The Government came to office 18 months ago with an ambitious plan to reinvigorate Australia's relations in the region. It's been a very busy period but I'm pleased to say that we've had some real successes in enhancing our engagement and strengthening ties with Pacific Island countries.

We share many common interests with our Pacific neighbours and the scope of our engagement reflects our determination to work closely with other governments to shape our common future.

That's why we're developing individual Partnership for Development agreements with each of our Pacific Island neighbours.

The Partnerships commit us to increased assistance over time towards Island countries' development needs. They also embrace commitments from our Pacific partners to improve governance, increase investment in economic infrastructure and achieve better outcomes in health and education.

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd signed Pacific Partnerships with the leaders of Papua New Guinea and Samoa in August 2008, with the leaders of Kiribati and Solomon Islands in January this year, and with Vanuatu's Prime Minister just last week.

We are in talks with Tonga, and hope to finalise further Partnerships over the coming months.

Whether it be climate change, economic integration, fisheries cooperation, efforts to enhance regional stability or the whole range of development priorities, our agenda is broad, our commitment strong, and ambition great.

As a parliamentarian, a member of the Government and as someone with a long standing interest in the Pacific, I've found it to be stimulating and very rewarding work.

It is often difficult when dealing in the issues of our current time to put in context the longer history of our region. The Vaka Moana exhibition provides an opportunity to take a step back and contemplate the ancient origins of the Pacific peoples.

This exhibition tells a story of daring, ingenuity, curiosity and discovery, deepening our appreciation of our region's remarkable history and the rich cultural heritage we as a region have inherited. While only a slice of the greater history of Pacific peoples - it is in itself remarkable.

It draws to our attention an important, and largely overlooked, breakthrough in the history of human migration.

The development of so-called "blue water technology" by the ancestors of the Pacific Island peoples allowed humans to explore and settle the last remaining habitable corners of the earth.

The journey of these innovative and inquisitive Austronesians has left a trail of evidence, important fragments of which are collected and expertly displayed in this exhibition.

The Austronesians' journey took them from southern China to Solomon Islands, along the Melanesian island chain, into Micronesia then onto Fiji, Samoa and Tonga. Some went further, reaching Hawai'i and Easter Island.

An epic journey of discovery and settlement which started around 5,000 years ago ended just 700 years ago in New Zealand. It was another 300 years before European nautical technology allowed the first Western people to begin exploring the same lands.

The artefacts on display in this exhibition, and particularly the Lapita pottery, give us glimpses of a single culture slowly evolving into many unique but related cultures, spread out across the small islands of the world's largest ocean.

Thank you again for inviting me to the opening of an exhibition which does so much to elucidate the origins and history of its people. As Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs I'm proud to be involved in shaping a new era of Australian engagement with the Pacific and its people.

I hope you all enjoy the exhibition.

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Media inquiries: Mr Kerr's office - 02 6277 4991