President Biden welcomed the Australian Prime Minister to the White House on Wednesday.
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00:00 [SHOUTED COMMANDS]
00:26 Distinguished guest, the President of the United States.
00:30 Well, Mr. Prime Minister.
00:34 [APPLAUSE]
00:39 And Jody, distinguished guest, and all of Australia
00:43 out in the lawn.
00:46 Welcome.
00:47 Welcome and good morning.
00:49 Or as you would say, good day.
00:52 It's an honor to welcome you all to the White House
00:54 as we celebrate the enduring alliance between Australia
00:58 and the United States, an alliance that's
01:02 marked by imagination, ingenuity, and innovation.
01:08 Nearly 55 years ago, American astronauts
01:11 took humanity's first step on the moon.
01:15 They sent a message forever etched in history.
01:19 Quote, "That's one small step for man and one giant step
01:24 for mankind."
01:26 But the only reason anyone down on Earth saw this feat
01:32 or heard those immortal words was thanks
01:35 to a team of Australian engineers.
01:39 As dawn broke at NASA Station just outside of Canberra,
01:44 they aimed a radio telescope toward the heavens,
01:48 captured a lone vote -- lone voice among all the stars,
01:55 and shared it with millions of people
01:56 watching breathlessly all around the world.
02:01 Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Prime Minister,
02:03 today Australia and the United States
02:07 continue to stand together, continue to innovate,
02:12 push back the bounds that have been in our way,
02:17 and make a giant step toward what could be.
02:23 To race undaunted toward a future we know is possible
02:28 if -- if we work together.
02:31 Because time and time again, we've
02:33 seen what America and Australia can do when we stand as one.
02:39 We saw it during World War I, when our troops helped
02:44 turn the tide of war on the Western Front.
02:48 We saw it during World War II, when we fought
02:52 the forces of fascism side by side in the Pacific,
02:57 cementing a mateship between our people.
03:01 And we saw it again during the war against terror,
03:04 when Australia invoked the ANZUS Treaty for the first time
03:09 to stand with the United States after we were attacked on 9/11.
03:15 And we'll never forget those brave Australians
03:18 and Americans who, generation after generation,
03:23 gave their lives to give us a better world.
03:27 We'll never forget our obligation to them
03:31 to keep upholding the democratic values for which they
03:34 gave their lives, to keep forging a better
03:38 future for generations to come.
03:41 Together, Australia and America are meeting that obligation.
03:48 As two proud Pacific nations, we're
03:51 ensuring the Indo-Pacific remains free, open,
03:55 and prosperous and secure, including
03:58 through our historic, aucused partnership
04:02 with the United Kingdom.
04:04 We're building stronger economies --
04:06 economies where no one fears coercion
04:10 and everyone, as you say down under, gets a fair go.
04:15 Together, we're standing with Israel
04:18 against Hamas' terrorism.
04:20 We're standing with Ukraine against Putin's tyranny.
04:24 And we're providing and proving that democracy
04:27 can deliver on the challenges that matter most
04:30 to people's lives, from climate change to cancer.
04:34 And today, we're fueling the spark of innovation
04:39 that has long burned in the hearts of Aussies and Americans.
04:44 Innovation that will help uplift people in the Indo-Pacific
04:48 and all around the world.
04:50 Innovation that took us to the moon
04:53 will take us further in the years ahead.
04:57 Mr. Prime Minister, the alliance between Australia
05:01 and the United States has never been more important
05:04 than it is today.
05:07 And we have never been more committed than we are today.
05:11 Australia and America stand ready --
05:14 ready to do the hard work, the historic work,
05:18 to tackle the challenges we face.
05:21 Ready to take a giant leap together toward a better future.
05:26 One of greater opportunity, dignity, security, and liberty.
05:33 For Americans, for Australians, for all.
05:38 May God bless our alliance, and may God protect our troops.
05:43 And now it's my great honor to introduce Prime Minister
05:47 Albanese, and I'm honored to invite you to say a few words.
05:51 Thank you.
05:52 (Applause.)
06:00 Prime Minister Albanese: President Biden, First Lady Dr. Biden,
06:04 firstly, thank you for the great honor of this invitation
06:08 and the wonderful warmth of your welcome,
06:12 including the wonderful dinner we had in the White House last night.
06:17 Mr. President, when you and I stood together in San Diego in March,
06:22 the USS Sterett and the USS Missouri behind us,
06:27 we were surrounded by the examples of America's power.
06:32 To stand with you here in Washington, D.C.,
06:36 is to witness the power of America's example,
06:40 the ideas and ideals that your great democracy was built on.
06:47 The self-evident truths that every American generation
06:51 strives to give deeper meaning,
06:54 and the peace and freedom that America seeks to defend around the globe.
07:00 The principle that every country, large and small,
07:05 should be able to seek to shape its own destiny
07:09 and secure its own future,
07:11 where the sovereignty of every nation is respected
07:15 and the dignity and liberty of every individual is recognized.
07:21 Where peace is secured, not by fear of force or strength of arms alone,
07:26 but through the collective commitment
07:29 and the shared responsibility of the international community.
07:34 This is at the heart of our alliance,
07:38 the soul of our partnership,
07:41 not a pact against a common enemy,
07:44 a pledge to a common cause,
07:48 a shared belief that freedom, peace and equality
07:53 are not just American ideals or Australian values,
07:57 they belong to all humankind.
08:00 That is why Ukrainian soldiers are driving Australian-made bushmasters
08:05 as they drive back an illegal and immoral invasion.
08:10 And it is why all Australians condemn the atrocities, terror
08:15 and pitiless brutality of Hamas.
08:19 And Mr President, we applaud the personal resolve
08:23 you have brought to this troubled part of the world.
08:27 You have spoken with moral clarity
08:30 and you have stood up for a simple principle,
08:34 the principle that every innocent life matters,
08:38 Israeli and Palestinian,
08:41 and that in every conflict, every effort must be made
08:44 to protect civilians.
08:47 American leadership is indispensable,
08:50 but it is not inevitable.
08:53 It takes a leader to deliver it.
08:56 It takes wisdom to show empathy,
08:59 courage to provide humanitarian assistance
09:02 and true leadership to seek peace,
09:05 because protecting innocent people is not a show of weakness,
09:10 it is a measure of strength.
09:13 Mr President, our nation's steadfast alliance
09:16 has grown and thrived through 15 of my predecessors
09:21 and 13 of yours.
09:23 In Australian public life,
09:25 it meets the number one measure of a great idea.
09:29 Both political parties try and claim credit for it.
09:33 But it is not, and it has never been,
09:36 the leaders at this podium who determine the strength
09:40 and success of our alliance.
09:42 It is the people we serve.
09:45 Presidents and Prime Ministers
09:47 can praise our country's shared values.
09:50 We can sign agreements to advance our common interests,
09:54 but it is our citizens who make the words a bond.
09:59 It is our people whose courage and ambition,
10:02 hard work and aspiration,
10:04 give life and weight to all we share and all we strive for.
10:10 Sometimes we casually refer to average Americans
10:14 or everyday Australians,
10:16 but what they do every day is anything but average.
10:21 It is our people making the breakthroughs
10:24 that are seeing Australia and the United States
10:27 co-operating new technology like never before.
10:31 From quantum computing and medical science
10:33 to agriculture and defence,
10:36 it's our people driving unprecedented collaboration
10:39 in our creative industries,
10:42 in art and film and music,
10:45 from Barbie to Bluey.
10:48 It is our people partnering to unlock the possibilities
10:51 of clean energy and critical minerals.
10:54 The third pillar, the new pillar of our alliance,
10:58 a plan for both our nations to seize
11:02 the transformative economic opportunities of clean energy
11:06 and a plan to help every nation
11:08 meet the global challenge of climate change.
11:12 It is our people who will train together, side by side,
11:16 to service the next generation of our submarines
11:20 and defence technology.
11:22 And it is our people that we honour
11:25 when we remember the generations of Australians
11:28 and Americans who have fought and fallen together.
11:33 Our veterans and all those who have given the cause of peace
11:37 their last full measure of devotion.
11:41 And Mr. President, in reflecting on this century of service,
11:46 I'm reminded of a sentiment that you have shared before
11:51 from an American soldier talking about his time in Iraq.
11:56 And that sentiment was this,
11:59 you know when there's an Australian with you,
12:02 they'll always have your back.
12:05 A generous thought from a man of courage and character,
12:10 Major Beau Biden.
12:11 Mr. President, you have known far more
12:17 than life's ordinary share of loss and grief.
12:21 And you have been called to serve at a time
12:24 when sadness and strife have cast a long shadow on our world.
12:29 You understand that the task for all of us
12:32 is to draw on the strength that hope instils.
12:37 To look to the future,
12:39 not just with optimism for better days,
12:42 but with the determination to build a better world.
12:46 And while we do indeed face testing times,
12:50 our friendship is tried and tested.
12:55 Our people are up for the challenge.
12:57 Our alliance has been shaped by history
13:00 and it is ready to shape the future.
13:03 So with optimism and with determination,
13:06 let us pledge to make this a time
13:09 when hope and history rhyme.
13:11 Let us write the next chapter in our alliance together.
13:16 I thank you, Mr. President.
13:18 (audience applauding)
13:21 (indistinct)
13:23 (indistinct)
13:26 - Color's writing time.
13:45 - Mr. President, this concludes the ceremony.