Speech at launch of Australian Volunteers for International Development
26 May 2011, Parliament House Walking into a room full of Australian volunteers preparing for deployment is a great lesson in tempering preconceptions and avoiding stereotypes. It’s easy to imagine all volunteers being of the same ilk; ultra-progressive, left wing, vegetarian… I am joking of course, but I do note that several of you nodded in agreement as I said that. I admit that I had that image firmly planted in my head as I walked in to my first briefing session, wondering frantically if I would fit in with the group that was already there. Here’s the extraordinary, powerful side of Australian culture that too often goes unnoticed by even our own people. Lending a hand to one’s neighbor isn’t a chore, a monumental gathering of effort. For Australians, it’s just a part of who we are. In that room and in so many rooms I have been in since that moment, I was privileged to be swept away by the diversity of people representing their country, representing my country, who were p