Prime Minister Gillard:
Thank you very much.
I'll start by acknowledging the
traditional owners of the land
on which we meet and in the
spirit of reconciliation pay my
respects to elders
past and present.
I'm here to introduce
President Obama to you,
and I know that you are going
to give him a wonderfully warm
Darwin, Northern
Territory welcome.
We're here for three reasons.
First, President Obama said when
he came to Australia that he
wanted to get out
beyond Canberra;
he wanted to get out and about
and meet some real Aussies and
no better place to do
it than here in Darwin,
here in the Northern Territory.
(applause)
President Obama, a few
characteristics of these
real Aussies, having spent some
time last year in Afghanistan
watching the AFL grand
final replay with them,
they love their sport even
when Collingwood wins.
It's always a
controversial call.
They like having a
drink with their mates,
but when they're deployed
overseas we feed them this
toxic brew called Near Beer.
I'm sorry about that.
They love their country, they
work hard -- they work hard in
a spirit of mateship and
accepting responsibilities.
So, President Obama here to
see some real Australians.
Second, President Obama is here
to say to the serving military
personnel, to the people from
our Australian Defence Force
and to some Americans friends as
well, thank you for what you do,
thank you from me as Prime
Minister of Australia and
from President Obama.
Thank you for everything that
you do in our own nation,
in times of natural disaster.
Thank you for the hard work and
training you do in this place.
Thank you for the way that you
hold up the standards of our
country and hold our flag high,
whether it's in East Timor,
or the Solomon Islands, or the
hard fight in Afghanistan,
you are there doing
what we need you to do.
You are there because you
want to serve and we are so
tremendously proud of you, and
particularly tremendously proud
of those of you who have been to
Afghanistan and who are looking
to go back; those who know that
that fight has given us days of
sorrow, as well as days of
reward, days of progress;
those of you who have shown
fortitude and bravery,
no matter how tough it's got.
Thank you for your
determination,
and we share your determination
to see the mission through.
And last, but by no means least,
President Obama is here because
he and I have been working to
strengthen the great alliance
between our two countries,
working to make sure that
the alliance lives
anew in this place,
in the Northern Territory,
by bringing 250 Marines here
initially, going to 2,500
Marines over a staged process,
so that shoulder-to-shoulder
with our American friends we can
train with them, we can be with
them to meet the contingencies
in our region.
We are conscious that
when we talk about the
American-Australian alliance,
when we talk about ANZUS,
really we're talking about you,
because you are the ones who do
the heavy lifting, you are the
ones that make this alliance
live, day in day out, through
the work that you do.
We admire your sense of
duty, we admire your courage,
we admire your experience, we
admire the fact that you face
down adversity.
And the President of the United
States of America is here to
tell you that himself - ladies
and gentlemen, one and all,
President Obama.
(applause)
The President:
Thank you!
(applause)
Hello, everybody!
Audience:
Hello!
The President:
How are you doing?
I know that you all have
a great Australian cheer.
I want to hear it.
So let me say -- first
-- Auzzy, Auzzy, Auzzy!
Audience:
Auzzy, Auzzy, Auzzy!
The President:
I enjoyed that.
(laughter)
It is great to be here at RAAF
Darwin -- I mean, Dah-win.
(laughter)
I'm learning to speak "Strine."
(laughter)
The Prime Minister said that she
wanted to show me Australia at
its best.
And she's right -- you
all are all true blue.
So thank you, Julia, for
bringing us together today,
for being such a great friend
and champion of our alliance,
and for this visit to Australia,
which I will remember forever.
It is good to be
here in the Top End.
I thank the people of Darwin for
the incredibly warm welcome.
And I'm proud to
be the first U.S.
President ever to visit
the Northern Territory.
(applause)
I want to begin by respectfully
acknowledging the Traditional
Owners of this Land and their
elders, past and present.
You are one of the world's
oldest continuous cultures.
And I want you to know
that your strength,
your dignity is an
inspiration to me and
people all around the world.
I'm not going to
give a big speech.
It's a little hot.
(laughter)
I already gave a big speech.
What I really want to
do is spend a little
time shaking some hands.
Audience Members:
Yes!
(applause)
The President:
I'm not sure I'm going
to be able to reach all
the way back there.
(laughter)
As the Prime Minister said,
we're celebrating the 60th
anniversary of our
great alliance.
And we couldn't think of
a better group to do it
with than you.
All of you are the
backbone of our alliance.
It's an honor to be here with
Australia's legendary Diggers.
You are some of the toughest
warriors in the world.
And so are another group
of folks here today -- our
extraordinary United
States Marines.
Marines:
Ooh-rah!
(applause)
The President:
Aussies and Americans like you
have stood together since World
War I, the war in which so much
of your national character was
born -- your incredible
ANZAC Spirit.
But, in a sense, it
was here, in Darwin,
where our alliance
was born -- during
"Australia's Pearl Harbor."
Against overwhelming odds,
our forces fought back,
with honor and with courage.
The Prime Minister and I just
paid our respects at the
memorial to one of the ships
lost that day -- the USS Peary.
And we looked out at those
beautiful blue waters,
where so many Australians
and Americans rest where
they fell, together.
The days after
Darwin were tough.
Some thought
Australia might fall.
But we dusted ourselves off.
We picked ourselves up.
We rebuilt.
And thanks to the extraordinary
generation of troops,
we went on to victory -- in the
Coral Sea and at Midway and at
Milne Bay.
When that war was won, and
as another raged in Korea,
our countries forged
a new alliance.
We pledged our "collective
defense for the preservation
of peace and security."
And that's a promise
we've kept ever since.
As I said in Parliament
earlier today,
our alliance is rooted in the
bonds between our people,
and the democratic values that
we share and our commitment to
stand with each other through
thick and through thin,
no matter what.
That includes Afghanistan.
I know many of you served there,
including proud members of the
1st Brigade.
Like generations before you,
you've lived and served
alongside your American
colleagues -- day in
and day out.
You work together so well, it's
often said you can't tell where
our guys end and you guys begin.
Today, I want to say thank you.
Thank you for a job well done.
Thank you for your
incredible sacrifices.
Thank you for your
families' sacrifices.
And welcome home.
(applause)
Others among you served in Iraq,
and on dangerous missions around
the globe.
Among us today are families
whose loved ones made the
ultimate sacrifice
in today's wars.
This morning, the Prime Minister
and I paid our respects at the
Australian War Memorial.
And in that magnificent space
I saw the Roll of Honor,
with the names of
your fallen heroes,
including those
from Afghanistan.
And to their families, I say --
no words are sufficient for the
depth of your sacrifice.
But we will honor your loved
ones by completing their
mission, by making sure
Afghanistan is never again
used to attack our people.
And I am confident that
we are going to succeed.
Now, here in Darwin
and Northern Australia,
we'll write the next proud
chapter in our alliance.
As the Prime Minister and
I announced yesterday,
some of our Marines will begin
rotating through these parts to
train and exercise with you,
and to work as partners across
the region for the
security we all want.
Today, on behalf of
the American people,
I want to thank the people of
this community for welcoming our
men and women in uniform.
We are grateful for your
friendship and we are grateful
for your hospitality.
So we're deepening our alliance
-- and this is the perfect place
to do it.
I know the training conditions
around here are tough -- at
least that's what I've heard.
Big, open spaces.
Harsh weather.
Mozzies.
(laughter)
Snakes. Crocs.
(laughter)
In fact, I was just presented
with the most unique gift I've
ever received as President
-- crocodile insurance.
(laughter)
My wife, Michelle,
will be relieved.
(laughter)
I have to admit that when we
reformed health care in America,
crocodile insurance is
one thing we left out.
(laughter)
But there's another reason we're
deepening our alliance here.
This region has some of the
busiest sea lanes in the world,
which are critical
to all our economies.
And in times of crisis -- from
the Bali bombings to East Timor
to relief after a tsunami
-- Darwin has been a hub,
moving out aid,
caring for victims,
making sure that we do right
by the people of this region.
And that's what we're going
to keep doing, together.
Going forward, our purpose is
the same as it was 60 years ago
-- "the preservation
of peace and security."
And in a larger sense, you're
answering the question once
posed by the great
Banjo Paterson.
Of Australia, he wrote, "Hath
she the strength for the burden
laid upon her, hath she
the power to protect and
guard her own?"
Well, generations of
Australians -- and you,
its men and women in uniform
-- have given your answer.
And America has been
honored to stand with you,
as allies with an enduring
commitment to human freedom.
On this 60th anniversary, we
are saying together, proudly:
Yes, we have the strength
for the burden laid upon us,
and we have the power to
protect and guard our own,
here in the Asia Pacific
and all around the world.
So thank you all for your
extraordinary service.
And thank you for
representing the very
best of our two countries.
God bless Australia.
God bless America.
And God bless the great alliance
between our two peoples.
Thank you very much.
(applause)
