Stuart MorganMr. Chairman, Prime Minister-Western Australia, Kim BeazleyMr. Beazley, Other Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Thank you very much for the kind things you said. Denis ThatcherDenis and I are very happy to be visiting Perth as the first city that we are visiting in Australia. I have to confess we have not been here before, which you will say, quite rightly, is a great reflection on the state of my education. Well, we are putting that right now and we are very happy to be with you.
So far, in the short time we have been here, it would seem as if your winter is better than our summer as far as the weather is concerned!
Inevitably, on an occasion like this, when there are several people speaking about the same project, there is going to be a certain similarity in our speeches. Well, if a thing is worth doing or worth saying, it is worth saying at least three times and today it is going to be said at least four times! [end p1]
May I first thank you, Mr. Beazley, and agree with you for saying that there could be no better start to my first visit to Western Australia than to inaugurate this joint manufacturing venture in high technology between Australia and Britain. It symbolises the sort of relationship between our two countries which I hope my visit will encourage. It is a relationship which builds on the success of both our countries and it is a relationship which steps right into the future—and where better for it to be happening than here in Western Australia, with its vast resources and your great frontier spirit, because just as you are pushing outwards the frontiers of Australia's development, so in this joint venture Britain and Australia are working together on the frontier of high technology to produce turbine blade castings for the best and most advanced aircraft engines in the world.
It is a further stage in the tremendous success story of the Rolls-Royce RB-211 family of engines. Qantas is one of the best and most demanding customers for the larger RB-211 and now, with American Airlines' recent order for the 535 version, Rolls-Royce have achieved yet another milestone in the engine success. That will mean work for this factory and will be further proof of Rolls-Royce's long-term commitment to its partnership with Australian industry and how well Britain and Australia can work together. [end p2]
I freely confess that I want to see many other firms in both our countries follow this example and bring together the best of high technology and enterprise in Britain and in Australia, and so I would ask you all to join me in offering our warmest congratulations to Stuart Morgan, Chairman of the new company, and to all those who played their part in this outstanding joint venture.
We wish you well and hope that this will be the forerunner of many other similar ventures, showing that we are in the forefront of the frontiers of science (applause).