An important milestone in cultural relations between two nations

The Honourable Julie Bishop

Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia

His Excellency Philip Green

High Commissioner of Australia to Singapore

Ladies and gentlemen

1. I'm very happy to join you this afternoon for the launch of “50 Bridges” and welcome Minister Bishop to Singapore.

2. Singapore and Australia enjoy close ties of friendship that go a long way back. Australia was one of the first nations to recognise Singapore's independence in 1965. It's a fact that we will always remember and we will always value this partnership and commitment Australia has made to Singapore

3. Our close ties extend over many areas – defence, trade, education and tourism. It's built on certain foundations and values that both our countries and our people share. We are both open and egalitarian societies, and we are people who tend to be direct and pragmatic in our outlook and approach. And I say this from personal experience, having worked with many Australian professionals.

4. Some years back, I was asked to build Singapore's first LNG Terminal. We didn't have any expertise in Singapore to build the LNG Terminal – it was something completely new to us. I had an Australian professional come in to help us. He came, he worked with the team – very informal and laidback in the way he worked, very relaxed but highly professional, very knowledgeable and he got the job done. And so we're appreciative of all his efforts.

5. Even more recently, we have been doing something with the National Stadium. You've read in the media reports and see that we have put on a new pitch at the National Stadium. The company that is doing it for us is an Australian company, HG Sports Turf. I've met the owner and I've met the crew. Again very similar approach, very informal, relaxed but when they come to do their job – very professional, highly efficient and I was very impressed in the way they brought their team in, got the job done in a very efficient manner.

6. And so, that says something about the way we work. Because Singaporeans are like that as well. We're not protocol conscious, we're informal, we prefer very informal ways of working and we're very direct and pragmatic and we want to get the job done quickly. I think that's why both our people get along very well.

7. Of course, it's not just about work relations; we also enjoy the informal side of life. Singaporeans love to travel and Australia is one of favourite destinations. We don't have enough space in Singapore, it's too small. So Australia is certainly one of our favourite destinations. There's lots of space in Australia. We go and see your beautiful natural landscapes. We enjoy your good food and wine. And we realise that Australia is truly the 'lucky country'.

8. Many of us are familiar with Australian pop culture as well. I play the guitar so I grew up listening to AC/DC. Any self-respecting rock guitarist must know some riffs from AC/DC. And I remember the 80s, when we had Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan. If you remember that, depending on your perspective, you either think that I'm very young or you think that I'm too old because I'm not citing recent icons. I don't keep up with popular culture as much as I used to. But I know for a fact that there are many Australian movie stars who are highly popular. Cate Blanchett was in town recently. Practically in any Hollywood movie, you will see an Australian male actor –  Hugh Jackman, and more recently Chris Hemsworth. I understand that he is very popular, especially among the ladies.

9. So I'm glad that we will enjoy a larger slice of Australian life in Singapore this year, through the “50 Bridges” programme. We'll have street art, public performances and even BBQs happening in the heartlands. It's very much in line with the mission of my Ministry because we want to make arts and culture accessible to everyone, everywhere in Singapore. And I'm glad that “50 Bridges” programme continues in this spirit. So, on behalf of the government in Singapore, of Singaporeans here and everywhere in our island, let me thank everyone in the Australian team involved for making possible this wonderful programme, adding to our SG50 celebration and making this a truly special year for all of us. Thank you very much.

10. Likewise, I hope more Australians will get to know more about the Singaporean culture.  We're going to host more Australian students under the new Colombo plan. We welcome them. We are a small city-state with a relatively short history of independence. We are also a diverse multi-racial and multi-religious society. But amidst this cultural diversity, you'll find common threads emerging of a Singaporean identity, getting stronger day by day. And you see that in our different art forms, for example, through visual arts, theatre, performing arts, dance, etc. That sense of a Singaporean identity is emerging. And so it is an exciting time now to be part of a cultural scene that is growing and evolving a distinctively Singaporean flavor. 

11. So we are very keen to have more cultural exchanges, and I'm glad that “50 Bridges” will allow Singapore and Australian artists to work together. Many of our artists are here, they were introduced just now. I'd like to thank all of you for your contributions. I hope you will form strong friendships and good working relationships that will last for many more years. In fact I understand that two of our artists here already work together as partners – we have “the Yok” from Australia and Sheryo Ang from Singapore. So you see, Singapore and Australia can be a very effective combination and I think the potential for us to do many more things together is tremendous.

12. We look forward to deepening the cultural relationship between Singapore and Australia even further. In fact, we're planning to sign a cultural Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) later this year when the Australian Prime Minister visits. Under the MoU, we will hold more artist exchanges, develop our artists' capabilities, and have more collaborations between our cultural institutions, including our museums. This will be an important milestone in the cultural relations between our two nations. It's certainly a commitment – a sign of even deeper friendship between Singapore and Australia in the time to come.

13. Let me conclude by thanking everyone who has made today's event possible: Minister Bishop, the Australian High Commissioner and his team, our artists, our sponsors, our volunteers and many different agencies who have worked together on both sides.

14. Together, let's continue to build strong and lasting bridges between Singapore and Australia. Thank you.