[Acknowledgements omitted]
I too begin by acknowledging the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation, who are the traditional custodians of the land we are meeting on today.
I also pay my respects to the Elders of the Noongar nation, past, present and emerging.
And I extend that respect to First Nations people joining us here today.
It is indeed an honour to be back here at Curtin — I spent a lot of time in Building 18. And it is a place I remember fondly as a former Professor and Research Fellow here.
And, to our awardees, I hope that you have found in Curtin, and in Australia, a second home.
This year the Australia Awards PNG scholarships and short courses have been co-badged the Somare-Whitlam Awards—honouring PNG's independence leader and first Prime Minister, Great Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, and former Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. Both for their roles in PNG's transition to independence.
Sir Michael Somare and Mr Whitlam shared a special relationship — and one that predated their Prime Ministerships.
In 1969—which incidentally is the year my family arrived in Australia from Egypt—as Opposition Leader Gough Whitlam travelled to Wewak where he met local trade union activist, Michael Somare. At that point, Whitlam committed to work with Somare to achieve PNG's independence.
They went on to strike up what was to be a lifelong friendship, and one that would help shape PNG's future.
Whitlam would go on to travel to PNG several more times before he was elected Prime Minister of Australia.
At a private dinner hosted by Somare in Port Moresby, in the hours before PNG's independence on 16 September 1975, Somare singled out 'his mate Gough' for special thanks.
Somare went on to serve as Prime Minister for 17 years over three separate terms.
Fast forwarding to the present, and Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marape was the first foreign leader to phone and congratulate Prime Minister Albanese earlier this month on his victory in the recent federal election. This underlines the absolute closeness of personal connections at the highest level.
And those connections go well beyond our leaders and our Prime Ministers.
We have many thousands of Australians living and working in Papua New Guinea.
And in turn we are blessed to have thousands of Papua New Guineans living, working and studying in Australia, and contributing to this country. Including many of you here today — studying in Australian universities or indeed working in the resources sector.
In 50 years of Papua New Guinea's independence, our two countries' relationship has gone from strength-to-strength, growing and maturing at a government-to-government level and importantly, at a people-to-people level.
Initiatives like our Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme – or PALM – and the Pacific Engagement Visa, only strengthen relationships between our two countries, and our people.
The recent announcement that PNG will soon have its very own NRL team — which the Australian Government is happy to be supporting — is both an important and exciting one.
Indeed, making this announcement last year with Prime Minister Albanese, Prime Minister Marape called sport a bridge, 'connecting our communities on a personal and cultural level'.
With both PNG and Perth confirmed to host the next two teams in the NRL, I hope to see many of you back here to watch the PNG side take on our Perth Bears! May the best team win.
Now, importantly to education — which brings us all here today.
Education goes to the heart of the personal connection between Australians and Papua New Guineans.
Many thousands of Papua New Guineans have studied in Australia over the decades, including under the Australia Awards — much like the 30 teachers and educators we are so lucky to have here today.
Australia is proud to be PNG's largest development partner.
Whether it's by backing in PNG's health system, supporting economic stability and internal security, or working together on education — Australia will always stand with PNG.
And under the new Australia-PNG Development Partnership Plan, we're focused on supporting the PNG Government to unlock the full potential of PNG's young and growing population.
And to make this happen we're working together to make education an even larger priority across our partnership.
Our education investments in PNG span primary and early grades — all the way to tertiary and TVET, including Australia Awards scholarships.
Last year, across PNG, we helped train more than 3,000 teachers in literacy, maths and school management — and we will continue this important work.
We're committed to working with the PNG Government on what is so essential: improving access to quality education for all, to build an even stronger PNG over the coming 50 years.
As teachers and educators—as I once was—I don't have to impress on you the ability of education to transform people's lives. To really change the trajectory of a student's life. And the pivotal and important role you play in effecting in this.
I had an opportunity to talk to some of you before official proceedings began, and to hear from you, about the skills you would be taking to PNG and implementing in your own classrooms and practice.
You've all seen firsthand the role education can play in your own classrooms, communities and across your country.
And I want to acknowledge the role each and every one of you play in that.
Your commitment to furthering your own education and improving your own teaching practice is what will help you realise better outcomes – in your classrooms, in your schools and institutions, and in PNG.
And what's important is that the key lessons from the last 12 weeks continue to be shared in your classrooms and communities across PNG — for the benefit of fellow colleagues and practitioners, and young Papua New Guineans.
There is great diversity in this cohort – in terms of the regions and provinces you hail from. From Bougainville to Simbu and Morobe.
You also represent a number of institutions including the Jiwaka Teachers College, Rosary Secondary School, Pacific Adventist University and Kerevat National School of Excellence.
You also hold a range of very important roles in your institutions – teachers, lectures, subject coordinators and masters all the way to heads of departments – across the schools and institutions you represent, and the subjects and levels you teach.
And while you may be miles apart back home, the knowledge you've accumulated and connections you've made here at Curtin and in Australia are lifelong.
I often say to young people that there's so much that can be taken away from you. The one thing that nobody can ever take from you is your education.
So you've made all these connections here, met people from your own country, and made connections across the oceans and the seas—so draw on these networks. Share in each other's knowledge. And work together — because education matters.
I hope you have enjoyed your studies here. I hope it's made a mark. I hope it's given you memories you will treasure forever. And knowledge that you will be able to put into practice for the rest of your life. And I hope that your studies are the beginning of a lifelong connection with Australia, and a contribution to the future partnership between our two countries — not dissimilar to the relationship between Gough Whitlam and Sir Michael Somare.
I look forward to seeing what you achieve professionally, and the collective difference you make across PNG.
Tenk yu tru (thank you very much).