Hilton Brisbane

IT IS OFTEN NOTED THAT IF WE DON’T LEARN THE LESSONS OF HISTORY THEN WE ARE BOUND TO REPEAT THEM. THERE ARE FEW MORE QUALIFIED TO TEACH US THE LESSONS OF HISTORY THAN THOSE WHO HAVE LIVED THROUGH IT.
 
AFTER A CAREER IN FINANCE AND ACADEMIA, VÁCLAV KLAUS ENTERED POLITICS IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE ‘VELVET REVOLUTION’ IN 1989, THE NON-VIOLENT REVOLUTION WHICH OVERTHREW THE COMMUNIST GOVERNMENT. HE BECAME MINISTER OF FINANCE IN THE NEW CZECHOSLOVAK FEDERAL REPUBLIC. IN 1992 HE BECAME PRIME MINISTER AND OVERSAW THE "VELVET DIVORCE" OF THE CZECHOSLOVAK FEDERATION AND THE FOUNDATION OF AN INDEPENDENT CZECH REPUBLIC. IN 1996 HE WAS RE-ELECTED AS PRIME MINISTER. AFTER THE GENERAL ELECTION IN 1998 HE BECAME CHAIRMAN OF THE CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES OF THE CZECH PARLIAMENT FOR A FOUR-YEAR PERIOD.

IN 2003 HE WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC. HE WAS RE-ELECTED IN 2008 AND HOLDS THE POSITION TO THIS DAY. ALONG WITH VÁCLAV HAVEL, PRESIDENT KLAUS HAS BEEN THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FIGURE IN POST-COMMUNIST CZECH POLITICS.

HE HAS PUBLISHED OVER 20 BOOKS ON GENERAL SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC THEMES, AND HAS BEEN AWARDED A NUMBER OF INTERNATIONAL PRIZES AND HONORARY DOCTORATES FROM UNIVERSITIES ALL OVER THE WORLD.

PRESIDENT KLAUS HAS BEEN EXTREMELY GENEROUS WITH HIS TIME BY COMING TO AUSTRALIA AND WE CERTAINLY APPRECIATE IT. I HAVE BEEN IN POLITICS AND FOUGHT SOCIALISM FOR A LONG TIME BUT IT IS DIFFICULT TO IMAGINE THE STRENGTH AND COMMITMENT TO DEMOCRATIC IDEALS THAT IT MUST HAVE TAKEN TO TRANSFORM THE CZECHOSLOVAKIAN COMMUNIST STATE TO AN INDEPENDENT CZECH REPUBLIC.

AS A CENTRAL FIGURE IN LEADING HIS COUNTRY THROUGH THESE FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES, WE RECOGNISE THE DIFFICULTIES AND CHALLENGES PRESIDENT KLAUS MUST HAVE FACED AND PERHAPS STILL FACES. WE CAN REFLECT ON THE LOVE OF COUNTRY THAT IT ENTAILS AND THE DESIRE TO MAKE YOUR PEOPLE FREE TO LIVE THE WAY THEY CHOOSE, UNSHACKLED FROM RESTRICTIVE IDEOLOGIES.

PERHAPS IT IS THIS DESIRE TO BE FREE, TO THINK FOR ONESELF ABOUT CURRENT ISSUES THAT INSPIRES HIS PRESENCE HERE TODAY. IN AUSTRALIA, WE KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE FREE. IN FACT THAT IS ALL WE HAVE EVER KNOWN. THAT MIGHT MAKE US VULNERABLE TO EROSIONS OF FREEDOM BECAUSE WE DON’T SEE THEM COMING. WE DON’T KNOW HOW JEALOUSLY THOSE FREEDOMS MUST BE GUARDED. THAT IS WHY WE WELCOME THE CONTRIBUTION OF PRESIDENT KLAUS.

RECENTLY MY COLLEAGUE, KEVIN ANDREWS, LAUNCHED A BOOK ENTITLED THE GREENS – POLICIES, REALITY AND CONSEQUENCES. THE EDITOR, ANDREW MCINTYRE, STATES IN THE INTRODUCTION THAT THE GREENS HAVE AN UNCONTROLLABLE URGE TO SPEND, ALMOST EVERYWHERE AND FOR EVERYTHING; A MANIA FOR CONTROL – THROUGH LEGISLATION AND REGULATION OF BOTH INSTITUTIONS AND INDIVIDUALS;

A DISTURBING AND UNWARRANTED CONFIDENCE IN CENTRAL PLANNING AND BELIEF THAT GOVERNMENT KNOWS BEST; AN ANTAGONISM TO INITIATIVES BY THE PRIVATE SECTOR OR INDIVIDUALS; AND AT BEST, A SYSTEMATIC AND NAÏVE MISUNDERSTANDING, BOTH HISTORICAL AND PRACTICAL, OF HOW THE WORLD WORKS.

‘INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY, THE AUTHORS OF THIS BOOK REVEAL THE TOTALITARIAN IMPULSE AT THE HEART OF THE GREEN’S IDEOLOGY. IT INVOLVES THE CONTROL OVER, AND THE CROWDING OUT OF, OTHER SPHERES OF NATIONAL LIFE BY THE MASSIVE EXPANSION OF GOVERNMENT.’
IT IS DISTURBING TO MANY AUSTRALIANS THAT THE GREENS WIELD SO MUCH POWER IN THE FEDERAL LABOR GOVERNMENT. SHOULD WE BE SURPRISED THAT PRIME MINISTER GILLARD AGREED TO A CARBON TAX WITH THE GREENS AS A WAY OF HOLDING ONTO POWER?

DID SHE REALLY HAVE TO GIVE AWAY SO MUCH TO STAY IN POWER? IT IS HARD TO IMAGINE THE GREENS SUPPORTING A COALITION GOVERNMENT LED BY TONY ABBOTT. YET THE PRIME MINISTER STILL GAVE AWAY SO MUCH TO THE GREENS.
 
PERHAPS THE PATH FOR THE SELL OUT OF AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRY WAS LAID DOWN IN THE SOCIALIST FORUM OF THE 1990’S WHICH PUBLISHED A SERIES OF BOOKS UNDER THE THEME ‘STRATEGIES FOR RENEWAL’. ONE OF THESE BOOKS WAS CALLED “THE GREENING OF THE RED”. IT OUTLINES THE STEPS NEEDED TO DIRECT SOCIALISM TO THE NEW GOAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISM IN ORDER TO RETURN POLITICAL POWER TO THE LEFT. IT IS THE LOCAL PROOF OF THE GREEN RESTRUCTURING THAT PRESIDENT KLAUS’ BOOK “BLUE PLANET IN GREEN SHACKLES” SEEKS TO EXPOSE.

YOU WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT THIS INVOLVES RE-REGULATING THE EXCHANGE RATE, TARIFFS, REDUCING IMPORTS AND FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND PUBLIC FUNDING FOR MEDIA OUTLETS TO BE RUN BY CO-OPS AND COMMUNITY GROUPS. COMMERCIAL BROADCASTING AND ADVERTISING WOULD BE PHASED OUT. THEY TALK ABOUT A TIDE OF RED-GREEN VALUES THAT WILL BECOME A ‘SUCCESSOR’ TO DEMOCRACY – ITS REPLACEMENT in other words. THE AUTHOR STATES THAT ‘SOON THERE WILL BE LITTLE OPTION BUT TO CUT BACK ON INPUTS TO, AND OUTPUTS FROM, HUMAN ACTIVITIES’.

THE AUDIENCE HERE TODAY WILL APRECIATE THAT THE EDITORIAL COMMITTEE FOR THIS SERIES INCLUDED NONE OTHER THAN OUR OWN CURRENT PRIME MINISTER JULIA GILLARD.

THE DEBATE ABOUT THE MEDIA THAT HAS SPRUNG UP RECENTLY IS ANOTHER CLEAR EXAMPLE OF THE TOTALITARIAN TACTICS OF THOSE WHO WOULD PUT US IN GREEN SHACKLES. THEY PREACH TOLERANCE AND DIVERSITY, BUT ONLY IF YOU AGREE WITH THEM. THEY DO NOT RECOGNISE SCIENCE UNLESS IT RECOGNISES THEM.

PRESIDENT KLAUS, WE WELCOME YOU AND LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR ADDRESS TODAY AND PRAY THAT WE CAN LEARN FROM YOUR ROLE IN HISTORY HOW TO PRESERVE THE FREEDOMS THAT OUR WONDERFUL COUNTRY HAS GIVEN US.

ENDS