I acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, and extend my thanks to Cheyne Halloran and Joel Bulger for their Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony.
Welcome to Her Excellency the Honourable Sam Mostyn, Governor‑General of the Commonwealth of Australia.
A big thank you to the Royal Australian Mint and Leigh Gordon for hosting this wonderful event, and to all of you – coin collectors, Canberrans and curious visitors alike – for being here today.
In the 1960s, Harold Holt, as Commonwealth Treasurer, pushed for Canberra’s Mint to ‘occupy a place of pride in ... that exclusive territory in the national capital reserved for its more noteworthy buildings’. However, despite Treasurer Holt’s vision, his Cabinet colleagues opposed this plan; refusing to have a ‘factory’ in the prestigious Parliamentary Triangle.
Instead it was sent to the ‘outback’, by which they meant Deakin.
Like Treasurer Holt, I am extremely proud of this ‘factory’, the biggest manufacturing operation in Canberra, and pleased today to celebrate a new chapter in the Mint’s proud history.
About 360,000 visitors are expected in the coming year and they will take away with them a new perspective on Australia’s coinage and the stories that have forged our nation. The mezzanine level, which houses the museum, is certainly unrecognisable from the space in which I held a press conference last October.
Many fascinating stories are on show in the museum, including the Trading Ways installation which tells the story of how First Nations people conducted trade without coins.
Today, I would like to share the tale of 2 Royal Australian Mint employees, Max and Brett Izzard, who have played a role in building the Mint into the institution it is today.
Max Izzard began working here as a labourer at the age of 16 in March 1966 – just a year after the Mint opened. Max spent his entire working life here, retiring 47 years later at the age of 63. He worked in various roles at the Mint, including Vault Custodian and Production Supervisor.
In 1998, 32 years after Max began, his son Brett joined the Mint as a packing operator through a contract agency. Brett then secured a permanent role in logistics, followed by Planning Manager and is now the Planning and Logistics Manager.
Father and son worked together for about 15 years.
Max and Brett’s combined 73 years (and counting) have significantly contributed to the Mint’s ongoing success and storied tradition.
I congratulate Leigh Gordon and the project team, the designers, tradespersons and all Mint staff who have worked together to make this refurbishment happen.