Thanks Janine.
Mr Bruce Mildenhall, Parliamentary Secretary, Premier and Cabinet;
Ms Sue Hamilton, Acting Chief Executive of the State Library of Victoria; ladies and gentlemen……
It is an honour to be here today, in this wonderful building, the State Library of Victoria to help launch the first three coins of the coin series: Milestones in State and Territory Government.
Over the next 12 years each State and Territory will achieve a significant anniversary of the granting of responsible self government. To coincide with these milestones, the Royal Australian Mint is producing a series of anniversary coins.
Today we are marking the sesquicentenary of New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania, which in 1856 were the first three Australian states to establish ‘responsible government’.
It is an honour to be at an occasion which highlights the development of democratically elected governments in Australia through the granting of independence and self-government.
The Royal Australian Mint has worked closely with each state and territory government to develop the coin series. The involvement of Victoria, represented here today by Bruce Mildenhall, Parliamentary Secretary, Premier and Cabinet, ensured the provision of historical information which in turn enabled the Royal Australian Mint to develop a consistency of design for the set of handcrafted silver coins.
I will now take the opportunity to say a few words in unveiling the New South Wales and Tasmanian coins.
New South Wales
The New South Wales Government met for the first time in Sydney in May 1856. This marked a turning point in our nation’s history, when power was transferred from the Crown’s representative to the people.
Self-government in New South Wales, had a turbulent beginning with 6 premiers in the first 4 years. Since then, NSW has had 41 different premiers. Amongst them was Sir Henry Parkes, who served 5 separate terms between 1872 and 1889. He is considered the Father of Federation for his leadership in advancing the cause of nationhood. Unfortunately, Sir Henry died in 1896 and did not see the fulfilment of his dream in 1901.
Tasmania
The Colony of Van Diemen’s Land was first settled by Europeans in 1803. In 1856, it was re-named Tasmania and granted self-government, with its own Parliament.
The first Premier of Tasmania was William Champ; there have been 42 premiers that have served during Tasmania’s 150 years of self government.
The $5 denomination proof coins have been handcrafted from 99.9% silver and struck with the high quality that has become a trademark of Royal Australian Mint. The design features the development of state and territory boundaries and highlights each particular state and territory as it achieves its particular historical milestone.
I would now like to invite Bruce Mildenhall to make some remarks regarding our state’s history, prior to us both unveiling Victoria’s coin.