I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet, and I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
It is such a pleasure to be with you here at Macquarie University today for the opening of the NextSense Centre for Innovation.
To come to an opening like this is absolutely one of the highlights of my job because it is the concrete result of commitment and dedication.
Crucially, it represents the possibility of a better future for so many Australians with hearing or vision loss.
This facility is as impressive as it important, one that will soon become an incubator for world-leading innovation and best practice.
The centre will provide the platform for training and service programs to be delivered globally with increased innovation and collaboration with the Australian Hearing Hub with Cochlear, and Hearing Australia and a cluster of research, education and healthcare providers all co-located within the Macquarie Park Innovation District.
The numbers alone are worth contemplating.
The Centre will benefit more than 10,000 Australians each year, with the majority seen physically at the centre.
Consider those 10,000 for a moment - then think about all the families that will benefit as well. The friends, the loved ones, and ultimately the communities.
It truly is the greatest ripple effect, and one more reminder that nothing lifts us as a nation more than our efforts to ensure we rise together.
This Centre is also the result of co-operation and partnership.
The Federal and State governments have together provided a third of the funding. NextSense provided another third, with the remaining third covered by the generosity of philanthropists.
I thank everyone who gave. You have made a difference.
I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has been a part of it - including the 350 workers who took part in the construction.
I also want to express my excitement for everyone who will become part of it.
We can all take pride that our country has a great track record on so many levels.
We have long been at the forefront of medical and scientific innovation.
We have a universal health system built on fairness, a system that is the envy of the world.
And, driven by the great ethos of the fair go, we share an instinct for opening the doors of opportunity and possibility for all Australians.
All of that is so important to who we are as Australians.
All of that comes together here.
It is my great honour to declare the Centre for Innovation open.
