Ship for World Youth 2019 Official Welcome Reception

Minister Hinchliffe; Councillor Murphy; Consul-General Tanaka; senior representatives from the Ship for World Youth; ladies and gentlemen.

Thank you very much for the warm welcome you have extended to me this evening, on board the beautiful Nippon Maru.

It was only a matter of hours ago that Kaye and I had the pleasure of hosting some of these outstanding young men and women at Government House.

By taking part in the Ship for World Youth program, they are not only broadening their own horizons; they are making important connections that strengthen the entire international community.

And in our rapidly globalising world, community is everything.

Globalisation does not mean we are all becoming one.

On the contrary – it means that our differences are becoming more pronounced.

As members of this very same global village, our shared success depends on the extent to which we can appreciate these differences, learn from each other, and work together.

This is one of the many reasons why the Ship for World program deserves our passionate support.

The program acknowledges that global success starts with a global mindset, and at the very heart of this is the ability to see and understand the world differently than we have been conditioned to.

A truly global mindset opens the door to a wealth of human experience.

It reveals to us myriad ways of experiencing, sensing, feeling and knowing.

It helps us start questioning our own stance on issues that we may have taken for granted.

And it widens our vision to include an alternative perspective on valuing and relating.

By understanding the values, beliefs and attitudes of those who are culturally different from ourselves, we can understand the logic that motivates their actions and behaviours.

Cultural differences do not at all prevent us from collaborating — rather, they enable and enrich us.

In varietate concordia: Let us find unity in diversity.

I once more offer my warmest congratulations to this year’s program participants, and, on behalf of all Queenslanders, thank the Japanese Cabinet Office for making it possible – thank you for returning to Brisbane.

I wish you all a very best for your brief time here, may it be engaging, informative, and most enjoyable!