Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On 6 June the planet Venus passed directly between the sun and the earth. The transit of Venus is a rare phenomenon—it will not happen again for another 105 years—and it holds special significance for modern Australia. In 1769 Lieutenant James Cook travelled to Tahiti to record this celestial event, and it was during that same expedition that he would then go on to discover the east coast of Australia. The intrepid explorer sketched the transit and took detailed measurements. Having completed his mission, Cook then opened sealed instructions for the second leg of his voyage, which was to scour the Pacific and search for the great south land. He sailed west for New Zealand, circumnavigated and charted the islands, and then headed west again. In April 1770 they first sighted land. A few weeks later, on 29 April 1770, on a calm Sunday morning, Isaac Smith, Cook's nephew, stepped ashore on the Kurnell Peninsula. That landfall triggered a chain of events which led to the modern nation we know and love today.

Kurnell, in my electorate of Cook, is the modern birthplace of our nation. In my maiden speech I called on all tiers of government to work together to plan a memorable commemoration in 2020 of the 250th anniversary of Cook's landing. I believe this should be the single most notable event in our national history since our bicentenary. Cook was the greatest navigator of his age and, arguably, any age. He embodied the spirit of the Enlightenment period and displayed a profound empathy in respect of his crew as well as the people and lands he visited. This stood out starkly in what was otherwise an era of brutality. His courage and resilience are traits we admire. The spirit of enterprise and endeavour upon which that expedition was founded has become the overarching characteristic of our modern nation.

The state of the landing site at Kurnell today is a sad indictment of our national attitude towards Cook. It fails to realise what should be our national expectations for such a place and for such a man in our national history. It says much about our apathy and insecurity towards celebrating our national heritage and, in particular, our European settlement. There should be a new monument to recognise this anniversary. There should be upgrades to tourist infrastructure and access roads and a wharf at Silver Beach to enable people to visit this site by sea, through Botany Bay. There should be an interactive museum of discovery that tells all of our national stories. There must be a national program of commemoration, including a re-enactment of Cook's voyage. Importantly, there should be a plan to nurture this living memory, to oversee the improvements now and to ensure the site's long-term preservation, perhaps under the watchful eye of the Sydney Harbour Trust.

The landing at Kurnell was an inevitable convergence and clash of cultures; it was our own nation's date with destiny. The Gweagal people of the Dharawal nation of southern Sydney were the first Indigenous Australians to encounter Cook—and, in truth, the contact was brief. Cook had hoped to engage in trade with the local Aboriginal people as he had done in New Zealand and Tahiti, but the cultures were different and they could not communicate. Cook wrote in his journal of throwing nails and beads on the shore in a gesture of peace. This was unfortunately received as a threat. The Aboriginal people maintained a close physical presence with the landing party, but the distance between them was insurmountable. We have struggled as a nation to overcome that distance ever since. But we are making progress.

The 2020 celebration should be an opportunity to further our cooperation and to restate our commitment around our nation to the reconciliation process that is well underway. But there is so much distance still to travel. There should be a national program of celebration and commemoration that is all encompassing and celebrates the contributions of all Australians from all backgrounds: those who came and settled from Europe; the Indigenous Australians, whose heritage runs over centuries into ancient times; and the migrants who have come since writing our national story. That first encounter did not unfold as Cook had hoped. But 250 years down the track we can at least stand and celebrate in the spirit he intended. As Australia charts its course into the 21st century there are many unknowns, just as they were for Captain Cook as he watched Venus creep across the sun. At Kurnell we can literally stand in the feet of yesterday's pioneers and draw on their courage and vision as we chart our own way forward.

The 400th anniversary of the landing at Jamestown settlement in the United States was a great coming together. The celebrations drew more than three million people to Virginia in 2007. It was a venture that brought people together, cultures together, businesses together and governments at all levels together—as should Cook 2020. Of course, our Australian story is different; it is unique, and that is why we must preserve it. If we do, on 11 December 2117, when our great-great-grandchildren stop to watch the same tiny planet track across the sky just as Lieutenant James Cook did in 1769, they too can share in our experience of nationhood which began when Cook landed at Kurnell.