Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to acknowledge the Australia-Japan Society of Western Australia and to place on record my appreciation for the exceptional work it does to strengthen the relationship between Western Australia and Japan. For more than six decades, the Japan society has served as a bridge, connecting communities, fostering understanding and celebrating the shared values that underpin one of our state's most important international partnerships. Through its language programs, cultural festivals, educational exchanges and community outreach, the society has helped generations of Western Australians gain a deeper appreciation of Japanese culture, history and values. These efforts do not merely enrich our social fabric; they sustain the trust and mutual understanding upon which modern diplomacy depends. The Japan society's work gives these links meaning. Whether through its support for Japanese language education, hosting cultural events or building partnerships with schools and universities, it ensures that our friendship with Japan is lived and experienced, not just spoken about.

The friendship between Western Australia and Japan is one founded on trust, respect and decades of cooperation. A defining moment came in 1966, when the first trial shipment of iron ore from Rio Tinto's Mount Tom Price mine left Dampier on the Houn Maru bound for Yawata Iron and Steel in Kitakyushu. That single act was the beginning of a partnership that not only transformed our economy and helped fuel Japan's remarkable post-war recovery but changed the face of Western Australia forever. Nearly 60 years later, the partnership endures—broader, deeper and more ambitious than ever.

Japan remains one of Western Australia's largest and most valued trading partners. Our state supplies the iron ore, LNG and, increasingly, the critical minerals that power Japan's industry and energy needs. In return, Japanese investment has built much of the backbone of our modern economy—our ports, railways and resource projects. It is a partnership of mutual benefit. But the true strength of this relationship lies beyond trade. It lies in the human stories—in the teachers and students learning each other's languages and in the artist, engineers and entrepreneurs.

Through initiatives like those of the Japan society, Western Australians and Japanese alike experience firsthand the value of understanding curiosity and respect. Our sister-city relationships, from Perth and Kagoshima to Belmont and Adachi, are living examples of this cooperation in action. They show that international friendship begins at a local level, where people share culture, knowledge and opportunity. As we both look to the future, our shared values of democracy, innovation and mutual respect will guide us through new challenges. Through the people-to-people links sustained by organisations like the Japan society, the next generation will inherit a partnership strengthened by understanding and friendship.

The Australia-Japan Society of Western Australia continues to remind us that diplomacy is not only the work of governments; it is the work of communities. It is found in classrooms, cultural centres and family friendships that span the Indian and Pacific oceans. To all who contribute to this mission, I extend my gratitude. Your work ensures that the friendship between Western Australia and Japan, forged in trust and respect, will continue to flourish for generations to come.