Good morning, everyone. 

Since taking on this role, Simeon and I have been determined to ensure that these historic houses are places of peace and welcome, where everyone belongs. 

On IDAHOBIT Day, I am proud and honoured to join my voice to yours and to stand with you against LGBTQIA+ discrimination. 

Thank you for coming to Admiralty House to share your message of inclusion and pride in diversity with me, with Simeon, with our team here at Admiralty House, at Government House, for whom this matters very deeply.  

These are places to speak and listen, to share experiences and to receive the wisdom of others. 

Where every handshake, every embrace, every idea is given and received with care, kindness, respect and love.  

In my first year as your Governor-General, and so well supported by Simeon, we have worked hard to bring that spirit of welcome to life … 

In the artworks that hang in the public spaces – and I am grateful to Australia’s national cultural institutions, who have so generously loaned works that represent who we are as a country – our past and present. 

In the books stacked on the shelves. 

And in the program of events and people we host. 

Our goal has been to ensure that every person we welcome can see represented here something of themselves, and what is important to them. 

To me, as host, this is a simple act of courtesy. 

And as your Governor-General, it is an act of profound care. 

When I was sworn in in July last year, I undertook to put care, kindness and respect at the centre of my term as Governor-General. 

Care for each other, care for those who care for others, care for our extraordinary continent and its environment beauty, care for civics and institutions, and care for the way in which we discuss and debate the issues of our time without judgement, anger or violence. 

I also made a commitment to amplify the stories of those who embed care in the way they encounter the world around them. 

Which is why I was so delighted to accept your kind invitation to join Equality Australia as patron, and an ally. 

Emerging from the long struggle that ended with the elation of marriage equality in 2017, EA has evolved and grown to be a leading advocate for fairness and inclusion for all LGBTIQ+ people, their families and communities. 

In the years since, EA has contributed to driving the critical legal and social change that upholds the dignity – and preserves and advances the equality – of all LGBTIQ+ people. 

This is good and necessary work – work that is fundamental to the integrity and fairness of our society. 

And its consequences are so vital … in your words, Anna, how can we measure the ‘profound and positive change that follows when the law finally does recognise your humanity’?

I often speak of the hard edge of care as something that inhabits a space beyond emotion.  

A place where rigorous research and pragmatic, evidence-based conclusions achieve progress that is directly linked to the wellbeing of all Australians. 

I see that hard edge of care wrapped in love and compassion in Equality Australia’s commitment to ensuring that LGBTIQ+ Australians are not just seen, but counted and cared for.

That LGBTIQ+ voices and perspectives are amplified in the national discourse and on all topics – from education to the economy – not just those directly related to the immediate interests of the LGBTIQ+ community. 

And that the achievements of LGBTIQ+ Australians are recognised and celebrated across the country and in every community. 

I am so pleased, on IDAHOBIT Day, to celebrate the inclusive, optimistic and powerful voice of EA in our national debate against hate and exclusion, and on the side of love, care, kindness, respect, inclusion and equality. 

As patron of Equality Australia, I am delighted that your story now becomes part of the narrative of care I will share with all Australians.  

Thank you.