Friday, 29 May 2026
Royal Motor Yacht Club
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC

Bujari gamarruwa, Diyn  Babana Gamarada Gadigal Ngura.

I greet you in the language of the Gadigal, Traditional Owners of this land, and pay my respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging, as well to Elders across New South Wales.

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly,^[1] Members of the NSW Consular Corps, distinguished guests, friends all.

It is an honour to join you, Consul General Rubagotti,^[2] and the Italian community of NSW for this celebration of Festa della Repubblica – 80 years since the Italian people voted in a historic referendum and chose to become a republic.

The referendum, which took place on 2 June 1946, was Italy’s first nationwide vote in which women participated. In today’s political landscape the result, with 54% voting in favour of a republic, would be called a landslide or at least a near landslide. It was at the least, decisive. 

Driven by the North, which overwhelmingly voted republic, while the South leaned strongly monarchist – the voting map looked like two different countries.^[3] The vote in the South was a not a vote for fascism to which the monarchy had been aligned, but more for the conservatism which was seen to be better represented by monarchy. 

The voting turnout, at 90% was impressive, with 93.95% valid votes cast. This was a country which was deeply invested in its future.

However, the tension in such a momentous change in a country’s governance was heightened as Italy found itself in a constitutional limbo. Although the referendum results were verified by the Supreme Court of Cassation on 10 June, the Court counselled that no pronouncement should be made until missing votes and objections were investigated^[4] – 8 days later, 18 June, the vote was declared. 

King Umberto the Second, King for 34 days, had already fled to Portugal. The Republic of Italy, the first since the end of the Roman Republic, was born. 

Marcus Aurelius said "everything is born from change." And this was true for Italy, which experienced an extraordinary cultural flowering in the 1950s and '60s.

The last time I saw many of you was at the Consular Corps Dinner, where I told you about some famous Australian inventions. Well, today it is Italy’s turn – and what brilliance you gave the world during those decades, nicknamed “Il Miracolo Economico”, or the Italian Economic Miracle.^[5]

• In 1957 Fiat introduced the Fiat 500, a tiny rear-engine gem of a car that zipped through traffic with ease and was oh-so-stylish.^[6] It was touted as the first true city car,^[7] and it certainly captured the spirit of a rejuvenated nation. 
• And what about Italian cinema? In 1937 Mussolini founded the movie studio Cinecittà to produce Fascist propaganda. But in a sweet reversal of roles, this became the birthplace of the Golden Age of Italian cinema – a place where international epics like Ben-Hur and Fellini's La Dolce Vita were filmed.^[8] 
• Fashion was also blossoming. Actresses like Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor were filming in Rome and began wearing local creations by designers Valentino and Pucci. The iconic “Made in Italy" style was sealed.

I could be here all day listing off the gifts of the new, progressive Italy: The Vespa, the first Olivetti personal computer,^[9] Sophia Loren!

But of course, amidst all this rapid change, there were also those seeking a better life. From 1945 to 1972, more than 370,000 Italians came to live in Australia – the second largest group of migrants after the British.^[10] 

This wave of Italian migration brought the vitality, dynamism and immense work ethic of the new Italy to all aspects of Australian society, from food and opera, to fashion and ... as I will explain … our most famous public buildings.

The late fashion icon Carla Zampatti was born in Italy; Nicola Cerrone, leading Australian jewellery designer, migrated in 1972 with his mother and sisters; Morris Iemma, our State’s 40th premier was a first generation Australian, his parents having migrated from Italy, and Morris was the first in the family to have a university education. Anthony Albanese, whose father is from Apulia, is our 31st Prime Minister.

Author Melina Marchetta explored the complexities of Italian migration in her famous novel Looking for Alibrandi. In fact, Marchetta’s grandfather^[11]  was one of the 18,000 Italian^[12] Prisoners of War who were transferred to Australia during World War II.

These Italians provided much needed labour to the local farming community. And to say that everyone loved them, with their Mediterranean warmth and charm is not too much of a stretch. In the POW Camp in Cowra, it’s said that their evening camp soirees became such a feature that townsfolk would come out to the camp on summer evenings to listen to the prisoners sing.^[13]

This is not to romanticise the difficult conditions they faced. But it does show the indomitable Italian spirit.

Speaking of spirit, you may have heard of the Melocco Brothers. If you haven’t, I encourage you to walk into the State Library’s Mitchell Building vestibule, and then: look down. There you will see one of Sydney’s most remarkable pieces of public art – a 5 x 4 metre mosaic of the Tasman Map, created by the Melocco Brothers from 1939-41.^[14]

The brothers – Pietro, Antonio, and Galliano – migrated from Toppo in Northern Italy in 1908,^[15] and became Sydney’s leading marble and mosaic craftspeople at the time.^[16]

By the 1960s, 90 percent of the marble and terrazzo work in Sydney’s public buildings had been created by the Melocco brothers.^[17] We walk on their artistic creations every day – in St Mary’s Cathedral, the ANZAC Memorial, and Central Station. 

For many Italian migrants, coming to Australia meant separation, sacrifice, and the ache of beginning again in a place that didn’t yet understand them. 

What they brought was not only determination and enterprise, but beauty, generosity, and a way of living that has enriched this country immeasurably.

In the 2021 Australian Census, over 1.1 million residents (4.4% of the population) identified as having Italian ancestry.^[18] Today, Italy is Australia’s top trade partner for processed tomatoes, our primary supplier of pasta,^[19] and our go-to for wine, chocolate, cheese and olive oil. We still drive your incredible cars, watch your gorgeous movies, and aspire to your impeccable style. 

What more can I say, other than grazie – thank you – to the Italian community for bringing to Australia the Italian capacity for hard work and embracing the opportunities our country is able to provide, and being such a vital part of our collective modern Australian identity.

Consul-General, we honour your community whom you serve so well.

Buono Festa della Repubblica!^[20]