Monday, 21 September 2026
Australian National Maritime Museum
Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC

I begin by acknowledging the Traditional Owners of the lands on which we meet, the Gadigal People, and pay my respects to their Elders, past and present. 

It is my great pleasure to join you in celebrating the 62nd anniversary of Malta’s Independence – or as they say in Maltese: 'Jum I-Indipendenza'^[1] 

Today marks that historic occasion when, on the stroke of midnight on 21st September 1964, after 150 years of British rule, Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom. The Union Jack was lowered at the Independence Arena in Floriana and the Maltese Flag was raised in its place.^[2] Bonfires were lit and church bells rang throughout the islands, signalling Malta’s independence as a constitutional monarchy retaining Queen Elizabeth II as its Monarch. Nationhood was born.

Independence Day was the first in the trilogy of events which saw the end of thousands of years of successive rule by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, the Order of St John, France and finally … Britain.  The second event came 10 years later, on 13 December 1974 when after much debate, Malta declared itself a Republic. The then-Governor-General Sir Anthony Mamo, became Malta’s first President.

The final event in the trilogy came just over four years later, on 31 March 1979 when the last British naval ship, HMS London, sailed out of the Grand Harbour, ending Britain’s military presence on the island. 

Malta’s history of occupation came down to three things - captured by that well-known real estate phrase: location, location, location.

Malta’s commanding position at the heart of the Mediterranean made it a natural crossroads for millennia and thus a prime target for the militaristic expansion of other Empires. This included the 1565 Siege of Malta when some 40,000 Ottoman troops were sent to take the Island but were defeated by 540 Knights of St John led by Grand Master Jean de Valette together with a motley group of about 8,000 local militia and peasants.

The story is told that when the Ottoman commanders returned to Constantinople to report to the Sultan, rather than admit their defeat, they laid out a map on the table, put a candle on the tiny dot which was Malta and said that the island didn’t exist. 

But Malta’s supreme place on the map was, of course, impossible to ignore.

Malta’s unique location in the Mediterranean made it a crucial lifeline for Australian soldiers and nurses during the First World War, when thousands of wounded were ferried across the waters from Gallipoli to Malta, earning it the proud nickname ‘the Nurse of the Mediterranean.’

202 Australians and 79 New Zealanders are laid to rest on your islands. This enduring bond is commemorated at your annual ANZAC Day service, held at the Pieta Cemetery.

It was also a vital Allied stronghold during the Second World War, for which the island was famously awarded the George Cross by King George VI.

But it is the post-war migration story which is the strongest link with Australia. 

Between 1946 and the late 1970s, over 140,000 people left Malta on the assisted passage scheme, 57 per cent of whom chose Australia as their new home.^[3] Travel was invariably by sea and for many their first glimpse of Australia was right here in Sydney harbour. Some of those Maltese families have been commemorated on the Migration Wall which sits outside here at the Australian National Maritime Museum.

Australia is now home to the largest Maltese diaspora in the world. 234,402 people claim Maltese ancestry according to the 2021 Census, including 35,413 Australian residents born in Malta.^[4] 

In NSW, we are lucky to have a large and historic community of Maltese Australians. Pendle Hill – or “Little Malta” – was the suburb where early Maltese migrants first set down roots and created their famous, flourishing market gardens.^[5] Today, the Sydney suburb of Llandilo claims the prize as top suburb in Australia for people with Maltese ancestry, with one in four residents of Maltese descent!^[6] 

The Maltese members of our community have a deserved reputation for their industriousness and their community spirit and engagement. 

Malta is tiny, but as history has shown – it is mighty. It’s the place where the sun shines 300 days a year – the sunlight bouncing off the limestone buildings of Valetta, and the waters of the Mediterranean sparkling in vibrant blue. 

Thank you for the enormous influence you have brought to the communities and culture of NSW. And thank you for the friendship that continues to flourish between our nations. 

To the people of Malta, and the NSW Maltese community, I wish you all the best on your 62nd Anniversary of Independence!