Check against delivery
Thank you for that introduction.
This Summit is the culmination of many months of hard work by the Y20 Planning Group under the dedicated leadership of yourself and Holly Ransom.
In my opening address on Sunday I took the opportunity to thank you in advance for what I knew would be an exceptionally busy few days, following a very busy few months.
Let me take this chance, on behalf of the Australian Government, to formally acknowledge and thank you both for all your leadership and work in the lead up to this Summit, as well as over the last few days, and also to congratulate you and the entire Planning Group on organising such a successful event.
The Planning Group has been supported by staff of the Australian Government, particularly the Department of Education. This event wouldn’t have happened without them, and I want to thank all the staff, particularly those from my own Department, for their work in ensuring this summit has gone as smoothly as it has.
Finally, I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you, the Y20 2014 delegates and guests, for being so committed to this event and making it such a success.
This ceremony marks the end of the 2014 Y20 Summit and I hope you have enjoyed your experiences, both hard at work and in Sydney itself.
Since Saturday afternoon, you have moved through a very busy and full programme featuring policy development, skills workshops, plenary sessions and expert panels.
Beyond the focus of policy development, I know this Summit has also provided you with the opportunity to make lasting friendships.
These friendships will be important networks for you to continue to engage with for many years, and will be of particular importance as you continue your efforts following the Summit.
I know that in many countries, delegates consulted widely with young people and across their broader communities leading up to the Summit.
Here in Australia, delegates have been extensively engaging with young people across the nation, in large cities, regional and remote towns and throughout our diverse multicultural communities drawn from around the globe.
This consultation has informed your efforts here, the breadth of experiences and insight you have brought with you is obvious from reading the communique.
The challenges you highlight and the mechanisms you suggest to tackle these reflect the breadth of the G20 itself.
As Y20 delegates, you’ve had the opportunity to meet with members of other G20 engagement groups and leading experts in fields as varied as economics, digital communication and entrepreneurship.
You’ve had online debates in the lead up to the Summit and now had face-to-face working sessions to further develop the ideas contained in your communique.
Today’s MasterClass sessions were aimed at equipping you with the skills to advocate for the endorsement of these recommendations when you return home.
This reflects the fact that the long-term success of the Y20 partly depends on you effectively advocating for action on key priorities in your own communities and countries.
You have all worked diligently over the last few days to develop a communiqué which builds on the recommendations presented to G20 Sherpas and Finance deputies in June.
Labour market opportunities at home and abroad, education, trade liberalisation, entrepreneurship, and access to cheap energy and modern communications are some of those issues you have prioritised.
As Josh has mentioned, this communique, reflecting your combined efforts, will be handed to the Australian Treasurer, the Honourable Joe Hockey MP, in Canberra tomorrow.
Although the 2014 Y20 Summit is now closing, this really marks the beginning of the next stage of the process, and an opportunity leading up to and beyond the G20 discussions in November.
I encourage you all to continue advocating through your country’s action plans within your communities to work towards practical solutions.
I congratulate you all on your hard work over the past four days, and I wish you all the very best with all your future endeavours.
Thank you.
[END]