 Hello. My name is Andrew Metcalf and I'm the Secretary of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. The 13th of July 2010 is a special day for our department as it marks 65 years since its establishment in 1945. At that time it was the end of World War II. World War II had taken a heavy toll on Australia, our economy was depleted, and it was clear that such a small population in a vast land was vulnerable and under-protected. The scene was set for a post-war immigration program, and so began the Federal Department of Immigration under the leadership of our First Minister Arthur Corwell. At that time Australia's population was around 7 million people. Since then, in the last 65 years, the department has facilitated the entry of more than 7 million people from around the globe to help form one of the world's most linguistically, culturally and religiously diverse young nations. Some 750,000 people have arrived as displaced persons or refugees and we've conferred citizenship upon 4 million people. In a population now of around 22 million, nearly half of all Australians were born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas. Over the last 65 years, departmental officers have helped build Australia as a great nation, both culturally and economically. These web pages not only mark the occasion of our 65th anniversary, but are also a valuable multimedia repository for our rich and fascinating history. I'm particularly pleased to report that we've digitised a collection of statements by our First Minister Arthur Corwell. These documents were produced between 1946 and 1949 and make for very interesting reading. Please take a few minutes to enjoy these as well as other historical items you'll find on these web pages. We'll be adding to the collection periodically, so make sure you come back and visit soon.