 Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen welcome to the 2018 commencement address My name is professor Brian Schmidt, and I am the vice-chancellor of a and you welcome one at all Thanks guys Good rent a crowd This event is now in its third year, and I'm excited to see so many new students here today And so many staff and curtains current students coming out to welcome our students So please join me and do make sure you cheer loudly especially For people wearing the t-shirt of the color that you adore here at a and you as we welcome our newest students to a and you and the commencement address So I Believe we are going to have music all right. I'm assuming the music is going to roll in But I would like to first welcome the a and you college of law led by professor Sally Wheeler Let's give them a great round of applause Come on lawyers. Give them a big round of applause Sally Wheeler our brand new dean of law Next up let's welcome our a and you college of engineering and computer sciences led by professor Eleanor Huntington We have the a and you college of Asia and the Pacific led by professor Michael Wesley Next up the a and you college of business and economics led by professor Stephen Roberts Next up the a and you college of science led by professor Kieran Kirk Let's welcome the a and you college of health and medicine led by professor Jane Dahlstrom Last but certainly not least the a and you college of arts and social sciences Sciences led by professor Raylene Francis Would you please put your hands together one more time for our new students and students? You might as well clap for yourself. All right, so As a relatively new tradition, I think we're still working on how to get everyone sitting down Quickly, but there's a lot of new students almost 2,000 people here today joining us Before I start I'd like to acknowledge that the music that we just heard was played during the procession Was composed for the 2018 Australian of the Year Awards by the head of a and you school of music professor Ken Lample And we thank the Australia Day Council for generously allowing us to use it today And we have to decide if we're gonna get our own theme. I think for the future. This is a very good one Alright I'd like now to call on dr. Matilda house to deliver the welcome to country For those who may not know the welcome to country is delivered by an elder of one of our local indigenous groups It's particularly significant because today 10 years ago Dr. House Delivered the welcome to country to Parliament the day before the national apology and I think that's worthwhile Recognizing that here today in 2018 This recognition or acknowledgement to country recognizes the land of which and you sits is indigenous land and is used to formally open All of our events, please welcome Matilda Thank you very much vice-chancellor and Of course, I acknowledge the vice-chancellor professor Brian Schmidt and All the ANU staff and a huge acknowledgement To the newest members of our ANU family your journey begins and It begins right here on the land of my ancestors our traditional lands of The nunnel and the new normal and Of course the numbering today It's a very proud day for all the families that are here today and those who couldn't make it but I'd like to tell you about How lucky we are in this beautiful country and sitting right here of the ANU Come on everyone punch the air for this beautiful ANU ain't it the greatest Yeah, and I wish you's all very very well and the success Which you will have later on in your lives The studies and may you raise To rise up for all your challenges That are going to be there and they'll be there To get you grab you or do anything with you, but remember When the time comes you can always say I was at the Australian National University in the country of All our ancestors. Thank you very much and welcome Thank you Matilda. It is great and behind us is Cambry the place where indigenous people have been meeting for Tens of thousands of years and which is the place that Canberra the nation's capital gets its name And it's something as the construction comes together We will truly be able to celebrate for generations in the future Next I invite the audience to rise for the Australian National anthem is a chance for the ANU community to welcome returning students and staff back to campus But also and most importantly to officially welcome our new students This event is not just about flags music or formal ceremony Although I do think formal ceremonies are an important part of the academic year We are really here to show you our new students that you are not alone You are surrounded by an incredible support networks of new other students who are just like you You're also surrounded by students who once sat where you are sitting today last year in the year before You're surrounded by postgraduate students, and of course you're surrounded by our staff both professional and academic The Australian National University is a tight-knit community another family away from your own family at home And you are now part of it. We look forward to seeing you grow develop and prosper here And we encourage you to take every opportunity that comes your way So that you can be what you want to be at the end of the day This will help you more than anything else to succeed, which is exactly what we want for each and every one of you So welcome from all of us to the ANU I'd like now to invite third-year undergraduate student Laura Farag to deliver the student oration She is going to answer the question. What is the biggest life lesson you've learned so far, Laura? Put it simply There are no life lessons to learn for they some to nothing There are no rules to follow no minimum requirement of knowledge or growth needed before you die You live you die Nothing more nothing less So what is the point? Imagine a clear glass sphere of a light globe in the middle when the light is on the sphere will be illuminated in Physics there is a tool that is often used called a vector Vectors are just arrows Physics just likes to use fancy words to sound a bit pompous We can add these vectors if one is pointing up and the other down and we add them they sum to zero Vectors are used to describe certain quantities One such quantity is light So if we use vectors to describe the light in the sphere since the light points in all different directions as Do the vectors describing the light and it turns out? When we add them they sum to nothing This idea can be extended to that of life lessons the sphere is you The light are your life lessons and Thus irrelevant of what you learn throughout your life or your life lessons will sum to zero They sum to nothing They are Well then I think I've met the requirement for a positive inspirational message for commencement Physics got us here. So let's see if it can get us somewhere slightly less morbid Instead of one glass sphere Imagine to both with light globes both illuminated When we use vectors to describe the light in both the spheres and add them This time the result we get is different If we just look at one of the spheres We must now account for the additional light vectors entering this sphere from the other and So if you have two spheres instead of one The net total of light vectors do not sum to zero they in fact accumulate So just like the two spheres if we now have two people instead of one Their life lessons will not revert to zero, but will rather increase However The only way for the accumulation of life lessons to occur is if those two people are together Interacting and learning from one another For this is how we ensure life lessons do not sum to zero now If you've ever looked out at the sea when the water is rough you might have noticed that sometimes Two waves combine and become one But this new wave is different somehow. Maybe bigger or has changed directions This is called interference and Just like the waves light does this as well So when a when a beam of light from one of the spheres Collides with a beam of light from the other the light will leave the experience changed Cool. All right. So what does this tell us about life lessons? Just like the interference of light when we interact with others their life lessons will change ours But for life lessons to change we must learn from others and To learn from others means sometimes we must admit we are wrong I don't know about you when I can be the first to admit admitting your wrongs pretty hard a Fundamental theory a fundamental Part of science is being able to admit when you're wrong because to be honest The vast majority of scientific theories turn out to be bollocks But science can admit is wrong and every day it creeps closer to being right We used to believe that disease was spread by a sin bad smell and demons But medicine acknowledged it was wrong and today If you get a cold you can go buy some cold and flu tablets If physicists had never conceded the Einstein's ideas about time and space were correct We would never have gotten GPS and now the NSA has a much easier time spying on us So you see Science rests on being able to admit fallacy and correct previously incorrect theories So I think it's fair to say our life lessons could be wrong But if you agree with me that your life lessons can be wrong You can adapt them and they creep closer to being right and you have nothing to lose in doing so Since they sum to nothing anyway This all seems very hypothetical, so let me give you an example for my own life Recently I Learned that to make instant coffee tastes better. You should have the milk before the water. This stops the water burning the coffee When I found out about this My mind was blown After admittedly an unhealthy number of coffees turns out the way I've been making coffee was wrong I quickly told everyone I know Most people knew this and looked at me like I was a little bit dumb Some did not and their minds were equally as blown So if you imagined me as this weird little sphere floating about The light globe in the middle the light vectors of the sphere still sum to nothing and as such so do my life lessons if we imagine All the people I told about what I had learned are also spheres with light lobes in them the net total of vectors Accumulated and so did the total life lessons Some life lessons are not as nice as my coffee life lesson some life lessons freed hatred racism discrimination homophobia extremism and terrorism and They seem to be constants throughout the history of humanity no matter where you look But maybe they don't have to be so now some advice from a constantly confused Often lost though that may be due to the redevelopment and More than often intoxicated third year as we all start this academic year I implore you take heed of what I have said. I stand by the notion that there are no life lessons to learn for they sum to nothing But by being together Interacting and learning from one another This is how we ensure life lessons accumulate Some may say that they are better smarter or more important than you but remember Their total life lessons sum to the exact same value as yourself zero Everyone has life lessons that just as important as anyone else no matter who they are And as you go through your time and you Always try to keep in mind that learning does not just occur through books and academics You can learn from anyone you meet from acclaimed lecturers to the people who clean your restaurant tables and Personally, I would prefer to learn from restaurant staff because they don't set you exams and Maybe I'd be I'd by doing all of these things. We can change this tiny planet in a universe unimaginably large for the better so To put it simply basically Try not to live your life as a stubborn arrogant Twout Thank you. Thank you Laura for physics-inspired moral philosophy Reflecting on your speech one thing I would say is you may be able to improve Instant coffee, but you can never save instant coffee. Our next speaker is One of our academic staff Dr. Kim Hoon is an author. He is a scholar. He is someone who you may well have read He will give the staffs welcome to our new students Kim. Thank you VC As I understand it, I'm here to make you feel good about coming to the ANU I Think I could do a little more than that So I also want to consider what it means to be good and not just feel good and if this seems weird to you then it shouldn't because Universities as we know them grew out of the church and from the outset their sacred mission was to make students wiser and better That was a long time ago But I reckon the prestige of universities today is still very much linked to that mission and I'll put it this way What's the point of all the privilege the freedom and The wealth that we can access as students and scholars if it's not to promote in some way goodness Now you might say I've paid a lot of money to be here and I want some return on my investment Well, I reckon if you're a domestic student then you'll fork out about 40% of the cost of your education So if that's what you think then why not pay a hundred percent? and If you're an international student I ask did you come all of this way and Dedicate perhaps the best years of your life and all that money just so you could make more money If so that seems a bit sad and silly to me because there are surely cheaper and easier way to make Ways to make the big bucks and maybe life shouldn't be all about making big bucks either And I'll also say if you're an academic whose sole concern is your career Then you might as well give the customers exactly what they want with a smile Do exactly what your boss says all of the time and Relinquish any claim that you might have to tenure or autonomy because this is just another job What I'm trying to say is that the university is and should be different to other places But only if coming here Involves the sense of duty and honor Only if we concerned with the life of the mind and the welfare of the soul So let's get down to how to be good and I've got two tips for you in about three minutes Things that have taken me years to learn and that I can continue to struggle with every day first a Tip for how to achieve good health That is to embody goodness It's only natural that you feel somewhat antsy about coming to University You might have concerns about money Or maybe you're unsure about where or even whether you'll fit in and then there's all that study to do That seems totally natural to me. What's more concerning are Reports from the US from the UK from China and from right here of people experiencing overwhelming anxiety and Epidemics of anguish on campus So from someone who's battled to maintain my own well-being Let me give you some really humble advice in this regard indeed. It's very humble Because I was so stressed about the semester and doing this that I ended up in hospital over the weekend with an acute case of tonsillitis Basically from talking too much and not taking care of myself So anyway, don't do as I do do what I say and what I say is this be active in the morning and Relax before bed That's it Being active might mean anything from a brisk walk or a bike ride to an Argentinian tango The point is to start the day with a rush and a sense of achievement and then end it with quietude mindfulness Which might be a stretch a sit a loving chat or a gentle song. That's it Oh and and try to do this without a screen in front of you My other tip is to simply be more conscious of being good. I Say this because on most occasions Wrongdoing and and Bastardry and deceit do not so much arise from the presence of evil But rather our failure to consider to talk about and to try to be good Instead so often we try to succeed Really often over others So goes the logic. I just have to get that better grade, you know, or that internship or that job That big grant that top-ranking publication that promotion and then I can take care of myself and others The problem with all this chasing is that we never get to an end point or Appreciate anything as an end in itself And we never end up caring for ourselves and others and we constantly feel bad about it So I propose adopting a bigger and better notion of success one that's more aligned to goodness and this means diverting some energy away from climbing that slippery pole and Setting longer-term plans for work and for fulfillment That incorporate our well-being and the well-being of others And I propose that we call out this culture of busyness It's a culture that's antithetical to true innovation and productivity And it's a culture that militates against goodness against treating people properly What I mean to say is that morality is a function of time Again, I've got an example of what not to do a couple of years ago when I was really busy After teaching almost a thousand students in a semester getting horse like this and while I was running haplessly and frantically For a position in local Parliament My old man He asked me a question. I can't even remember what the question was I think was related to my political campaign and leaflet dropping or something. It was trying to help me But because I was so busy. I was convinced that he was getting in my way So I snapped that in This is what I said. I have a hundred things to do that are a thousand times more important, dad I have a hundred things to do that are a thousand times more important more important than you My dad would gave up everything for me and my brother when we left Vietnam and he would recently had a stroke After that I decided to go part-time Which hurts financially? I've got to say but it's worth it because it improves the quality the quality creativity and Meaningfulness of my work and my life And it means I have more time for my family my friends and my colleagues morality is a function of time So I propose that we steadily replace business with goodness The result is a university that's concerned not only with filling up your CV and Setting you up for your next job But with fostering the sort of integrity and grace that can set you up for a lifetime Thank you and on behalf of the ANU staff welcome to this good place Thank You Kim Your advice is advice that each and everyone Should take and remember through the course of the year in the end if you are good my experience Is that life will look after you even if it doesn't seem so in the short term and so Goodness at the center of all you do and the rest will follow I'd like now to introduce Dr. Jessa Rogers. She is a representative of our 100,000 strong alumni Jessa is here to give you her take on life at ANU. I begin by acknowledging country the traditional owners Auntie Matilda and all indigenous peoples here today. I also acknowledge elders past present and future, especially Aunty Dr. Anne Martin. I think Brian, Pasa and Nusa and the entire ANU team for the honor of speaking today. I Would like to start by acknowledging the gift of the name Cambry by the local indigenous people to ANU This recent event is indeed very important to this community and also to this place Because this has always been a meeting place where we can exchange ideas stories and knowledge Today I'd like to share with you some defining moments from my own journey and Talk a little bit about leadership because I believe you are all leaders In your own lives and beyond. I will never forget one of my first meetings here as a PhD student When a man told me it was unlikely I'd finish my PhD Because the statistics showed that Aboriginal people don't usually finish Fortunately, I have never taken Expectations of me to heart and I know that for most of my life Like many women, I've been underestimated This is my first message to you Only you have the power to determine what you achieve. No one else You can be whatever and whoever you wish to be That said as a woman, I know I face additional challenges Not because I lack skills or the qualities of a leader But because the systems and structures we work within privilege men. They also privilege white people But being a leader means sharing your story With the knowledge that you will not always be supported even by those who should support you This is a lesson I learned early when I was 16 Starting year 12 on a low-income scholarship. I felt pregnant. I Graduated that year with a 10 day old baby and an ATAR in the high 90s But countless times that year teachers doctors parents told me I would never achieve that goal The school even had parents calling demand that I be expelled because I was a bad role model and would encourage other girls to fall pregnant But you see all journeys have different challenges and it is actually these challenges that make us exactly who we are Being a pregnant teenager completing year 12 actually prepared me for a future challenge becoming one of Australia's youngest Aboriginal school principals and Opening the very first school for indigenous teenage mums and bubs in Far North Queensland the Cape York girl Academy Frequently on that new journey. I was the youngest in the boardroom and I saw and even heard the low expectations others had of me while I was trying to get that school off the ground I Had to remind myself that for many seeing a young woman in leadership is not normal Yet women have always led While facing additional discrimination Obstacles societal barriers and having less rights Women lead constantly in our communities in our schools in hospitals Universities companies and more and I led that school not only through my own efforts But with a team of dedicated people who believed in that project and I'm proud to say it's still going strong two years on Several of its students have finished year 12 each of them having been doubted to make it even through one year of high school And my second point is Don't be held back by the low expectations of others by those who underestimate you or by the systems that make it difficult for you to succeed Don't let your own doubts hold you back There is a proverb if you want to go fast go alone if you want to go far go together As an impatient person. I never really thought much of this idea But my life has taught me otherwise Because some journeys are just too big for one person My undergraduate path was when I took a loan having been kicked out of home at 16 With no family support. I was a single mother and full-time University student trying to complete a double degree My son Eden was pretty much raised under the computer desk at QUT Because I couldn't afford my own computer while I studied to make a life for him and At some point I realized I wasn't alone because I was taking someone with me I wanted more for him than I wanted for me When I graduated with first-class honours, I thought back to my entrance interview at that University and How the professor had told me that he was skeptical I would succeed given my circumstances But he would give me a chance. I Reflected on how if I could achieve my goals Then anyone really could and how I could share my journey so others who were struggling could also achieve their goals I took a role after University Supporting Indigenous students at a Brisbane Girls boarding school and so many times as a young teacher Other teachers asked me the Aboriginal people need a teaching degree to teach in schools Being a Catholic school. I also had my morals my marital status and other things questioned as an unmarried mother But working with those young Aboriginal women became my passion What helped me in that role was the college elder who took me under her wing and strengthened me and Many of those students I worked with succeeded But one dropped out that girl Shaliana was the great-granddaughter of Audrey new knuckle She was traveling several hours a day getting to and from that school had no power connected in her island home When I left that school to start lecturing I couldn't forget her in that first year as a lecturer I completed my masters while also working full-time and I met many young people not just young people Working hard toward their goals some Amid great challenges One Aboriginal student I worked with was completely blind and Completed that degree using assistive technology I remember as she and her guide dog crossed the stage her dog also wearing a cap and gown Reflecting on her courage resilience and ability to access the support she required to succeed My journey as a junior academic at that time was becoming increasingly difficult without holding a PhD So I looked for the opportunities to do a PhD and applied for a study tour That visited major universities in the UK and US including Oxford and Cambridge Something changed in me when I was Selected for that tour and when I met academics in those universities When they encouraged me to apply at those places. I doubted myself But with the support of a female mentor from my workplace. I applied at Cambridge University anyway In 2014 the arrest started here. I was accepted into a PhD at Cambridge And I kept that letter even though I chose to come to ANU because it reminded me that support Encouragement and finding great mentors changes everything Acknowledged one of my mentors auntie in at the beginning of my speech And I would like to briefly acknowledge some other champions at this university who have been key to my success Auntie dr. K price professor Margaret Harding professor Margaret Jolly associate professor Katarina Tewa Dr. Ian Walker Associate professor Nick Biddle Professor Peter Reed and so many others who have supported me to achieve my full potential Their encouragement enabled me to achieve that dream of submitting my PhD here at this university in under three years Most recently these mentors supported me and successfully applying for a full bright scholarship I could never have achieved such an opportunity without these people's support When I finished my fellowship at Harvard three weeks ago, I became emotional thinking about what their support actually means to me During that time I had received an email in Harvard that read Jessup, we wanted to let you know that a student you enrolled at Girl Academy just delivered her speech at year 12 graduation thanking you for believing in her That student was Charlie Anna the one who had previously dropped out of school Because when I opened the Cape York Girl Academy, I called her and enrolled her. I believed in her and I knew She believed in herself My point is find your champions mentors who inspire you and believe in you and be a champion of others If you live in a residential college like I did at Toad Hall, you can mentor others in your community there Maybe you'll run for PASA or a noosa to support your fellow students to achieve their goals My mentors and supporters are the reason who I am and where I am today Finally my time at ANU was a pivotal moment in my life, not least because I met my husband here Your journey will be what you make of it And I liken this to a poem The Dash Regarding that small line on a tombstone between the year you were born and the year you died What we achieve in this life is up to us On your journey take others with you reach through the walls you smash to help others through as That poem says it matters not how much we own the cars the house the cash What matters is how we live and love and how we spend that dash When your eulogy is being read with your life's actions to rehash Would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash? All of you have made it this far to Australia's number one university This is your moment and you have earned it Push ahead regardless of others expectations and those who doubt you Find great mentors who will encourage you. Many of them are here right here amongst you today ANU has great people who will be your champions Use your enormous potential To improve the lives of others Because we are still living in a world built on privilege and inequality right here in Australia As an ANU student you will be equipped to make a positive difference in our world When you sit down to reflect on your life, I'm sure that ANU will have been instrumental But as wonderful as this place is and it really is a great university and Canberra is a great city, too What you get from this experience at ANU really is up to you So make the most of it and enjoy yourself. Thank you Thank you, Jessa for that wonderful speech You know you've had a rough and rocky road And yet you persist and your speech sort of ties together. I think the three others that we have heard today We think back to Laura talking about How we need to work together Kim talking about the importance of goodness and you talking about expectations Expectations can be low or they can be high But in the end the only thing that matters is what you think of yourself in the end and how you interact with the greater world So I would like to thank our three speakers once again, and I will Now like to invite our two student body presidents Alyssa Shaw who is the president of the postgraduate and research Students Association and Eleanor Kay who is president of the ANU Students Association Parsa and Anusa to deliver the closing remarks So thank you Brian and Alyssa and I would like to start today by acknowledging the nunna wall and the Nambri people Who are the traditional custodians of this land on which we meet and acknowledge the elders past and present? We acknowledge that this land was stolen and never ceded that it always was and always will be Aboriginal land We acknowledge that for tens of thousands of years this land has been a meeting place for indigenous peoples And it is a privilege for us to meet on it today and What a meeting place it is We look out today over nearly 2,000 people from across our country across the world From a wealth of different backgrounds and life experiences We meet today to start the academic year and for many of you to start your journey here at the ANU I'm not sure about you, but my journey at the ANU began with me feeling very small in the seas of thousands of students I came here to study PPE and Arabic But in my first week, I was just one individual without connections without a community I had no idea what a Nusa or Parsa were But more concerningly, I had no confidence to speak up and make my own voice heard It's over the period of my five years here that I've learned what it means to advocate To have my voice and the voice of students heard in our society and I've learned this through my involvement with a Nusa Being part of Parsa has been the most rewarding experience I've had at ANU and it has shown to me the importance of student associations and the power of the student voice in our community This is my ninth year at ANU I started here doing my Bachelor of Commerce and now I'm doing my postgraduate studies in the humanities Throughout my time here. I've come to realize the importance and the power of education Education has transformed my life. It's fundamentally changed how I viewed the world and how I interact with people and it's changed my personal and my professional aspirations In the challenges of today's world, education is now more important than ever It's important to eliminate ignorance and combat polarization Through creating understanding valuing evidence and rational thought and building empathy between people For me, this happens as much through talking to my fellow students as it does in the classroom or through writing my thesis ANU is a crucial meeting place a Meeting place of people staff and students coming together to try and combat these challenges and transform what we know and how we think Is a crucial meeting place of people that create a community not just here in Canberra, but across the world But as with any community and any institution ANU has its shortcomings and you its students will likely face challenges while you're here These may be academic challenges in your own performance in your experience in the classroom or in engaging with your supervisor There may be personal challenges in relationships at work at home You may face financial hardship as you juggle paying your rent paying your uni fees and affording your grocery bills Anusa and Pasa are here for you as these situations arise to support you and to help you to try and find a solution But many of these challenges arise from structural systemic issues in our university and in our society Unequal power structures lead to inequality and exploitation and institutions frequently do not put enough resources in to supporting students These systemic issues cannot be fixed without collective voices Students together have an opportunity to unite our voices in advocacy and activism to address the systemic issues in our society When we speak together, we are stronger Alyssa and I stand here today as two individuals But we speak with the power of our collective voice because we represent you and We speak as part of a long history of student advocates in Anusa and Pasa in our country and in the world Student activism has been on the forefront of social justice movements across history Not only do we make a substantial impact in our community Improving the quality of our lives in the community and the experience of students But historically student activism has been a crucial part of movements across the world such as civil rights and suffrage for marginalized groups Student activism changes communities. It changes society and it shapes the future And this is not an abstract concept that happens off in the distance This happens right now and this is something you can all be a part of you can be a part of this by actively engaging with Anusa and Pasa or signing up to membership with over 150 clubs and societies we have here at A&U as well as through your own academic pursuits and your shared learning As I reflect on the other speeches today There was a lot of thematics coming out around connection and sharing particularly in terms of enhancing the educational experience and enhancing our journeys through life. I Think our speakers have given us a lot of food for thought Not in terms of just what you want your A&U experience to be but the sort of person that you want to be So as we step into 2018 We invite you whether you're new or returning to engage and connect with Anusa and Pasa For any support or help that you need over your time here and also to build the strong community of students that we have We encourage you to see this year as an opportunity and a significant step in your education journey But also in understanding your individual voice and amplifying the collective voice in order to make a difference in our community and beyond On behalf of all the student representatives of Anusa and Pasa and particular Eleanor and myself We wish you all the best for a terrific 2018 and welcome you to A&U Thank you, Alyssa and Eleanor and I can look forward to working constructively with the students to make this one of the Great student experiences, not just in Australia but in the world. I Now I'm going to bring this festivities to a conclusion. I invite you to Stay around get to know and talk to people. You're all organized with people who you're going to be studying with There's some refreshments around the corner and for those of you wishing to continue on I encourage you to move on to the Chabal Indigenous Higher Education Center Which you need to go down this way across the river and it's behind the Chifley library for their annual music on the meadow and free barbecue and I will be there helping cook sausages of nothing else. So ladies and gentlemen welcome to the A&U and The best of luck in your studies in 2018 and beyond