Chris Minns: 'The people of NSW have voted for a fresh start', election victory speech - 2023

25 March 2023, Sydney Australia

Friends after 12 years in opposition, the people of New South Wales have voted for a fresh start. I'd like to acknowledge the traditional owners and thank all of you for being here. I'd like to acknowledge and thank all our wonderful Labor volunteers right across New South Wales. Thanks for the heart and soul that you put into our party. The most important thing you can give is your labour and to do it in the cause of something that you love and care about is a special thing. The Labor Party would be nothing without you. We owe you everything. Thank you so much.

To our candidates, to our members of Parliament and the best deputy leader any party could ever have, to Prue Carr,  who will be a wonderful Education Minister in this great state. Thanks for everything Prue.

To all of the volunteers in the state seat of Kobra. Thank you so much. Thought it was going to be close, but in the end we got there. Thanks everyone. We managed to get Nicholas over the line as well, which is a big win. And congratulations to Rockdale as well. And in particular, my mate, Steve Camper. Thanks so much for everything, Steve.

Also a huge thank you to the Prime Minister of this country, Anthony Albanese. I don't know where he is gone, but Anthony, thanks for everything. And thank you for putting your heart and soul into the New South Wales Labor campaign. We truly, truly appreciate it.

Friends, the people of New South Wales voted to put in a government that would put people, people, at the heart of all decision making, and we will not let them down. Moments ago, I got a phone call from the premier of New South Wales, Dominic Perrotet congratulating New South Wales Labor on its victory here tonight.

And I would like to say thank you to the Premier for his service on behalf of the people of New South Wales, and I know from Anna and myself, we want to say thank you to Helen and Dominic for their service to the people of this State.

I think it's undeniably the case that this election campaign, perhaps uniquely, was a model of respect and civility, and neither party took the low road. Neither political party took the low blow. And I think it can be a model for the way democracy is done right across this country. Now, I can't say that every election campaign in the future will be conducted the same way, but from now on, no one will be able to say that it can't be.

We started effectively two years ago with a promise to the people of New South Wales that we would run an election campaign asking people to vote, a positive vote for New South Wales labour and not just a negative vote against the government. And I'm proud to say today, the people of New South Wales voted for the removal of the unfair wages cap in New South Wales.

Friends, they voted for our nurses, our teachers, they voted for our paramedics and police. And there was a basic acknowledgement at the end of the day that during the Covid emergency, the people of New South Wales that work in our hospitals, and our schools, in our emergency departments put themselves second and the public first, and put their own safety and health to one side to look after the people of New South Wales. So New South Wales Labor pledges to look after the people who looked after us.

It's undeniably the case that today's election was also a decisive vote against privatisation. To retain Sydney Water and essential energy in New South Wales government hands. To put it into the Constitution and to never sell it and to stop all future governments selling the assets that we need to live, thrive, and survive in New South Wales.

There are many challenges facing the State of New South Wales over the next four years, but the team that I lead is ready for the challenges and opportunities of government, and we will not let the people of this State down. I want take this opportunity to acknowledge my wonderful staff, including Sarah Michael, Ed Avadia, Zach Solomon, Lachie Harris, and of course the little general James Cullen.

My electorate office as well, Cherie, Cheryl, Loretta, and Jessie, thanks so much for everything. Cherie Burton down there, a huge shout out to the New South Wales party office led by General Secretary Bob Namba. Thank you so much, Bob. And Bob's two deputies, Dom Offner and George Simon. Tireless work, tireless work, putting the interest of the party first, working around the clock, and the results speak for themselves.

A huge thank you to the trade union movement of New South Wales, men and women who put the interests of working people at front and centre in this election campaign. We thank you for your solidarity, your hard work, and your commitment to your members.

Thanks so much to my mum and dad, John and Cara, and to my in-laws, Tom and Kath. Thanks for everything. And to our three boys, Joe, Nicholas and George, and thanks Nicholas for being the campaign spokesperson at the very end. We really appreciate that.

And lastly, to my wonderful wife, Anna, who I'm really glad she wasn't running in Kogra, I'd be in real trouble. Thanks so much, honey. Thanks for everything. Look, after 12 years in opposition, I want to say to the people who voted for Labor or voted for the Liberals and Nationals, or voted for independents or minor party candidates.

Today we've been elected by the people of this state, but we will govern for everyone in New South Wales. We know that the challenges are huge. We know the responsibilities are awesome, but New South Wales Labor is back and ready to govern in this great state.

Penny Wong: 'Australians have chosen and they have chosen hope', Election night - 2022

22 May 2022, Sydney, Australia

Thank you everybody. It's a pretty quiet crowd tonight. Thank you everybody. Thank you for your support and for your patience this evening. Can I start by start acknowledging the traditional owners of this land, and saying to you that tonight we can take that step forward to fulfilling the promise of the Uluru Statement from the Heart. So friends, Australians have chosen and they have chosen change. Australians have chosen and they have chosen hope. Australians have chosen and they have looked to the future, a better future for all, a government that will act on climate change. A government for women. A government that will look to unify, to bring people together, not to divide. A Labor government. An Albanese Labor government. Australians chose hope and the man who embodies that hope is my friend, our leader, Anthony Albanese. Please welcome to the stage the man set to be the 31st Prime Minister of Australia.

Adolf Hitler: 'We must overcome the demoralization of Germany by the Communists', first radio address as Chancellor - 1933

1 February 1933, Berlin, Germany

On February 1, 1933, two days after he was appointed chancellor, Hitler spoke over the radio to the German people about his vision for the future of the country:

Over fourteen years have passed since that unhappy day when the German people, blinded by promises made by those at home and abroad, forgot the highest values of our past, of the Reich, of its honor and its freedom, and thereby lost everything. Since those days of treason, the Almighty has withdrawn his blessing from our nation. Discord and hatred have moved in. Filled with the deepest distress, millions of the best German men and women from all walks of life see the unity of the nation disintegrating in a welter of egotistical political opinions, economic interests, and ideological conflicts.

As so often in our history, Germany, since the day the revolution broke out, presents a picture of heartbreaking disunity. We did not receive the equality and fraternity which was promised us; instead we lost our freedom. The breakdown of the unity of mind and will of our nation at home was followed by the collapse of its political position abroad.

We have a burning conviction that the German people in 1914 went into the great battle without any thought of personal guilt [for the start of the war] and weighed down only by the burden of having to defend the Reich from attack, to defend the freedom and material existence of the German people. In the appalling fate that has dogged us since November 1918 we see only the consequence of our inward collapse. But the rest of the world is no less shaken by great crises. The historical balance of power, which at one time contributed not a little to the understanding of the necessity for solidarity among the nations, with all the economic advantages resulting therefrom, has been destroyed.

The delusion that some are the conquerors and others the conquered destroys the trust between nations and thereby also destroys the world economy. But the misery of our people is terrible! The starving industrial proletariat [working class] have become unemployed in their millions, while the whole middle and artisan class have been made paupers. If the German farmer also is involved in this collapse we shall be faced with a catastrophe of vast proportions. For in that case, there will collapse not only a Reich, but also a 2000-year-old inheritance of the highest works of human culture and civilization.

All around us are symptoms portending this breakdown. With an unparalleled effort of will and of brute force the Communist method of madness is trying as a last resort to poison and undermine an inwardly shaken and uprooted nation. They seek to drive it towards an epoch which would correspond even less to the promises of the Communist speakers of today than did the epoch now drawing to a close to the promises of the same emissaries in November 1918.

Starting with the family, and including all notions of honor and loyalty, nation and fatherland, culture and economy, even the eternal foundations of our morals and our faith—nothing is spared by this negative, totally destructive ideology. . . . One year of Bolshevism would destroy Germany. The richest and most beautiful areas of world civilization would be transformed into chaos and a heap of ruins. Even the misery of the past decade and a half could not be compared with the affliction of a Europe in whose heart the red flag of destruction had been planted. The thousands of injured, the countless dead which this battle has already cost Germany may stand as a presage of the disaster.

In these hours of overwhelming concern for the existence and the future of the German nation, the venerable World War leader [President Paul von Hindenburg] appealed to us men of the nationalist parties and associations to fight under him again as once we did at the front, but now loyally united for the salvation of the Reich at home. The revered President of the Reich having with such generosity joined hands with us in a common pledge, we nationalist leaders would vow before God, our conscience and our people that we shall doggedly and with determination fulfill the mission entrusted to us as the National Government.

It is an appalling inheritance which we are taking over.

The task before us is the most difficult which has faced German statesmen in living memory. But we all have unbounded confidence, for we believe in our nation and in its eternal values. Farmers, workers, and the middle class must unite to contribute the bricks wherewith to build the new Reich.

The National Government will therefore regard it as its first and supreme task to restore to the German people unity of mind and will. It will preserve and defend the foundations on which the strength of our nation rests. It will take under its firm protection Christianity as the basis of our morality, and the family as the nucleus of our nation and our state. Standing above estates [groups that make up society’s social hierarchy] and classes, it will bring back to our people the consciousness of its racial and political unity and the obligations arising therefrom. It wishes to base the education of German youth on respect for our great past and pride in our old traditions. . . . Germany must not and will not sink into Communist anarchy.

In place of our turbulent instincts, it will make national discipline govern our life. In the process it will take into account all the institutions which are the true safeguards of the strength and power of our nation.

The National Government will carry out the great task of reorganizing our national economy with two big Four-Year Plans:

Saving the German farmer so that the nation’s food supply and thus the life of the nation shall be secured.
       

Saving the German worker by a massive and comprehensive attack on unemployment.

In fourteen years the November parties have ruined the German farmer. In fourteen years they created an army of millions of unemployed. The National Government will carry out the following plan with iron resolution and dogged perseverance. Within four years the German farmer must be saved from pauperism. Within four years unemployment must be completely overcome . . .

Our concern to provide daily bread will be equally a concern for the fulfillment of the responsibilities of society to those who are old and sick. The best safeguard against any experiment which might endanger the currency lies in economical administration, the promotion of work, and the preservation of agriculture, as well as in the use of individual initiative.

In foreign policy, the National Government will see its highest mission in the preservation of our people’s right to an independent life and in the regaining thereby of their freedom. The determination of this Government to put an end to the chaotic conditions in Germany is a step towards the integration into the community of nations of a state having equal status and therefore equal rights with the rest. In so doing, the Government is aware of its great obligation to support, as the Government of a free and equal nation, that maintenance and consolidation of peace which the world needs today more than ever before. May all others understand our position and so help to ensure that this sincere desire for the welfare of Europe and of the whole world shall find fulfillment.

Despite our love for our Army as the bearer of our arms and the symbol of our great past, we should be happy if the world, by restricting its armaments, made unnecessary any increase in our own weapons.

But if Germany is to experience this political and economic revival and conscientiously to fulfill its duties towards other nations, a decisive act is required: We must overcome the demoralization of Germany by the Communists.

We, men of this Government, feel responsible to German history for the reconstitution of a proper national body so that we may finally overcome the insanity of class and class warfare. We do not recognize classes, but only the German people, its millions of farmers, citizens and workers who together will either overcome this time of distress or succumb to it.

With resolution and fidelity to our oath, seeing the powerlessness of the present Reichstag to shoulder the task we advocate, we wish to commit it to the whole German people.

We therefore appeal now to the German people to sign this act of mutual reconciliation. The Government of the National Uprising [the Nazi-led government] wishes to set to work, and it will work. It has not for fourteen years brought ruin to the German nation; it wants to lead it to the summit. It is determined to make amends in four years for the liabilities of fourteen years. But it cannot subject the work of reconstruction to the will of those who were responsible for the breakdown.

The Marxist parties [political parties including the Social Democrats] and their followers had fourteen years to prove their abilities. The result is a heap of ruins. Now, German people, give us four years and then judge us.

Let us begin, loyal to the command of the Field-Marshal. May Almighty God favor our work, shape our will in the right way, bless our vision and bless us with the trust of our people. We have no desire to fight for ourselves; only for Germany.

Anthony Albanese: 'A better future for all Australians', election victory speech - 2022

21 May 2022, Canterbury-Hurlstone Park RSL Club, Sydney, Australia

I begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet. I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging. And on behalf of the Australian Labor Party, I commit to the Uluru Statement from the heart in full.

And I say to my fellow Australians, thank you for this extraordinary honour. Tonight, the Australian people have voted for change. I am humbled by this victory and I'm honoured to be given the opportunity to serve as the 31st prime minister of Australia.

My Labor team will work every day to bring Australians together. And I will lead a government worthy of the people of Australia. A government as courageous and hardworking and caring as the Australian people are themselves.

Earlier tonight, Scott Morrison called me to congratulate myself and the Labor Party on our victory at the election.

Scott, very graciously, wished me well. And I thanked him for that and I wish him well. And I thank him for the service that he has given to our country as Prime Minister.

I also want to acknowledge and thank Jenny Morrison and their two daughters for their contribution and sacrifice as well.

My fellow Australians, it says a lot about our great country that a son of a single mum who was a disability pensioner, who grew up in public housing down the road in Camperdown can stand before you tonight as Australia's prime minister.

Every parent wants more for the next generation than they had. My mother dreamt of a better life for me. And I hope that my journey in life inspires Australians to reach for the stars.

I want Australia to continue to be a country that no matter where you live, who you worship, who you love or what your last name is, that places no restrictions on your journey in life. My fellow Australians, I think they've got the name by now. I think they've got that.

I know at the beginning of the campaign they said people didn't know me but I reckon they've got it.

During this campaign, I have put forward a positive, clear plan for a better future for our country. And I have shared the two principles that will be part of a government that I lead.

No one left behind because we should always look after the disadvantaged and the vulnerable. But also no one held back, because we should always support aspiration and opportunity. That is what my government will do.

That is the what, but the how is also just as important? Because I want to bring Australians together.

I want to seek our common purpose and promote unity and not fear and -- optimism, not fear and division. It is what I have sought to do throughout my political life. And what I will bring to the leadership of our country, it is a show of strength to collaborate and work with people, not weakness.

I want to find that common ground where together we can plant our dreams. To unite around our shared love of this country, our shared faith in Australia's future, our shared values of fairness and opportunity, and hard work and kindness to those in need.

And I can promise all Australians this — no matter how you voted today, the government I lead will respect every one of you every day. And I'll seek to get your vote next time.

We are the greatest country on earth. But we can have an even better future if we seize the opportunities that are right there in front of us. The opportunity to shape change, rather than be shaped by it. And we can shape change more effectively if we seek to you knowing people on that journey of change.

Together we can end the climate wars. Together we can take advantage of the opportunity for Australia to be a renewable energy superpower. Together we can work in common interests with business and unions to drive productivity, lift wages and profits.

I want an economy that works for people, not the other way around. Together we can as a country say that all of us, if the Fair Work Commission doesn't cut the wage of minimum aged workers, we can say that we welcome that absolutely. Together we can strengthen universal healthcare through Medicare.

We can protect universal superannuation. And we can write universal childcare into that proud tradition. Together we can fix the crisis in aged care. Together we can make forward equal opportunity for women a national economic and social priority. Together we can and will establish a national anti-corruption commission. Together we can be a self-reliant, resilient nation, confident in our values and in our place in the world. And together we can embrace the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

We can answer its patient, gracious call for a voice enshrined in our constitution. Because all of us ought to be proud that amongst our great multicultural society we count the oldest living continuous culture in the world. And I acknowledge Australia's next Indigenous Affairs Minister, Linda Burney, who is here.

My fellow Australians, no one gets here by themselves. And I wouldn't be standing here tonight without the support, hard work and belief of so many people. To my parliamentary team, including my Deputy, Richard Marles, and my Senate leader, Penny Wong. My terrific economic team led by Jim Chalmers and Katy Gallagher.

On Monday morning, arrangements are in place to have these people sworn in as members of my team. To enable Penny and I to attend the important Quad leader's meeting in Tokyo, with President Biden, Prime Minister Kishida and Prime Minister Modi. And I want the leaders of the economic team to start work on Monday morning as well.

I wanted to thank my shadow ministry and my amazing caucus members, including the people who are here tonight at this joint function in the corner of our seats, including Tony Burke, who is here. I want to thank all of our Labor candidates. I want to thank all those who have worked so hard for this victory.

We stand on your shoulders, most rank and file members of the Labor Party will never ask for anything. They knock on doors, they make calls, they work so hard. They hand out how to votes. They push the cause of Labor at the local P & C, the local kid's footy, the local netball, when they're shopping in the supermarket, when they talk to their neighbours.

I thank each and every one of the true believers of the Australian Labor Party.

And I proudly thank the members of the mighty trade union movement.

I do want to thank my campaign director, our amazing national secretary, Paul Erickson, and his team. My staff are led by my first campaign director back in 1996. And my electorate office team who haven't seen that much of me, who look after this electorate led by Helen Rogers. Thank you very much.

But to all those — and I'm not going to name them because there's too many — there's a lot of people who believed in me and backed me over many decades in this great movement to be where I am today. You know who you are and I know who you are and I thank you.

I said I've been underestimated my whole life during the campaign. Now while all that is true, I have also been lifted up by others who saw something in me and who encouraged me in life on this journey.

And I pledged to the Australian people here tonight, I am here not to occupy the space, but to make a positive difference each and every day.

And to the amazing diverse people of Grayndler. All politics is local. And in 1996, there were various people who wrote off the chances of Labor holding on to that seat. This is my 10th election. And I want to say thank you for placing your faith in me. It is an absolute honour to be your voice in our national parliament.

To my partner, Jodie, thank you for coming into my life and for sharing this journey.

And to my proudest achievement, my son, Nathan. Thank you, mate, for your love and support. Your mother, who's here tonight, Carmel, we are both so proud of the caring, wonderful, smart young man you have become. Love you, Nathan.

To my Mum, who's beaming down on us. Thank you. And I hope there are families in public housing watching this tonight. Because I want every parent to be able to tell their child no matter where you live or where you come from, in Australia the doors of opportunity are open to us all.

And like every other Labor government, we'll just widen that door a bit more. Friends, we have made history tonight. And tomorrow, together, we begin the work of building a better future. A better future for all Australians. Thank you very much."

Nelson Mandela: 'We can loudly proclaim from the rooftops, Free at last', election victory speech - 1994

2 May 1994, Carlton Hotel, Johannesburg, South Africa

This is indeed a joyous night. Although not yet final, we have received the provisional results of the election, and a delighted by the overwhelming support for the African National Congress.

To all those in the African National Congress and the democratic movement who worked so hard these last few days and through these many decades, I thank you and honour you. To the people of South Africa and the world who are watching: this a joyous night for the human spirit. This is your victory too. You helped end apartheid, you stood with us through the transition.

I watched, along with all of you, as the tens of thousands of our people stood patiently in long queues for many hours. Some sleeping on the open ground overnight waiting to cast this momentous vote.

South Africa's heroes are legend across the generations. But it is you, the people, who are our true heroes.

This is one of the most important moments in the life of our country. I stand here before you filled with deep pride an joy: - pride in the ordinary, humble people of this country. You have shown such a calm, patient determination to rectal this country as your own.

- and joy that we can loudly proclaim from the rooftops - free at last!

I stand before you humbled by your courage, with a heart full of love for all of you. I regard it as the highest honour to lead the ANC at this moment in our history, and that we have been chosen to lead our country into the new century.

I pledge to use all my strength and ability to live up to your expectations of me as well as of the ANC.

I am personally indebted and pay tribute to some of South Africa's greatest leaders including John Dube, Josiah Gumede GM Naicker, Dr Abduraman, Chief Luthuli, Lilian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Yusuf Dadoo, Moses Kotane, Chris Hani an Oliver Tambo. They should have been here to celebrate with us, for this is their achievement too.

Tomorrow, the entire ANC leadership and I will be back at our desks. We are rolling up our sleeves to begin tackling the problems our country faces. We ask you all to join us - go back to your jobs in the morning. Let's get South Africa working.

For we must, together and without delay, begin to build a better life for all South Africans. This means creating jobs building houses, providing education and bringing peace and security for all.

The calm and tolerant atmosphere that prevailed during the elections depicts the type of South Africa we can build. It set the tone for the future. We might have our differences, but we are one people with a common destiny in our rich variety of culture, race and tradition.

People have voted for the party of their choice and we respect that. This is democracy.

I hold out a hand of friendship to the leaders of all parties and their members, and ask all of them to join us in working together to tackle the problems we face as a nation. An ANC government will serve all the people of South Africa, not just ANC members.

We also commend the security forces for the sterling work done. This has laid a solid foundation for a truly professional security force, committed to the service of the people and loyalty to the new constitution.

Now is the time for celebration, for South Africans to join together to celebrate the birth of democracy. I raise a glass to you all for working so hard to achieve what can only be called a small miracle. Let our celebrations be in keeping with the mood set in the elections, peaceful, respectful and disciplined, showing we are a people ready to assume the responsibilities of government.

I promise that I will do my best to be worthy of the faith and confidence you have placed in me and my organisation, the African National Congress. Let us build the future together, and toast a better life for all South Africans.

John Howard: - 'You have endured far too many years in the political wilderness', Election night - 1996

2 March 1996, C Sydney, Australia

Can I say to you, and my first words are addressed to all of the people of Australia, that I am very conscious of the enormous responsibility that has been placed upon me and upon my colleagues by the verdict of the Australian people today.

I feel many emotions tonight, but the deepest emotion of all I feel is that of humility that the Australian people have given me the privilege of leading the Government of this country and I want to say that the Government that I will lead will be a Government not only for the people who voted for us but also for the people who voted against us.

Eleven years ago when I was unsuccessful in an election I said in my concession speech that the things that united Australians were infinitely more important and more enduring than the things that divided Australians.

That has always been my political credo, and it will be a political credo that I will carry forward in the governance of this country over the next three years.

I want to thank Paul Keating for his gracious words. I want to wish Paul Keating and Anita and their family a good health and happiness in the future. Can I say that although we have been vigorous opponents be has been a great warrior for his own political cause and despite our differences that is something that I recognise.

I owe thanks to many people and I will come to that in a moment. I want to make it clear that although uniting the Australian people will be the cornerstone of my approach in Government, we have been elected with a mandate, a very powerful mandate.

And whilst I will seek at all times unity and a common point of view, we have not been elected to be just a pale imitation of the Government that we have replaced.

We have been given this emphatic mandate tonight because there have been many things that have been left undone that need to be attended to and addressed. We need to implement the program on which we were elected and I want to make it very clear that there will be an absolute determination with fairness and understanding and to do that and to do it with resolution and without qualification.

I want to thank all of my colleagues and I especially wish to thank Tim Fischer and the National Party. I will lead a Coalition in Government as I have led a Coalition in Opposition, and I look forward to working very closely with Tim Fischer as the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia. To all of my Parliamentary colleagues, I say thank you. And I particularly want to extend my thanks to the Liberal Party organisation; to Tony Staley the Federal President; to Andrew Robb and Ron Walker the honorary federal treasurer and the many other members of the organisation who have worked so tirelessly.

Can I say it is an immensely proud moment for me tonight to lead back into Government the Liberal Party of Australia. We have endured sixteen years without a federal electoral victory and tonight is an immensely proud and wonderful moment.

And in celebrating the miracle of democracy that we can peacefully and respectfully transfer power through the ballot box and through no other device, let us also as Liberals and as Liberal supporters celebrate the magnificent win that we've had tonight.

It is a victory for those who voted Liberal in the past and for those who are by habit swinging voters, and it is a victory that has also embraced many traditional Labor Party areas of Australia. And when you look at the swings in Western Sydney and in some of the areas...( inaudible)..; and I look at the magnificent result in Queensland that wonderful result in South Australia and the way in which the Liberal Party held its very high proportion of seats in Victoria and the early returns in Western Australia are very encouraging. It is a comprehensive endorsement of the philosophy and the approach of the Liberal Party.

And to all of you who have endured the barbs and the insults and you've heard your Party being written off, I want to say to the rank and file of the Liberal Party, you have endured far too many years in the political wilderness. And tonight it is a victory that we all share. It is not mine alone, it is mine because I was given from the moment I became the leader of the Liberal Party just over a year ago, I was given the most magnificent loyalty and support by my Parliamentary colleagues and all of the members of the organisation. And I say from the bottom of my heart how grateful I am for that support and that loyalty because that is ( inaudible)....

I said when I launched our campaign only a few weeks ago that one of the great features of the Liberal Party is that it was owned by no section of the Australian community and our only obligation is to give good Government to all of the Australian people.

And it will be my intention and my commitment that from now I and my colleagues will devote our all to delivering good government, to doing good things, and for delivering the maximum degree of unity and cohesion to the Australian people.

There is something special about being an Australian and today I experience along with everybody else I had to queue up to cast my vote, and the bloke in front of me turned around and said, " oh, hello". He had a Labor Party how to vote ticket he didn't have a Liberal one and he said, " It's nice to meet you but I'm not going to vote for you!" And that is, can I say, that is a celebration of what Australia is all about.

And the very last thing that I want to say is a special word of thanks to some people who've been very close to me over the past months. I want to thank my own personal staff. The personal staff of a Party leader carry enormous burdens and responsibilities and I am personally very very grateful to all of my staff for the magnificent job that they have done.

They have shared the disappointments and tonight they share the exhilaration of this remarkable victory.

And lastly, can I say to my wife Janette and to my three children, Melanie, Tim and Richard, of all the things these four people in the world, they have kept me going and they have sustained me and they have shared the difficulties as well as the successes of politics. And anybody in public life should always remember the contribution of their families and I unhesitatingly express not only my affection but also my enormous gratitude to my wife and my three children for what they have done for me and what they continue to mean to me.

And my very last words are to all of the people of Australia, to my fellow Australians, I am both deeply moved and I understand very very deeply and very profoundly the responsibility that has been given to me tonight. And I can but make a simple promise and a simple commitment, that from now on I will do all I can to advance the welfare of all of the Australian people.

I will focus on those things that bind us together, I will focus on our strengths, I will defend the interests and the values and the principles of this country both domestically and internationally. There is something very special, there is something unique about our nation and about being Australian and I commit myself and my future Government to the service of all of the Australian people.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: 'The message we sent tonight is it's not okay to put donors before your community' Victory speech -2018

28 June 2018, New York City, New York, USA

This victory tonight belongs to each and every single person in this room. (Crowd Cheers)
This room won this seat. These [inaudible 00:00:33] won that seat. Every person out here this evening, changed America tonight.
And what I want to say very, very clear. Is that this is not an end, this is the beginning.
This is the beginning because the message that we've sent the world tonight is that it's not okay to put Donors before your Community.
The message that we sent tonight is that improved and expanded medicare for all, health care for every single person in America is what we deserve as a nation.
What we proved tonight, sometimes the deep midnight and darkness that it feels in our political environment, that there is still hope for this nation. That is what you have given every person in this country. You have given this country hope. You have given this country proof that when you knock on your neighbor's door, when you come to them with love, when you let them know that no matter your stance, you are there for them. That we can make change.
And what you have shown is that this nation is never beyond remedy. It is never beyond hope. It is never too broken to fix. We will be here and we are going to rock the world in the next two years.
Because every person in this room is going to DC with me.
Every person in this room is responsible for change and we cannot finish it right now. This is the beginning. We have to dedicate ourselves each and every single day to this fight cause I can't do it alone.
And we have to do this together. So not only do I need to get elected, we got a whole bunch more primaries to go.
And when we get to November. We should be electing a caucus of people on these beliefs in our [inaudible 00:03:04] (Crowd Cheers).
So I'm doing to tell you right now we've got Aiyana Presley in Massachusetts, we've got Cory Bush in Missouri, Chardo Richardson in Florida, and we have a whole bunch more races.

We got Julia Salazar from New York. (Crowd Cheers)
We are going to introduce a wave of change. Let's take a beat. Let's celebrate tonight and let's recommit ourselves to the future of this great nation. Thank you.

Lal Bahadur Shastri: End of Second Indo-Pakistan War - 1965

22 September 1965, Delhi, India

Transcript to follow. If you have a translated transcript (or one in Hindi), please post to us at submissions@speakola.com

Some excerpts:

The emphasis on religion as a basis of defining majorities and minorities in a secular state is quite misplaced and contradiction in terms. You all understand, I am sure, that religion does not aim at dividing. On the other hand, all true religions have a basic unity. …

In this vast country of ours, people profess different religions, speak different languages, dress differently and observe different customs; but we are one nation; the history of our struggle for independence and our faith in our future development are our common bonds….

…

Jack Layton: 'We can build the Canada we want', election night speech - 2011

2 May 2011, Toronto, Canada

Step by step, working together, we can build the Canada we want. A country worthy of the hopes and dreams of those young Canadians who said no to the same old cynicism, to the negativity, to the politics of usual and they said yes to a Canada where anything is possible, where we all stick together and no one is left behind.

Donald Trump: 'Ours was not a campaign, but rather an incredible and great movement', Election victory speech - 2016

8 November 2016, New York Hilton Midtown, New York City, USA

Thank you. Thank you very much, everyone.

(APPLAUSE)

Sorry to keep you waiting; complicated business; complicated.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you very much.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: I’ve just received a call from Secretary Clinton.

(APPLAUSE)

She congratulated us — it’s about us — on our victory, and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign. I mean, she — she fought very hard.

Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.

(APPLAUSE)

I mean that very sincerely.

(APPLAUSE)

Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division; have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.

(APPLAUSE)

It’s time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans, and this is so important to me.

(APPLAUSE)

For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people. . .

(LAUGHTER)

. . . I’m reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country.

(APPLAUSE)

As I’ve said from the beginning, ours was not a campaign, but rather an incredible and great movement made up of millions of hard-working men and women who love their country and want a better, brighter future for themselves and for their families.

(APPLAUSE)

It’s a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds and beliefs who want and expect our government to serve the people, and serve the people it will.

(APPLAUSE)

Working together, we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding our nation and renewing the American dream. I’ve spent my entire life and business looking at the untapped potential in projects and in people all over the world. That is now what I want to do for our country.

(APPLAUSE)

Tremendous potential. I’ve gotten to know our country so well — tremendous potential. It’s going to be a beautiful thing. Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.

(APPLAUSE)

We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals. We’re going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none. And we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it.

We will also finally take care of our great veterans.

(APPLAUSE)

They’ve been so loyal, and I’ve gotten to know so many over this 18-month journey. The time I’ve spent with them during this campaign has been among my greatest honors. Our veterans are incredible people. We will embark upon a project of national growth and renewal. I will harness the creative talents of our people and we will call upon the best and brightest to leverage their tremendous talent for the benefit of all. It’s going to happen.

(APPLAUSE)

We have a great economic plan. We will double our growth and have the strongest economy anywhere in the world. At the same time, we will get along with all other nations willing to get along with us. We will be.

(APPLAUSE)

We’ll have great relationships. We expect to have great, great relationships. No dream is too big, no challenge is too great.

Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach.

America will no longer settle for anything less than the best.

(APPLAUSE)

We must reclaim our country’s destiny and dream big and bold and daring. We have to do that. We’re going to dream of things for our country and beautiful things and successful things once again.

I want to tell the world community that while we will always put America’s interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone, with everyone — all people and all other nations. We will seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not conflict.

And now I’d like to take this moment to thank some of the people who really helped me with this, what they are calling tonight, very, very historic victory.

First, I want to thank my parents, who I know are looking down on me right now.

(APPLAUSE)

Great people. I’ve learned so much from them. They were wonderful in every regard. I had truly great parents.

I also want to thank my sisters, Maryanne and Elizabeth, who are here with us tonight. And, where are they? They’re here someplace. They’re very shy, actually. And my brother Robert — my great friend. Where is Robert? Where is Robert?

(APPLAUSE)

My brother Robert. And they should all be on this stage, but that’s OK. They’re great. And also my late brother, Fred. Great guy. Fantastic guy.

(APPLAUSE)

Fantastic family. I was very lucky. Great brothers, sisters; great, unbelievable parents.

To Melania and Don. . .

(APPLAUSE) . . . and Ivanka. . .

(APPLAUSE)

. . . and Eric and Tiffany and Baron, I love you and I thank you, and especially for putting up with all of those hours. This was tough.

This was tough. This political stuff is nasty and it’s tough. So I want to thank my family very much. Really fantastic. Thank you all. Thank you all.

And Lara, unbelievable job, unbelievable.

Vanessa, thank you. Thank you very much.

What a great group. You’ve all given me such incredible support, and I will tell you that we have a large group of people. You know, they kept saying we have a small staff. Not so small. Look at all the people that we have. Look at all of these people.

And Kellyanne and Chris and Rudy and Steve and David. We have got — we have got tremendously talented people up here. And I want to tell you, it’s been — it’s been very, very special. I want to give a very special thanks to our former mayor, Rudy Giuliani.

Unbelievable. Unbelievable. He traveled with us and he went through meetings. That Rudy never changes. Where’s Rudy? Where is he? Rudy.

Governor Chris Christie, folks, was unbelievable.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you, Chris.

The first man, first senator, first major, major politician, and let me tell you, he is highly respected in Washington because he’s as smart as you get: Senator Jeff Sessions. Where is Jeff?

(APPLAUSE)

Great man.

Another great man, very tough competitor. He was not easy. He was not easy. Who is that? Is that the mayor that showed up?

(LAUGHTER)

Is that Rudy? Oh, Rudy got up here.

Another great man who has been really a friend to me. But I’ll tell you, I got to know him as a competitor because he was one of the folks that was negotiating to go against those Democrats: Dr. Ben Carson. Where is Ben?

(APPLAUSE)

Where is Ben?

And by the way, Mike Huckabee is here someplace, and he is fantastic. Mike and his family, Sarah — thank you very much.

General Mike Flynn. Where is Mike?

(APPLAUSE)

And General Kellogg. We have over 200 generals and admirals that have endorsed our campaign. And they’re special people and it’s really an honor. We have 22 congressional Medal of Honor recipients. We have just tremendous people.

A very special person who believed me and, you know, I’d read reports that I wasn’t getting along with him. I never had a bad second with him. He’s an unbelievable star. He is. . .

(CROSSTALK)

That’s right. How did you possibly guess? So let me tell you about Reince, and I’ve said this. I said, Reince — and I know it, I know. Look at all those people over there. I know it. Reince is a superstar. But I said, “They can’t call you a superstar, Reince, unless we win,” because you can’t be called a superstar — like Secretariat — if Secretariat came in second, Secretariat would not have that big, beautiful bronze bust at the track at Belmont.

But I’ll tell you, Reince is really a star. And he is the hardest-working guy. And in a certain way, I did this — Reince, come up here. Where is Reince? Get over here, Reince.

(APPLAUSE)

Boy oh boy oh boy. It’s about time you did this, Reince. My God.

(APPLAUSE)

Say a few words. No, come on, say something.

RNC CHAIRMAN REINCE PRIEBUS: Ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the United States, Donald Trump.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you. It’s been an honor. God bless. Thank God.

Amazing guy.

Our partnership with the RNC was so important to the success and what we’ve done.

So I also have to say I’ve gotten to know some incredible people — the Secret Service people.

(APPLAUSE)

They’re tough and they’re smart and they’re sharp, and I don’t want to mess around with them, I can tell you. And when I want to go and wave to a big group of people and they rip me down and put me back down on the seat. But they are fantastic people, so I want to thank the Secret Service.

(APPLAUSE)

And law enforcement in New York City. They’re here tonight.

(APPLAUSE)

These are spectacular people, sometimes underappreciated unfortunately, but we appreciate them. We know what they go through.

So, it’s been what they call a historic event, but to be really historic, we have to do a great job. And I promise you that I will not let you down. We will do a great job. We will do a great job.

(APPLAUSE)

I look very much forward to being your president, and hopefully at the end of two years or three years or four years, or maybe even eight years. . .

(APPLAUSE)

. . . you will say, so many of you worked so hard for us, but you will say that — you will say that that was something that you really were very proud to do and I can. . .

(CROSSTALK)

Thank you very much.

And I can only say that while the campaign is over, our work on this movement is now really just beginning.

(APPLAUSE)

We’re going to get to work immediately for the American people. And we’re going to be doing a job that hopefully you will be so proud of your president. You’ll be so proud. Again, it’s my honor. It was an amazing evening. It’s been an amazing two-year period. And I love this country.

(APPLAUSE) Thank you. Thank you very much.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you to Mike Pence. Thank you.

(APPLAUSE)

Pablo Iglesias: 'Whatever happens, we will always have the gardens of Atocha', Election Night speech - 2015

20 December 2015, Plaza de Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain

Translation by Hired Knaves on this page.

Buenas noches. Gabon. Boas noites. Bona nit, Madrid, capital of fraternity. We are still here, knocking on the doors of heaven. 76 years ago, very close to this square, my great-uncle said to his sister: whatever happens, we will always have the gardens of Atocha. He was on the verge of losing a war, and a few months later, my uncle was shot by firing squad in Valencia. That man met a socialist fate, (as) one of the boys of La Motorizada [a socialist youth militia] that always accompanied Don Indalecio Prieto. The sisters of that man raised my mother and me, and they always spoke to us of the gardens of Atocha. They never spoke to us from a place of rancour or vengeance, but from love. It is said that the heroes of the patria are those who die and kill in wars. I do not agree. The heroic feats that make a patria are not acts that go down in history, but the everyday acts. A grandmother who bursts with joy when she sees her grand-daughter, clean and wearing a good pair of shoes, with her schoolbooks in her bag, running towards her when she comes out of a well-equipped public school, is the image of a decent country. That is what makes a patria.

Tonight, I want to pay tribute to the anonymous heroes and heroines who with their small acts, have shown us what it means to change a country. The grandmother who teaches her grandchildren that toys are for sharing, the activist who loses hours of sleep because he is out putting up posters in his neighbourhood, the (female) magistrate who applies the law knowing that it is the only guarantee that the weak have against the strong, the (male) nurse who knows that his tenderness is the dignity of the sick elderly woman. The (female) teacher who strives so that despite the cutbacks, all children learn and are happy learning. The (male) police officer who does not lose his patience and puts up with whatever comes along and does his job without reaching to his belt. The (male) banking employee who refuses to sell preferential shares. The (female) worker on strike who does not lose her smile. The (male) public defender who gives his all for his defendant. The (male) small business owner who treats his employees as comrades. The grandfather who stretches his pension to pay his daughter’s university fees. Behind those everyday acts lie the heroes who change a country. Revolution does not consist of flags. It is in the small things, like in the gardens of Atocha.

Today’s events are historic. A new political time has opened up in our history, one that puts an end to the system of taking turns. 15M marked the beginning of a new transition in our country, led by ordinary people. In moments such as this one, the democratic abundance of our history breaks through. Tonight we can hear the voices of the people of Madrid resisting invasion. We can hear the voice of General Riego, defending the constitution with sword in hand. The voice of Torrijos, disembarking in Málaga. We can hear the voices of the liberals and the democrats of the Glorious Revolution. The voice of Joaquín Costa, and the voices of the Free Educational Institution. The voice of Rosalía de Castro and the ironic laughter of Valle-Inclán. We hear the voice of the working class and of the women struggling for their right to suffrage. We hear the voices of the Republican reformers, the voices of Clara Campoamor, Margarita Nelken, Dolores Ibárruri, Federica Montseny, Victoria Kent. The voices of Miguel Hernández, Federico García Lorca, Machado and Alberti. The voices of the Asturian miners. The voice of Companys, telling Madrid: it is your brother who speaks. The voice of Durruti. Of Largo Caballero. Of Azaña. Of Pepe Díaz and Andreu Nin. The polyglot voices of the International volunteers who by defending our patria, will be Spanish forever. We hear the voices of those who raised the flags of freedom against terror. The voices of the prisoners of the dictatorship. The voices of the working class who won their rights through strikes. We hear voices in Basque, in Catalan, in Galician. We hear the immortal voice of Carlos Cano singing to the emigrants. The voices of Serrat, of Paco Ibañez, of Rosa León, of Imanol, of Lluis Llach and also the voice of Soledad Bravo and of Pep Botifarra. We hear the voices and we read the words of Manolo Vázquez Montalbán, and all those who struggled for a better future, along with the voices of you tonight, who are the leaders of political change in Spain.

I want to thank my family, all my comrades, and all those of you who are here, but above all, the people [las gentes] and the peoples [los pueblos] of Spain. There is a lot of work to do starting tomorrow, and it won’t be easy but something has changed. Never again a Spain without its peoples [pueblos] or its ordinary people [gentes] . Today from here we commit to push towards a new historic settlement that defends social justice and decency. Democracy must reach the economy, so that there can be no more violations of human rights and dignity. Tonight we hear once again the immortal voice of Salvador Allende: history is ours, and it is made by the peoples. ¡Sí se puede!