Mr Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor and President, Members of the University Council, CQUniversity staff, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and gentlemen, Fellow graduates, and our guest speaker Ms Shelley Nowlan.

On behalf of all graduates I take this opportunity to acknowledge CQunivesity for the contribution they have made to all of us here graduating tonight, and to thank Ms Shelley Nowlan for her kind words. 

We are now all professionals in a field! Feels good doesn't it?

But what is so important about graduation? Why do we sit here tonight in a black gown, with a bizarre, yet for some strange reason impressive looking hat, if not for tradition?

Luckily, I am now a professional. So I can now give you an answer to my own question without having to reference it. I hope you agree with my response.  

What is so important about graduation?

Graduation is a time of acknowledgement from the University. This graduation ceremony tonight, is our night to stand proudly, with modesty and say, "Yes we did it!" We achieved the different goals we set for ourselves and it feels good!

Tonight should feel good not only for us, the graduates, but also for those people whom we brought along. In some ways it is their night too, after all, they were the ones who listened to our complaints or did the ironing or washing up or cooked dinner or whatever it was that gave you a bit of support... or was that just me? They are here to share in our pride of achievement.

I ask you all to be conscious of why tonight feels good. It feels good because the differing courses we took were hard work. Tonight is a celebration of all that hard work. Tonight we take that step from graduate to professional and we have the proof, not only in our hands but also in our experience. Tonight should be viewed as an exciting and worthy experience.