Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

On indulgence: I rise to echo the words of the Prime Minister and to acknowledge that yesterday in Rome the canonisation of a remarkable Australian woman is important for Catholics, for Australians and for the wider world.

From the humblest of beginnings at a time when women were expected to defer, Mary MacKillop began a teaching order that, by the time of her death in 1909, had more than 700 members teaching more than 12,000 Australian pupils in 117 schools around Australia but mostly in the bush and mostly catering to people who would otherwise not have had an education.

She was a remarkably determined woman. She was undoubtedly a great educator. Therefore she is quite appropriately a role model for women and for teachers today.

She performed this prodigious work because she felt called to it by God. In an era when the church and its representatives are often thought to have failed people, her canonisation is a timely reminder of the good that has been done in this country and elsewhere under the influence of Christian faith.

I think it is appropriate to acknowledge, even in the parliament of a secular democracy, that Australia has indeed been shaped by Christian faith, even though many of us as individuals may not share it. Therefore all Australians are entitled to share in the pride that Australian Catholics feel today.

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