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

On indulgence: in this place, where people are so fond of the sound of their own voices, it is appropriate to reflect on the passing of the most extraordinary voice our country has produced. Dame Joan Sutherland was one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. As the Prime Minister has just reminded us, a generation of music critics fought to outdo each other finding superlatives in praise of the woman the Italians called ‘La Stupenda’. And yet, for all the praise she received, she was a remarkably down-to-earth woman. The former secretary from Sydney took on the world of music and triumphed while retaining that down-to-earth quality which we like to think is part of our Australian national character.

It is important to remember that Dame Joan’s career was the product of a great partnership. Dame Joan and her husband, Richard Bonynge, have had a remarkable impact on Australian music. They were devoted partners who worked together at what they loved and strived to create an environment where opera could flourish in their native land. From the heights of international stardom, Sutherland and Bonynge returned to Australia in the mid-1970s to develop what is now Opera Australia. They helped to develop not just an opera company but an audience and a place for opera here in this country. Thanks to their work, audiences in this country lost their belief that Australian art and music had to be second-rate.

Dame Joan’s voice lives on in her magnificent recordings, and her influence lives on in the work of Opera Australia. We rejoice in her life, we mourn her passing and we send our sympathies and condolences to her husband and family.

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