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

I am delighted to support the remarks of the Prime Minister in welcoming the Rt Hon. John Key to this parliament. I say, John, that as a former resident of Sydney you are just about a constituent of mine, and it is good to have you in this parliament. Of course, as a mark of respect to Australia, the New Zealand parliament earlier this year welcomed our Prime Minister. It is fitting that as a mark of respect to New Zealand we likewise welcome you here today. It is a rare honour to address a joint sitting of the Australian parliament, and we are very happy to extend it to you as Prime Minister of our nearest neighbour and closest friend. We are not welcoming a foreign leader; we are welc­oming a friend. Indeed, we are welcoming the leader of a country that even now, under our Constitution, could yet accede to the Australian Federation, should you wish to do so!

Our countries have been indissolubly linked and bonded ever since the voyages of Captain Cook. Those bonds have been strengthened in war and in peace, in good times and in bad. Late last year, when 29 miners died at Pike River, we did not mourn for the two Australians who were amongst them; we mourned for every single one of them. When Christchurch was hit by a devastating earthquake, we were only too happy to send the best of our emergency services personnel to help. And in the aftermath of the tragedy, when the Governor-General, the Prime Minister and I went to Christchurch, we mourned not as foreigners but as your kith and kin.

Mr Prime Minister, I wish to particularly congratulate you on two initiatives of your government. First, I congratulate you for formally re-establishing military ties with the United States. This has once more made the ANZUS alliance a fully functioning, work­ing alliance. We as Australians very much value New Zealand's military commitments, not only to East Timor and to the Solomon Islands but also, of course, to Afghanistan. We are ANZAC brothers in arms once more.

I also congratulate you, Prime Minister, for dramatically watering down the emissions trading scheme that you inherited. In this country, your sister party will go further and do better. Should we inherit any carbon tax, we will not just reduce it; we will rescind it.

Mr Prime Minister, we welcome very much your presence amongst us and we look forward very much to listening to your words of wisdom.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

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