Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

Today I join the member for Berowra in paying tribute to His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The Duke has been remembered around the world for his unwavering service to his Queen, and therefore our Queen, and to his country, our country and the entire Commonwealth. Many in my electorate of Brand are originally from the United Kingdom, and many will remember Prince Philip very fondly.

A naval man, Prince Philip began his naval career as a 17-year-old attending Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth in Devon. After naval college, in 1940, after the war started, he was assigned to HMS Ramillies in the Indian Ocean, escorting troops from Australia to Egypt. It was at this time that Prince Philip first visited Australia, including Western Australia, the first of what would be more than 20 visits to our shores in his life. In fact, no member of the royal family has visited Australia more often than Prince Philip did. Prince Philip's active naval career spanned almost 14 years, ending in 1953 at the rank of commander. He remained greatly interested in and involved with naval service during royal life, with patronages and association with naval charities and clubs.

It is difficult to underestimate the great depth of feeling serving members of the military have had toward the royal family, particularly during and in the aftermath of World War II. My dad, John Morris, was in the same generation as Prince Philip and also served in the Royal Navy in the Second World War, serving as an able seaman and radar operator. He would often tell the story of the day when Prince Philip's uncle Lord Louis Mountbatten visited the ship he was serving on. I think it was HMS Jamaica, but I may be wrong; Dad told a lot of stories of his naval service. But it was clearly a highlight of his service when Lord Louis Mountbatten came to the ship and told some jokes to the sailors—probably a bit blue, but sailors are entitled to have those jokes amongst themselves, I suppose. Dad's fondness for Mountbatten was always evident, and it was always a pleasure for him to tell the story of when they had royalty on board his ship. The leadership of the royal family during those dark days was always remembered by people like my father who lived through that dreadful war. Like Mountbatten, Prince Philip exemplified that leadership. On his 90th birthday, in 2011, in recognition of his service to the Navy, the Queen conferred the title and office of Lord High Admiral on him.

Prince Philip's first royal visit to Australia was with Queen Elizabeth in 1954. It was a significant tour, as it was the first time a reigning monarch had ever visited our nation. The couple came to Perth as one of the 70 cities they visited during the eight-week-long royal visit. In 1962, Prince Philip again visited Perth for the Commonwealth Games, where he opened the event.

In 2011, Perth hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, and Prince Philip travelled with Her Majesty, who opened the event on 28 October of that year. I was really pleased to help with the organisation of that event on behalf of the Australian government at the time. The CHOGM visit would be Prince Philip's final trip to Australia. While in Perth, he made a visit to the Special Air Service Regiment to present the coveted sandy berets to Army soldiers who had passed the course and were accepted into the regiment. Finally, before Her Majesty and Prince Philip flew home to England, they attended the Big Aussie Barbecue, held on the Perth Esplanade, with over 100,000 people lining on the streets of Perth to bid them farewell. I think everyone knew it was the last time they would be in WA. At one stage, the Prince even took the tongs from the barbecue operators and attended to the very important job of sizzling those sausages.

One of Prince Philip's enduring legacies, as has been noted many times following his death, was the creation of the Duke of Edinburgh's Award scheme in 1956, with the aim of giving young boys an opportunity to do something productive with their time. It has been a spectacular achievement. In 1959, the scheme was launched in Australia, and since then more than 775,000 young Australians—young women and men—have participated in this program, giving them the confidence and skills to take life on with enthusiasm. It is a remarkable gift to have given so many young people around the world and a remarkable legacy for the Duke to leave us all with.

Personally, I support Australia becoming a Republic and I believe an Australian should be able to be the head of state of this nation, but I nonetheless have the greatest respect for the lifelong service and commitment that Her Majesty the Queen and her husband, Prince Philip, have given to their country, our country and the Commonwealth of Nations over many, many years. Our condolences always with the Queen, our Queen, and vale His Royal Highness Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

See this speech in context