Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'd like to thank the member for Berowra for moving this motion, an opportunity to reflect on the extraordinary life of an extraordinary man. Like many others in this place, I received the sadness of the news of the death of His Royal Highness the Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, last month. My first thought was for his family: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, his four children and his grandchildren and great-grandchildren—a sad day for them all. But, of course, the passing of the Prince requires reflection on his remarkable life and his dedication to service to the Crown, to our country and, indeed, to the entire Commonwealth.

Prince Philip gave lifelong support to the Queen and lived an exemplary life of service. In Her Majesty's own words, Prince Philip was her 'strength and stay'. From their first days of romance before the war to his last days together with the Queen in Windsor, they were an unbeatable team, united in their dedication to the Crown and their family. For the 73 years they were married—I mean, really, quite extraordinary; 73 years. I wish that on all the members in this parliament—an extraordinary feat. They endured conflicts both external and internal. An unusual marriage for the time, the Prince had to put aside his career to support his partner, a situation now that is not so unusual after all, but we can look to them to learn and draw lessons from the history of their marriage.

Often outspoken, Prince Philip was criticised by some for his politically incorrect comments. However, he did prove time and time again that he had a genuine interest in others and only sought to improve lives with geniality and good humour. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award, created 65 years ago, embodies this genuine interest. It is an award that is about young people making a contribution, taking responsibility, persevering, developing skills and achieving their best selves as well as for others. It is designed to demonstrate what can be achieved by selfless service, an award modelled on how the Duke himself saw life. Millions have completed the Duke of Edinburgh's Award around the world, and in Australia alone 775,000 young people have participated. Indeed, my niece is completing it right now.

Prince Philip was a frequent visitor to Australia over his life—in fact, 26 times, more than any other royal—and he was a steadfast friend of Australia. He once described a week's holiday on a sheep station in Victoria, my home state, as the best holiday he'd ever had. A 'perfectly natural life; no frills and no fads' is what he said about it. During these many visits he acquired a large private collection of Australian art. He had a genuine admiration of Indigenous artists, including Albert Namatjira, and purchased more than a dozen Indigenous pieces during his lifetime. In 1963 the Queen bought a work by Sydney Nolan for the Duke for his birthday, and in later years, either by purchase or by gift, he added paintings by Clifton Pugh, Donald Friend, William Dobell and Olga Claire Garner to his collection.

His last visit to Australia was to accompany the Queen to a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2011. It was more than 70 years since his first visit during the war. At the time, he opened my previous place of employment, the Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne new build. It was an incredible experience. A nearly $1 billion hospital was opened to grate fanfare and excitement. It was such a special occasion to have both Prince Philip and the Queen there and the Queen to open the building. And it was a lovely piece of history because, 50 years previously, the new Royal Children's Hospital had been opened by the Queen in attendance with Dame Elisabeth Murdoch, the great patron of the Royal Children's Hospital, and the two women made an acknowledgement of the fact at that event, with the Prince Philip by the Queen's side.

So today I record our gratitude for the lifetime of service to the Crown that the Prince has paid and that he has served our Commonwealth and our country so brilliantly. I learnt on their last visit to Melbourne that the Queen had actually opened 2,000 hospitals in her lifetime. These are extraordinary outcomes for a couple that have lived their life of service to their country, to the Crown and to our Commonwealth, and I extend my sincere condolences to Her Majesty the Queen and to the royal family in this, their time of grief—but especially to Her Majesty. May he rest in peace.

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