Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

I'm pleased to rise and add my words of congratulations to those of the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and others in this chamber. We honour and pay tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee. Just consider that: 70 years of dedicated service to public life! And it's not just seven decades—even before that time, as a princess, she was doing vital charity work. She was looking at matters of importance to do with the monarchy and she was being a fine representative for that institution, which, as we've heard, has been going for around 1,000 years. She is the head of the Commonwealth. She is the Queen of Australia.

The people of the Riverina and the Central West have a great affinity with Her Majesty, with a deep and abiding respect and love for her, and very much admire her longevity and what she has done for people right across not just the empire of the Commonwealth but, indeed, the entire world. Since Her Majesty's coronation, Wagga Wagga in my electorate—my home town—has been very fortunate. We had a visit from the Queen in 1954. Indeed, it was Saturday 13 February, a typical hot summer's day in Wagga Wagga. The local paper, the Daily Advertiser, greeted that day with headlines that morning: 'Thousands pack our city', 'Wagga now dazzling', 'Special trains bringing 15,000 people to Wagga'. It was an exciting event. The mayor at the time, WF ‘Bill’ Dunne, greeted the Queen, and he was of course beside himself with joy, as were the thousands upon thousands of people who lined the streets. There were many thousands in Bolton Park. There were almost 15,000 children, and of course the Queen loves kids. They gathered in the centre of Robertson Oval and the surrounds. It is said that 500 fainted in the heat and had to be stretchered away. Just think of that! But, of course, they had a story to tell as well.

In 2000, when I was editor of that paper I mentioned, I was fortunate to meet Her Majesty when she visited Sydney. Her late husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was making headlines of his own back in my home town. There was much conjecture as to whether he would wear a hairnet when he visited a cheese factory. It's said that a very good vat of cheese was disposed of because of the duke's reluctance to wear that apparel.

I can remember lining up in a long line of press representatives to meet the Queen. I made sure I was last in line. Whilst all the other representatives said the name of their newspaper, I merely stated that I was from Wagga Wagga and that I was very pleased to meet Her Majesty. She said to me, 'Wagga Wagga—a market town.' She remembered all those years ago visiting our city. We then had a very convivial conversation about Wagga Wagga and the season. She recalled it in detail straight off the top of her head. I was most impressed.

She was impressed at the time that Wagga Wagga is a garrison town. At the time it was a very important Air Force city. Of course, we are also the home of the Army recruit base where every soldier does their basic training. Now we've even got a Navy base. I'm sure Her Majesty would be impressed with that, given that we're many hundreds of kilometres from the nearest drop of seawater, such is our duty to the security of this nation.

The Queen is greatly admired not only here in Australia but right across the globe. Her selfless service and dedication to duty is second to none. I know Her Majesty will long be remembered and honoured for the commitment she made on the occasion of her 21st birthday, when she pledged:

I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.

It is fitting that we honour and pay tribute to Her Majesty for her life of achievement and service—service above self, a life of service that should and no doubt does inspire many. To do good works in our community—to quote the Rotary motto—is service above self, and she has done that in spades. We only have to look at the recipients of awards within the Australian honours system, which Her Majesty is the sovereign head. These are everyday Australians going about their lives volunteering, doing good and putting others above themselves. Her Majesty, as the head of the order, is a shining example of that and represents the finest qualities of life.

My electorate offices receive many requests for portraits of the Queen. Interest in her and our system of government is very much alive and well, whether it is the RSL clubs, school students, veterans, scouts, girl guides or newly-arrived immigrants to Australia. Her Majesty is an abiding symbol of the connectedness of our Commonwealth family, a link to our past, what we represent now and a beacon for our future. May we all draw inspiration from the many years of service of the Queen. We salute and congratulate her. We will of course honour and celebrate this remarkable achievement in different ways across the country, as we are. I look forward to being able to recognise this significant milestone in the Riverina and Central West throughout the coming anniversary year. I congratulate Her Majesty the Queen. May she long reign. God save the Queen.

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