Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That an Address of Congratulation be presented to His Majesty The King, as follows:

YOUR MAJESTY

We, the Speaker and Members of the House of Representatives, express to Your Majesty our warm congratulations at this time of your Coronation.

We express our respect and regard for the dedication you have displayed in your commitment to public service and to the people of Australia.

On behalf of the parliament and the people of Australia, I send our sincere congratulations to His Majesty King Charles III and to Her Majesty Queen Camilla on their coronations. Along with other Commonwealth realms, Australia welcomes the new King and Queen and the beginning of a new era. The coronation of a new monarch has occurred only four times since Australia became a nation. At Federation on 1 January 1901, Queen Victoria was coming to the end of her long and remarkable reign. Her sons and grandsons followed her through the first tumultuous half of the 20th century; then her great-great-granddaughter, crowned 70 years ago, went on to eclipse her record to become Britain's longest-serving monarch. Until her passing last year, Queen Elizabeth II was the only reigning monarch most Australians had ever known, and the only one to visit our shores. Australians' personal respect and affection and admiration for her remarkable service will never fade.

As King Charles takes up the duties his mother so faithfully fulfilled, he makes the same promise of lifelong service and the same commitment to the institutions of democracy that she vowed to uphold. The new King and Queen clearly intend to serve with energy, integrity and empathy. In his first speech as King, His Majesty paid tribute to the fine example his mother had set and promised to serve with loyalty, respect and love for people, irrespective of their backgrounds or beliefs. He spoke of the way that society had changed over his lifetime, transforming into one of many cultures and many faiths, even as the bedrock values of freedom and responsibility remain constant.

The coronation itself is, in a profound sense, a part of this conversation between tradition and change, continuity and renewal. Even as he performs a role that has endured for almost a thousand years, the King makes his pledge in a modern world with a promise to the future. For more than 50 years, His Majesty King Charles has been a passionate champion of the environment, espousing the belief that we must think seven generations ahead to have any chance of leaving a better world behind us. He has a long record of interest in climate change, the urban environment and sustainability. As his reign begins, Australians know that we have a friend who celebrates our successes and stands with us in our times of disaster and distress, and a friend with a deep and abiding interest in issues relating to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

His Majesty is no stranger to our shores. As a 17-year-old in 1966, he spent six months at Geelong Grammar School's Timbertop campus in the Victorian High Country. Recounting the story years later, he told an Australia Day crowd in London, 'If you want to develop character, go to Australia.' He has also professed his enduring love for the experience and described how it left him with a huge affection for our country—and I can assure the parliament that, when I have had the privilege of having an audience with King Charles, that affection has shone through. We look forward to welcoming him once again to Australia. This time, as one of 15 countries, it will be as our head of state.

When the King's mother, Elizabeth II, acceded to the throne on 6 February 1952, Australia's parliament expressed its faith in her as she took on the great responsibilities of the Crown and wished her a rich and kind reign. The world has changed radically since then, and Australia has grown into a mature and diverse nation, confident about who we are and our place in the world. As a mature nation, we will continue to examine our own constitutional arrangements and determine what they should be. King Charles has made it clear that these are matters that are rightly determined by nations of the Commonwealth and that those decisions are to be respected.

It was an honour to attend the coronation and have private audiences with King Charles and the Prince of Wales, Prince William, and meetings with other members of the royal family, including the Princess of Wales. Along with the Governor-General and Mrs Hurley, High Commissioner Stephen Smith and the governors of all of our states, Australia's representatives reflected our nation's diversity at the request of the palace.

Our flagbearer was Sam Kerr OAM, the Matildas captain, forward for Chelsea Football Club—who I note scored another goal overnight—Olympian, Australia's leading goalscorer and the world's best footballer.

There were three Victoria Cross recipients: Corporal Mark Donaldson VC, Corporal Daniel Keighran VC and the absolutely legendary and delightful Keith Payne VC. For those who've had the privilege of meeting Keith, they will know exactly what I'm saying here. He is a larger-than-life character who honours Australia every time he represents us.

Leanne Benjamin AM OBE performed as a principal ballet dancer for the Royal Ballet for 21 years. She is a patron of the Tait Memorial Trust, an annual award given in her name to support young Australian and New Zealand dancers to train in the UK.

Nick Cave AO is a singer, songwriter, actor, novelist and screenwriter, and a major contributor to Australian music, culture and heritage.

Jasmine Coe is a Wiradjuri British artist and the creator and curator of Coe Gallery, the first and only Aboriginal owned art gallery in the United Kingdom.

Adam Hills MBE is a comedian, presenter, writer and disability rights advocate.

Doctor Daniel Nour is the founder of Street Side Medics, a not-for-profit GP-led mobile medical service for people experiencing homelessness. It has been my privilege to recently be with Dr Nour in Parramatta, seeing firsthand the work that his remarkable charity does. In 2002 Dr Nour was awarded Young Australian of the Year.

Yasmin Poole is a public speaker, board director and youth advocate. She is currently a Rhodes scholar at Oxford university and a non-executive board director of OzHarvest and YWCA Australia.

Emily Regan is a London based nurse who worked for the UK's National Health Service in the emergency department of a major hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minette Salmon is studying a PhD in genomic medicine and statistics at Oxford under the prestigious Wellcome Trust studentship. She was also the 2019 Charles Perkins scholar.

Claire Spencer AM is an arts leader and the inaugural CEO of the Barbican Centre. She is also an advocate for wellbeing and equity and a member of Chief Executive Women.

Professor Merryn Voysey is Associate Professor of Statistics in Vaccinology at the Oxford Vaccine Group. She helped to develop the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.

Richard Joyes CV was awarded the Cross of Valour in 2003 for his courageous efforts following the Bali bombing. He helped to rescue the wounded and carried them to safety.

Yvonne Kenny AM is one of the most distinguished sopranos of her generation. She debuted at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden in 1975, where she performed as a member of the company until 1994. She is currently the chair of the Australian Music Foundation UK and, as a professor of voice, she's now dedicated to mentoring young singers.

They are a remarkable group of Australians. I thank the high commissioner for hosting us at Stoke Lodge in the lead-up to the coronation. These Australians were all proud to represent their nation. They did us proud in their representation. Together we had the privilege of witnessing history. We wish their majesties a prosperous reign, and may this new Carolean age see the triumph of progress and peace.

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