Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Anniversaries are a time to reflect and a time to celebrate. This occasion is no different. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee is a joyous event in which we as Australians can look back with respect and admiration for all that the Queen has achieved, and continues to achieve, during her reign.

The young princess was touring Africa when she came to the throne on 6 February 1952. Her father, King George VI, had passed away unexpectedly in his sleep. The Queen was just 26 years of age. Along with her title she inherited a huge weight of expectation—that she would be a leader worthy of her nation and that she would be a leader worthy of the Commonwealth; that should also be the bedrock of the Church of England as its Supreme Governor; that she would be a source of strength and guidance for her nation in difficult times.

Her service and dedication were never in question. Even at the tender age of 14 years, the then princess delivered a serious message of comfort and reassurance to other children in Britain during World War II on the BBC's Children's Hour, saying:

We are trying to do all that we can to help our gallant soldiers, sailors and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear our share of the danger and sadness of war. We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well.

Throughout her reign, the Queen has fulfilled her duties with humility, grace and dignity. Despite my republican roots, I stand with the staunchest of monarchists to honour the Queen in her Diamond Jubilee year, a particularly special honour, as it is only the second time that a British monarch has celebrated 60 years on the throne. It was another woman, Queen Victoria, who also achieved this remarkable feat and after whom the great state that I live in his named.

Queen Elizabeth has been our head of state and a steady presence during turbulent times in our history, times of crisis as well as times of national celebration. Her reign has outlasted 11 Australian Prime Ministers and 17 opposition leaders. The Queen's example of service and duty to her nation and subjects has inspired millions. In an ongoing legacy motivated by British traditions, every Australia Day we honour those in our society who have contributed to our nation beyond expectations. Under the British system, these awards were originally presented by the monarch. In my electorate of Higgins, we are fortunate to have many inspirations. From business, the arts, sport, philanthropy and community service, Higgins is home to some of the most respected community leaders in Australia, who each in their own way have made our great country even stronger.

This year's Australia Day recipients were Professor Kwong Lee-Dow AC, Mr Stephen Newton AC, Sir Rod Eddington AO, Mr Andrew Darbyshire AM, Mr Bryan Keon-Cohen AM, Professor Sandra Legg AM, Mr David Wittner AM, Mr Barry Comben OAM, Mrs Josette Gostin OAM, Mr Peter Hansen OAM, Mrs Loula Kotsos OAM, Mr Brian Randall OAM and Dr Ian Robertson OAM. Today I also honour these people, but most especially the Queen for her example of unrelenting service, dedication and duty.

It cannot have been easy for the Queen during the last 60 years to balance her public duties with her life as a private citizen as the wife of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh; as a mother to four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward; and as a grandmother to eight grandchildren, William, Harry, Peter, Zara, Beatrice, Eugenie, Louise and James. Living a life in public is a sacrifice that she has made and we honour her for it. Today, we congratulate the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee and wish her all the best for the future.

Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Settlement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It gives me great pleasure to be so fortunate as to deliver a speech in the parliament of Australia recognising Her Majesty the Queen's 60 years as Queen of Australia. For 60 years, Her Majesty's service to our nation has been exemplary. The depth of her concern for the Australian people knows no bound and her commitment to the Commonwealth family is extraordinary. Her great faith is an inspiration to all of us. To my mind, Her Majesty's presence in our lives and in our system of government is one assured anchor in an increasingly unsure world. Far from being a remote figure worlds apart from her people, Her Majesty's continued presence in the 21st century as Queen of Australia is a constant reminder of her connection to everyday people across all walks of life.

Born not in a royal residence but a private house and christened in Jordan waters with the names of three queens—her mother, her grandmother and her great-grandmother—Queen Elizabeth unites the two contrasting elements of our constitutional monarchy: its tradition and its growing identification with the life of its people. The life of her majesty and her subjects, just as it was in 1952, is centred on family. Her Majesty often speaks of the strength that family can provide during times of hardship and how friendships are often formed in very difficult times. Her family is important to her and she knows how important family is to others—the largest and the smallest, the rich and the poor. Family is the bedrock of our community and of our society.

Her Majesty's own family life certainly mirrors that of many of her subjects world wide, as we also struggle through the heartache and the challenges and are ultimately amazingly rewarded through the satisfaction of family celebrations, milestones and togetherness. Indeed, Her Majesty's own experience as a defence spouse is one that many of the residents in my electorate of Brisbane can empathise with. Having to spend time away from loved ones—loved ones who might be on active duty in a theatre of war—means that Her Majesty has a true connection with those who are involved in military life.

Of course, 'family' does not necessarily have to mean blood relatives, and can often be a description of a community, an organisation or a nation. The Commonwealth is a family of 54 nations all with a common bond, shared beliefs, mutual values and goals. It is a group of the world's largest and smallest, richest and poorest countries that believes that the best democracies are achieved through partnerships of governments, through business and through society. Partnerships are so important. And the important leadership shown in the Commonwealth and displayed by Her Majesty and Prince Philip for the last 60 years is a testament to their character and determination.

The Queen's character and determination were certainly on display in her recent visit to my part of the Commonwealth, the electorate of Brisbane. I shall not forget the images and the reporting of Her Majesty's and Prince Philip's visit, particularly the look of excitement on the faces of the children as they packed Bretts Wharf in Hamilton in an undeniable expression of the affection in which the Queen is held by both young and old. It was no wonder that the faces of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were beaming with smiles in the Queensland sunshine as they boarded their ferry for a tour of the Brisbane River. The crowds that greeted them, flourishing the Union Jack and the Australian flag, and the cheer that swept through Bretts Wharf to the city reach, to Kangaroo Point and ultimately to South Bank, were truly remarkable, and thousands showed up. I was so very proud of the display that Brisbane turned on, and the wonderful day that everyone had.

Being in charge of an organisation, a family or a community for 60 years is a marvellous achievement and something that has to be celebrated and commended. Your Majesty, thank you for your contribution, particularly to the continued growth and development of Australia and the Commonwealth, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your Diamond Jubilee and to wish you many happy returns.

Jill Hall (Shortland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with great pleasure that I stand here to recognise Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee. In doing so I acknowledge that she has been a fine Queen, and I say that as an ardent republican. The Queen has brought her own style and great grace to the office of Queen. It is acknowledged by all Australians that she has performed all her duties with great dignity and has been a truly regal monarch. I take great delight in paying tribute to the Queen—from my perspective she will probably be the last monarch who actually gets to be the Queen of Australia and serve a Diamond Jubilee—because, as I have already stated, I really appreciate what she has done, and the role she has played not only in Australia and the UK but worldwide. As a republican, I would like one day to be standing here talking about our Australian head of state. But I congratulate the Queen, wish her all the best for the future and congratulate her on the dignified and regal way that she has performed as Queen.

Steve Georganas (Hindmarsh, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Shortland for her contribution. Before I call the member for Bonner, I too would like to associate myself with the comments and speeches made in this House and congratulate Her Majesty the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee.

Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this afternoon to join my voice in commemorating this amazing watershed in our great nation's history—that is, the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. As we all know, 6 February 2012 marked the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty. It was in 1952, at the tender age of 25, that the Commonwealth rejoiced at her ascendance to the throne while simultaneously mourning the death of her father, the much-loved King George VI. This tremendous milestone is underscored by the fact that the only other British monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee is the Queen's great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who also has the distinction of being the longest reigning British monarch, with a 63-year reign. As such, I am sure that everyone will agree that this is a significant moment in our history and a notable occasion for our young country, being the first such event of this magnitude since we became a Federation on 1 January 1901.

I would also like to remind the parliament that, in September last year, I drew attention to the upcoming Diamond Jubilee. I had been prompted to action after being contacted by the Australian Monarchist League Queensland branch chairman, Mr Tristan Rogers, who asked me to raise this matter in the parliament to ensure that the Diamond Jubilee was recognised in Australia, even in a small way, and separately in each of the states. I absolutely agreed with Mr Rogers on his assertion that as a nation it was essential that we pay appropriate tribute to Her Majesty's longevity.

As I said at the time, it is not whether you are a monarchist or a republican; it is about respect due to the monarch, who, as UK Prime Minister David Cameron succinctly summarised this week, is always dedicated, always resolute and always respected. Yesterday, I was very heartened to see that our government has, as part of the commemoration of the Diamond Jubilee, pledged up to $5 million to the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust. We are told by this government that Australia's contribution to the trust, which is chaired by former UK Prime Minister Sir John Major, will go to the development related projects that will create a lasting legacy in honour of Her Majesty the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

In light of this announcement, I would like to take this opportunity to again congratulate the Australian Monarchist League on their steadfast efforts in ensuring the Australian public are aware and excited about Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee. I am sure as well that the rest of Australia are looking forward to the visit of their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, who will visit Australia later this year as part of the wider Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

It is true in a technical sense that the British monarch has no political power; however, Queen Elizabeth as the figurehead and official head of state for the 16 countries that still form the Commonwealth of Nations embodies immense influence and power. Throughout the 60 years of her reign she has continued to play a pivotal role in giving the government and the people in both Britain and Australia a wider perspective than that of the immediate political priorities of prime ministers and governments that have come and gone. In Australia and Britain she has seen 12 consecutive prime ministers, and no doubt she will see a few more. One can only imagine the social and economic change that each of these prime ministers has brought with them. The Queen has weathered each with equanimity, wisdom and her trademark indomitable sense of duty.

As many have observed, the Queen has retained the pomp and circumstance of the monarchy yet has made it more accessible to her subjects than any of her predecessors. While what she does behind Buckingham Palace doors is still as much of a mystery as what she has in her trademark white bag, she still manages to show an unparalleled empathy with the general public. Indeed, many commentators have attributed the continuing survival and growing health of the monarchy to her personal values. She is the oldest British monarch in history. Yet, despite her age, she has never shirked her public duty and continues to maintain a rigorous schedule with hundreds of engagements a year. If only we could all have such unflagging energy and dedication to our roles. There is no doubt she rules by example, carrying out her role to the very limits of her ability. If there could be a single word that adequately encapsulates the general public's feeling towards her, it would be respect—respect that has been earned and maintained despite the tribulations of the Royal Family, most notably the death of the immensely popular Princess Diana. The Queen Mother, as we fondly know her, lived to be 101. Since the Queen seems to have inherited her mum's longevity, I have no doubt that in three years we will be celebrating her as the longest reigning monarch in British history. The Diamond Jubilee is but a prelude to that momentous occasion.

The Queen once again demonstrated her immense sense of public duty this week when she vowed to dedicate herself anew to the throne. As Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II commences her seventh decade, I would like to take this opportunity to extend on behalf of the people of Bonner our heartfelt congratulations to her. Today we also extend our thanks to her for her life of magnificent service to our country. Long live the Queen. Long may she reign.

Warren Truss (Wide Bay, National Party, Leader of the Nationals) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is with pleasure that I join the chorus of Australians paying tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on this the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. As many have noted, her 60 years on the throne have seen dramatic changes across the world, in our economy and technology but also in the way we, as people, conduct ourselves and in the way we live.

Throughout her reign, Her Majesty has been a beacon for the Commonwealth through good times and bad. She has been the focus of unity for her Commonwealth and it is especially to her credit that the Commonwealth has not only survived but grown and thrived. It has changed, naturally, as it must. But the stability and surety the Queen has provided has been a major part of keeping the Commonwealth group of nations together while absorbing change. Not only is the Commonwealth strong, but its members remain substantial partners in world affairs with a sense of duty, striving for the greater good. Her Majesty has travelled the Commonwealth constantly and was the first reigning monarch to visit Australia—and she has come back time and time again. She has been with us to celebrate and commemorate our special national events. Her messages of sympathy and concern have been a great comfort whenever we have experienced hardship and tragedy.

I also want to record my gratitude to Her Majesty for her support for regional Australia. She did not just travel the Sydney-Melbourne-Canberra triangle. The Queen has made the extra effort, gone the extra mile, to visit regional areas, which has always been greatly appreciated by the people, with many travelling from far and wide to catch a glimpse of their Queen. I myself first saw the Queen on her triumphant two-month first tour of Australia in 1954. My family made the three-hour trip to Toowoomba to stand in the street to see her motorcade pass by. Much later, I had the honour to meet Her Majesty several times on subsequent visits. In 2006, I farewelled the Queen and Prince Phillip from Canberra Airport and it was suggested at the time that I might be the last person to do so from our national capital. Pleasingly, that was not so. Last year she was back Down Under for an extended period, and as a nation we were glad about it. She may be 85, but I think and pray she will make the journey yet again in the years ahead.

Today, I congratulate Her Majesty the Queen on 60 years of exemplary service. This Diamond Jubilee is filled with respect, admiration and genuine appreciation for her dedication to the Commonwealth over a period of dramatic change, both here in Australia and across the globe. It is a hallmark of that enduring respect that even the staunchest republican pauses to admire this queen.

Australia is 111 years old and, for 60 of those years, there has been just one monarch. Queen Elizabeth II is the only monarch most Australians have ever known. But she is honoured for far more than durability: her surety and resolute nature, her gentle hand in the shaping of a modern monarchy have steered the course of generations across continents and transcended cultures.

She assumed the throne as a 25-year-old in 1952 following the untimely death of her father, King George VI, who died at just 56. She was in Kenya on safari when the tragic news came. She sped back to England for a no doubt daunting coronation. Her sense of duty was forged in the wake of her father's example as well as that of her mother, Queen Elizabeth I. The king, despite illness and following the abdication of his brother, King Edward, was a leading example and a source of inspiration through the war years.

Queen Elizabeth, the Queen's mother, was no less resolute. During the relentless bombings of London when many families ferried wives and children to the countryside for safety, the Queen refused to leave with her children. She stayed with her husband and king and stood by the people of London in their darkest days, sharing in their dangers. When the young princess became queen, that character was again on display in the wake of her father's passing and has never wavered in six decades.

It is really hard to comprehend the extent of her reign. Robert Menzies was in the Lodge on her coronation. Artie Fadden was the leader of the Nationals. Winston Churchill was in Number 10 Downing Street and Harry Trumann in the White House. Joseph Stalin was premier of Russia. To many, these names are history and yet it was the queen we admire today who was on the throne during those historic times. She guided Great Britain through the arduous work of postwar reconstruction and, from the rubble, emerged a new England and a monarchy more attuned and less rigid. In Australia, her reign has covered seismic shifts in our society and economy. We have shed the colonial yoke and transformed into a vibrant, modern and multifaceted nation.

Sixty years ago the crowds enthusiastically chanted, 'Long live the Queen!' At 85, she is the longest lived monarch in British history and shows no signs of slowing down. We honour her dignity, her service and her humanity. In his famous 1963 speech to the Queen, then Prime Minister Menzies quoted the verse, 'I did but see her passing by, and yet I love her till I die.' It was reported at the time that the still young queen blushed. The world has changed but, judging by the admiration for our monarch and the enthusiasm with which Australians saw 'her passing by' during last October's Commonwealth Heads of Government visit, some things remain the same. I join in congratulating Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on her Diamond Jubilee and wish her good health and every happiness in the years ahead.

Ed Husic (Chifley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have to say it was good in the past year to have a number of visitors to this country and, obviously, pre-eminently the visit of Her Majesty was certainly something to be proud of and very pleased to be associated with. She is, as has been reflected by the member for Wide Bay, a witness to great moments in history and has provided great stability over the course of her reign and her heading up of the Commonwealth.

I want to place on the record also my commendation for what will be done to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, while the Prime Minister outlined yesterday. It is worth noting that the government will recognise the Diamond Jubilee through the lighting of a jubilee beacon on Parliament House in June; Australia Post will issue a jubilee stamp; the Royal Mint will issue a jubilee coin, and an east-west road in the Parliamentary Zone will be renamed Queen Elizabeth Terrace. I was particularly pleased to hear that a scholarship focused on women's leadership will be established. In particular, it is worth noting that Her Majesty has been an outstanding international statesperson who has, in her own deft way, been able to guide the affairs of the Commonwealth. It is good that we have a scholarship that will be focused on women's leadership. There will also be a jubilee essay competition. This is on top of some of the other events and initiatives that the Prime Minister outlined yesterday, including the establishment of the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust.

Whilst I do note my admiration for Her Majesty's role, I think at some point it is worth us beginning a discussion again about the future chapters that need to be opened up in terms of our nation's history, recognising the great role played by the monarchy but also recognising that we can have a future in which a person born in this country can ultimately become the head of state, that an independent Australia, a republic, can be established. Whilst I have the greatest admiration for Her Majesty, I have the highest aspiration for our nation. The highest aspiration should be that we, at some point, establish this nation as a republic with its own head of state. I am proud that we have been able, through the course of the last day, to recognise the achievements of Sir Zelman Cowen and recognise too that we have had Governors-General who have contributed in great ways to the development of this nation. I quoted in my inaugural speech to parliament the words of Sir William Deane, another Governor-General who I have huge admiration for. But ultimately we should be prepared to have a mature discussion about the next chapter that we can open for our great country.

I think that, as much as we celebrate the Diamond Jubilee, we should also be prepared at some point to open up the discussions. There has never been a perfect time to do it, but I think that time is well and truly due. We had the referendum in 1999 and its outcome has been respected. That was the will of the Australian public at that point in time. But there is nothing holding us back from being able to imagine a different future, an independent future, one where an Australian head of state is able to rightly take their place in a republic. I wish to conclude my remarks by indicating that we have spread out a range of initiatives to recognise and commemorate the Diamond Jubilee, but I also hope that we may look ahead to the other chapters that can be opened up for our great nation.

Bruce Scott (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What a great pleasure it is this afternoon to address this congratulation to Her Majesty in the Federation Chamber. It is indeed a great honour to be here on the day of its first operation as the Federation Chamber. I rise today to congratulate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. On 6 February this year Her Majesty marked the 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne, becoming only the second monarch in the history of Britain, Australia, Canada and other Commonwealth realms to have celebrated a Diamond Jubilee. The only other person was Queen Victoria in 1897. On her coronation—I was but a very small child at the time—the 25-year-old Queen declared that 'my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service'. She has lived up to that declaration through extraordinary changes. Times have changed so much and she has become so much admired as a monarch and the head of the Commonwealth of Nations. I know that last week she also repeated that pledge to the people of the Commonwealth—that she will devote her entire life to our service. That was not the exact quote but the original quote stands.

When Her Majesty assumed the throne following the death of her father, King George VI, there were but a handful of Commonwealth nations under the banner of the Commonwealth, and of course Her Majesty the Queen and prior to that King George VI were the heads of the Commonwealth of Nations at that time. But, in Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's time, the Commonwealth of Nations has grown to 54 independent member states, including Australia. Being a member of the Commonwealth, I believe, gives a great strength to this nation, and we recognise also through that that we all share something in common—that is, the Westminster system of government. It stood the test of time in the face of world wars, civil unrest and even natural disasters. Being a member of the Commonwealth and consisting of former British colonies, we have inherited the Westminster system of government, which comes from the House of Commons in the United Kingdom, to fit our particular circumstance. It is not a replica of the Westminster system of the House of Commons, nor are the systems of any of the other Commonwealth countries, but I do know that we are the envy of the world because the Commonwealth of Nations is not based on ethnicity, religion or geography. It extends around the world and unites us all in the common cause.

In fact, I had the very wonderful experience of being able to attend the Commonwealth speakers conference in Trinidad and Tobago, at Port-of-Spain, early in January. What was inspirational for me there was to see the numbers of women who are now speakers of their parliaments in their respective nations. I know I digress from the original congratulations to Her Majesty, but I think it is worth putting on the record. It is inspirational to see that Rwanda has been accepted as a member of the Commonwealth. Rwandans attended their first Commonwealth meeting in Perth last year and they attended their first Commonwealth speakers conference—which I attended on behalf of our parliament. It was wonderful to see that it was a woman who was the speaker of that parliament, knowing the history of the genocide and the horror of the civil wars that they have lived through there. The other inspiration for me was Dr Mirza, the speaker of the Pakistan parliament—another Commonwealth country. Dr Mirza is the very first female to be elected a speaker in an Islamic country. I think that speaks volumes about our system of government, being a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, and I think it underpins the great leadership and, I think, inspiration that we have had from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II over such a long time. We have seen it grow and we have seen so many countries binding themselves to the principles that are so important to us here in our Constitution and those constitutions which have brought such peace to those countries.

Last year Australians welcomed Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II to our shores. It was interesting to see. I was apprehensive. I wondered, 'Will many Australians turn out?' I think Perth turned out better than any other state, although we will say that in Brisbane we did very well. She was accompanied, of course, by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip. It was their 16th visit to Australia. What will endure for me in many ways, in Brisbane and in many other parts of Australia with the television coverage, is those wonderful scenes of young girls with bouquets of flowers, wanting to present them to the Queen. It said a great deal to me. I think those young girls probably felt like princesses, and it was wonderful to see that and the respect that they had for Her Majesty; that was demonstrated by that young generation. Of course, they are the future of Australia. I also noted that in Queensland construction workers working on buildings, with their hard hats and high-vis jackets, stopped work and put down tools and watched her procession on the boat up the Brisbane River. They too were supportive, I believe, of Her Majesty and all she has given us in this country. I was also proud to represent—as you did at one time, Deputy Speaker Livermore—the town of Longreach in my electorate, Maranoa. We are all still very proud, as is often shown by the many people who visit, that the Stockman's Hall of Fame and the Outback Heritage Centre were opened by Her Majesty in 1988, our centenary. The Stockman's Hall of Fame and the Outback Heritage Centre were the inspiration of RM Williams, Hugh Sawrey, Ranald Chandler, Sir James Walker and other great people of the outback. She paid us, the outback of Australia and the early settlers of outback Australia a great compliment by making time available during that visit to open the Stockman's Hall of Fame and the Outback Heritage Centre.

On 6 November 1999 Australians had an opportunity to vote in a constitutional referendum on whether Australia should become a republic and whether a preamble should be inserted in the Constitution. Both proposals were defeated, and neither were able to achieve a majority overall, or a majority in any state. That is the wonderful thing about democracy. You can ask the people to vote, you can ask their opinion—that is what really matters in any liberal democracy. I must say that the electorate of Maranoa led the charge to make sure that the Queen remained head of state. More than 75 per cent of the voters in Maranoa voted no to a republic. In fact, we had the highest recorded 'no' vote of any constituency in Australia. I remember that the Prime Minister, John Howard, at the time said, 'How is the kingdom of Maranoa going?' and I said, 'Prime Minister, they were well informed.' All jokes aside, once again, it was democracy at work.

I expect that 2012 will be a great year of celebration here in Australia and across the Commonwealth of Nations. On behalf of the people of Maranoa, I would like to wish Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II good health and happiness. We thank her for the stability that she has provided to us as our Queen over so many years. Long live the Queen!

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What a rare moment in history—even more so as a member of parliament—to be able to recognise our reigning sovereign's Diamond Jubilee. I would like to put on record my congratulations and deepest respect for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on this, the 60th anniversary of her ascension to the throne after the death of her father, King George VI. In the year of her Diamond Jubilee, we have the ideal time—indeed, the only time in the history of our federal government—to pause to reflect on and honour her service, her dedication, her loyalty to her duty and the great love she has shown her people, who reside all over the world in our Commonwealth of Nations. The Commonwealth today is a voluntary association of 54 countries, made up of the world's largest and smallest, richest and poorest countries—home to two billion citizens of all faiths and ethnicities. Her Majesty is not just the Queen of England but of all these nations, which include Australia. It is little wonder that, over her 60-year reign, the admiration and love of her people has continued to grow.

Although we have not had a visit from the Queen in the electorate of Ryan, we are very fortunate to have been visited by Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in 1958, and Prince William was not far outside our boundaries when he represented Her Majesty during his 2011 visit to the flood victims in Brisbane. However, the Queen, accompanied by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, has visited the city of Brisbane on several occasions. There are a number of important reminders of her time there.

In 1954, as the newly crowned monarch, she was the only reigning monarch to have visited Australia. In 1963 she unveiled a marker stone in the ongoing building work of the magnificent St John's Cathedral. In 1970, they were joined by Princess Anne for the bicentenary of Captain Cook's arrival in Australia. During that visit she opened the Brisbane District Court and attended a performance by the Queensland Theatre Company, the only Australian theatre company to have given a royal performance. In 1977 the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh came as part of celebrations for her Silver Jubilee, unveiling the Jubilee Fountain at the new Queensland Cultural Centre. In 1982 they came for the Commonwealth Games. They came again in 1988, this time joined by Prince Edward, to visit World Expo 88. Finally, of course, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh came last October to view the progress after our recovery from the January floods. On all occasions, flag-waving Queenslanders welcomed her with open arms.

Towards the end of 2011, which had been a year of both tragedy and, later, triumph for our state of Queensland, we had the pleasure of welcoming the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh to our city again. It was a remarkable scene, with tens of thousands of people greeting their Royal Highnesses upon their arrival at Southbank. The special place the Queen has in the hearts of all Australians was very much on show throughout that special day.

Many of my colleagues here today have spoken of how the Queen has dedicated her entire life to the service of her country and to the Commonwealth. I do wonder, however, how many of us can truly understand the magnitude of this task and the responsibility that comes with it. Our own experience of public life can perhaps give us a very small insight into what is involved, but the magnitude of the task must have been overwhelmingly daunting for the young Princess Elizabeth. It is for this as much as for any other reason that we should be grateful to her for her constant service.

As a country we have come a long way since that day in February in 1952. The world is a very different place. Although there have been times the countries and the governments of our world have wavered, with conflicts, with war and with upheaval, the Queen's steadfast leadership has not. As we reflect on what has occurred over the past 60 years, it puts into perspective the various leaders who have held power in this period of history. Presidents, prime ministers and indeed opposition leaders have come and gone all over the world. In Australia we have had 11 Prime Ministers and 17 opposition leaders in this time. One of the abiding tenets of our system of government is that, beyond the ties of history, language and institutions, it is the understanding of shared values which unite us: democracy, freedom, peace, the rule of law and opportunity for all. The Queen's continuing reign over this Commonwealth, including over this country, is a testament to the stability of our system of government and the quiet wisdom of leadership, which I hope will continue for many years into the future.

I know Australians will at this time and over the coming year stop to acknowledge and celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. I am grateful that I have been able to speak on behalf of the citizens of Ryan to this very special motion and to say on their behalf: 'God bless Australia and may God bless the Queen.'

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is an honour to stand here today and congratulate Queen Elizabeth II on her Diamond Jubilee. This week marks 60 years since the passing of King George VI and 60 years since a fresh-faced youngster took the Crown with all the responsibilities that came with it and discharged her duty with a maturity that few could match at that tender age. Queen Elizabeth has carried the hope of the nation, an empire and what would become the Commonwealth Nations on her shoulders for a lifetime.

Queen Elizabeth was the first reigning monarch to visit Australia in 1954 and has since visited our nation on 16 occasions, including last year, when the Queen visited the Great Hall here in our own Parliament House. I recall on that night with great amusement that many of the most former staunch republicans were the ones who appeared most eager, desperately pushing to get to the front to capture the moment of being in the royal presence, of being with the Queen. However, this is not uncommon when it comes to Queen Elizabeth. She is a monarch who has always commanded great respect and loyalty from all those in the Commonwealth, and her genuine love for those subjects and her 60 years of service are just some of the reasons for this loyalty. Queen Elizabeth II commands the loyalty and admiration not only of those within the Commonwealth but also of those from outside it. It shows quite a lot that even presidents of the United States love to have their photos taken with our Queen. She is truly one of the most respected and popular leaders the world has ever seen.

Under the reign of Queen Elizabeth II the Commonwealth has become a beacon of stability across the globe. Her dedication is apparent not only in her actions but also in the way that she has spoken about her duties as monarch. Her Majesty once said:

I cannot lead you into battle. I do not give you laws or administer justice but I can do something else—I can give my heart and my devotion to these old islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.

These words she spoke not long after taking the throne, in 1957 during her annual Christmas address. They perfectly encapsulate her reign. Queen Elizabeth has always been a monarch who wanted to help and to provide the best for her people. This is evident in her push to help stabilise Northern Ireland and her calls for the end of violence in that area. She has never been afraid to take a moral position, while upholding the integrity, nobility and honour of the Crown.

Our queen, Queen Elizabeth II, is only the second monarch to reach this most esteemed occasion that has brought us together in this chamber today. Elizabeth's great-great-grandmother, the only other monarch to reach this milestone, Queen Victoria, celebrated her Diamond Jubilee on 22 June 1897. Notably, Queen Victoria issued a telegram across the empire which read:

From my heart, I thank my beloved people. May God bless them.

To echo the words of her great-great-grandmother, and on behalf of the people of the seat of Hughes, I wish to say to Queen Elizabeth II that from our hearts we thank our beloved monarch. May God bless you, Queen Elizabeth II, and long may you reign.

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

Queen Elizabeth II has been a mighty monarch. To hold down any role for 60 years in any era, let alone in this day and age, is truly remarkable. Yet when it comes to Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, this is unsurprising, for Her Majesty is a truly remarkable woman.

It was said that the sun did not set on the British Empire when Queen Victoria was on the throne. This was because in the 19th century—the Victorian age—the British Empire was so huge, and covered so many parts of the globe, that it was always daylight somewhere in the empire. Yet Queen Victoria, who reigned a record 63 years and seven months—from the time that she was 18 in 1837 until her death in her 82nd year in 1901—spent most of her time at home and much of that mourning the early death at age 42 of her beloved husband, Prince Albert, in 1861.

The life of Queen Elizabeth II was never going to be sedentary. The times into which she was born and raised demanded an active, busy and globetrotting monarch, and in Queen Elizabeth this is what the world has seen. The world is an astonishingly different place now from what it was in 1926 when Elizabeth became the first child of Prince Albert—Duke of York and later King George VI—and his wife, Elizabeth. Sixty years after she ascended to the throne upon the 1952 death of her father, in an austere Britain still facing post-World War II rationing, Queen Elizabeth reached the Diamond Jubilee of her reign with a new website, showing just how much the world has changed.

The Queen has modernised the monarchy, a tradition stretching back to the eighth century. Despite the often anti-establishment age in which we live and a voracious media, sections of which have relentlessly pursued and tried to tear down the royal family and all it represents, the monarchy endures strongly, with widespread global respect and admiration thanks largely to the awe in which Queen Elizabeth is held the world over. This is how it should be.

Queen Elizabeth has been a fine Queen. She is a queen deserving of the greatest affection and respect—dignified, honourable and regal, yet happy to mix freely with people of all backgrounds, faiths and races, especially in times of crisis. Whilst the boundaries have changed, the Queen's appeal in the Riverina led to 66.81 per cent of voters in the 1999 republic referendum voting 'no' to change. This was the fourth highest vote against the republic of the federal electorates within New South Wales. The Queen is enormously popular, certainly in the Riverina. Locals still recall her visit to Wagga Wagga on 13 February 1954, an event headlined by the Daily Advertiser newspaper as the city's greatest day. Indeed, when I had the privilege of meeting the Queen in Sydney during her royal visit in 2000, she recalled the fanfare she had received at what she aptly remembered as a market town. Her memory was vivid and her recollections of Wagga Wagga and its people were fond. I was impressed that, of all the towns in all the realms over which she reigns and which she has visited, she had such a recall of Wagga Wagga. Maybe that was also to do with the quaint name of my home town—but she did remember the people and the fanfare that she received.

May her long reign continue and may happiness and good health carry her through her continuing devoted duty to her subjects and to the Commonwealth. Long live the Queen!

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to add my voice to those of members who have spoken before in recognition of the Queen's achievement of her Diamond Jubilee. Whatever personal views individual members in this place have on the republic debate—and I accept that someday a republic may happen—it is only right to pay tribute to 60 years of duty and service to Australia. I also welcome the arrangements announced yesterday by the Prime Minister for Australia's role in the celebration of this occasion this year.

It was 60 years ago, before I was born—and I am sure the member for Maranoa, who spoke before, does remember the previous monarch—that upon the death of her father, King George VI, Queen Elizabeth was called to take on the mammoth task of being the constitutional monarch for peoples across the world. At only 25 years old and while grieving for her father, it must have seemed such a daunting task to take the throne and meet the expectations of the people of the Commonwealth around the world. Yet she did, committing herself to the duty of the throne, which she has always seen as a job for life. Sixty years on the great majority of people alive in Australia have known no other monarch, and most of us have long-lasting memories of her royal tours.

It seems that the Queen becomes more loved every year, as was borne out by the extraordinary scenes in Perth last year for the Queen's visit to CHOGM. The reception by the crowds in Perth shows that there is still a magic about the monarchy and that people continue to show great affection for monarchies around the world. Although I know that many people would like a republic, the magic of the monarchy is inescapable and means a lot to many people. Who can forget the time when Jane Priest on the beach at Cottesloe in Western Australia kissed Prince Charles and it was flashed all around the world? The magic of the monarchy does not disappear. It is held dear across the whole world, and it is great that Western Australia played a little part in that so many years ago. While we may have a republic one day, let us enjoy the magic while it lasts and enjoy the year ahead. It looks like being an exciting one, with all the events planned in Australia and overseas. Yesterday the Leader of the Opposition talked about a paradox of the monarchy: the less actual power they wield the more popular they are. This seems to be the case in Australia.

We were fortunate enough to have a royal visit in the electorate of Swan, with Her Majesty visiting Clontarf Aboriginal College in Waterford. On the day the Queen met the students, she was presented with kangaroo stew and even an Australian football before opening the new boarding facility at the school. I attended the official blessing for the new boarding facility. The Queen was characteristically dutiful and resolute and she gave a well-received speech on opening the facility. The students and the staff of Clontarf were so excited about the visit, and it gave me an insight into what has made her reign so successful—her special ability to bring these unique experiences to so many over such a long time.

After Clontarf we had the Big Aussie Barbecue on the Perth foreshore, which was attended by 100,000 Western Australians, a public gathering which I think shows the affection that Western Australians have for the Queen and the monarchy. This was her last official engagement of the tour in Australia, and what a send-off it was! It was a perfect Perth day on the banks of the Swan and, as the royal motorcade made its way from Government House and the foreshore, the Swan Bells rang out from the Bell Tower. The Queen made a wonderful speech in which she reflected on the success of the tour, before going on a walkabout with the Duke of Edinburgh to meet the crowd along the Perth foreshore.

CHOGM itself was considered a success, with the noteworthy commitment to polio eradication as well as the well-received changes to the royal succession laws to give a firstborn daughter the right to the throne. One of the highlights was the Commonwealth Business Forum where it is said that $10 billion worth of deals were done. It was the biggest political gathering in Australia's history with the presidents and prime ministers of 53 countries, representing one-third of the world's population. I would like to recognise the government for choosing Perth as the host city for this event.

I attended the opening on 28 October 2011, which was made a public holiday by WA Premier Barnett, held at the exhibition centre, and a fantastic opening it was. If there was one slight disappointment with CHOGM it was the nonattendance of the Indian Prime Minister.

Perth was a great host and many people in my electorate of Swan volunteered at the airport and in greeting visitors at the Big Aussie Barbecue at the events on the South Perth foreshore. We have proved once and for all that we can put on a great show in Perth, and I know that the people in my electorate of Swan are proud of that.

In her 60 years the Queen has represented a great hand of steadiness and stability. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described her in his introduction in 2010 as 'an anchor of our age'. In an unstable political environment there was certainly a sense of stability while the Queen was here.

Along with the stability of the Queen's 60 years on the throne she should also be commended for her remarkable ability to change with the times. Her reign has seen great social change through to the rise of the internet and the digital age and, also, unfortunately, many wars.

The Empire is now the Commonwealth and many of the ties and mechanisms between Australia and the Crown have been altered, but certainly not cut. Throughout all these changes the Queen has been wise and ushered society and the monarchy through that. We certainly also appreciate the charity work the royal family does, and it is great that there is a strong relationship with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, which benefited from contributions from the recent royal wedding.

More than anything else, though, when reflecting on this milestone, we need to recognise the Queen's sense of duty as the most admirable aspect of her reign. Her actions every day over 60 years; her public engagements and walkabouts with the people; her appropriate but key role in the political process, as seen on her recent Australian tour; and her loyalty to the Commonwealth demonstrates this unflinching duty. Her Diamond Jubilee message was characteristic of this sense of duty. In particular, her words, 'I dedicate myself anew to your service,' was a repetition of the words she first said at the age of 21. She meant those words then and we know that she means them now. On behalf of the people of Swan and of Western Australia I congratulate the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee and wish her the very best of health for the jubilee year and for many years to come.

Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the speakers before me in celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. As a proud monarchist it gives me great pleasure to extend my warm congratulations to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee. For most of us Elizabeth has been our Queen for as long as we can remember. It is difficult to imagine the monarchy without her. In fact, the only British monarch to reign for as long as her was her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.

Over the last 60 years the Queen has conducted herself with such grace, dignity and quiet authority that it is easy for us to forget the role is one that she neither sought nor expected. She was unexpectedly thrust into the position as first in line to the throne only after the shock abdication of her uncle Edward VIII and the elevation of her father, Albert, subsequently known as King George VI.

The legacy of Queen Elizabeth's reign will be one of dedication and exemplary service. Her sense of duty was well and truly in place even before she ascended to the throne. Indeed, it was on her 21st birthday that she famously declared that she intended to devote her whole life, whether it be long or short, to the service of the people of the Commonwealth. I suspect there were very few of us who expressed such noble sentiments at our 21st birthday speech.

Since that time she has stayed true to that vow and in my opinion thoroughly earned every privilege given to her at her birth. In fact, the Queen has set a new standard for selflessness that would leave many in this place in her shadow. We consider ourselves to be busy people. But Her Majesty the Queen has maintained a schedule equal to, if not greater than, ours not for a couple of terms of three years and not for a couple of decades but for half a century. Now, at the age of 85 years, she shows few signs of slowing down. I bring the room's attention to Her Majesty's recent visit to Australia where her schedule kept her enormously busy. The stamina of the lady was something that both my wife and I commented on. I daresay that our parents would not have been able to keep up with the schedule of the Queen.

It is amazing to think of the changes that have marked this period in our history: the expansion of the Commonwealth, the growth of the European Union, the end of the Cold War and the threat of terrorism that has engulfed the world. Throughout this period, through all the changes, the Queen has remained a continuous beacon of the values of our system which this government is built upon. We are justifiably proud in this country of our standing as one of the world's oldest continuous democracies. However I believe that we owe a great deal of this stability to the Westminster system of government that we inherited from our British forebears.

The Queen has a special place in the hearts of all Australians; that much is obvious from the tens of thousands who gathered to see her when she visited Australia last year. I believe the monarchy is going through something of a resurgence at the moment. Some people still talk of the need for a republic, but I believe that the public outpouring of support for the Queen seen in recent times—and not only for the Queen but also for Prince William, for his new bride and the royal family—puts that crusade to bed for the foreseeable future. In my opinion, that is not a bad thing. In times of constant change and turbulence, whether those upheavals are political, social or economic, it is good to have something good that surrounds us—a point which we can look to and be reminded of who we are, where we come from and how as a nation we do things.

I conclude by again offering my warm congratulations to Her Majesty on this remarkable achievement. May she always be remembered as dedicated and as a source of wisdom and continuity. Long live the Queen!

Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to echo the sentiments of all those who have gone before me in wishing the Queen well on her Diamond Jubilee. Sixty years as the monarch is truly an incredible achievement. The grace and dignity with which she has carried out her office is something which we can all learn from. I would like also to offer congratulations to her on behalf of my constituents in Wannon. I have no doubt that they would also like me to pass on my thanks and their praise for the way she has performed her role over those 60 years. That has not only stood the British monarchy in great stead, but it has also helped Australia's stability as one of the world's—if not the world's—greatest functioning democracies.

It is quite extraordinary to think of a young woman thrust into that role at the age of 25—a role which she had not expected to be hers so quickly—but the way she carried that role out from the word go is truly remarkable, and she has done so under constant media attention and in the constant media spotlight. I remember my parents giving me an example of this through a story of when Prince Charles came to Australia and boarded at Timber Top. He visited the farm I grew up on the year before I was born. Whenever my parents told the story of his visit to the farm they could not get over the fact that already in 1967 Prince Charles had to have two minders with him so that he could be looked after, and they could also keep the media out of the way. That gives you a sense of what Prince Charles was dealing with at the time. The royal family has always had to deal with the British and the global media wanting to know every last drop of information about their lives. The fact that the Queen has been able to deal with this and live through it without ever having been the subject of any stories apart from those which talk about her grace, her dignity and her ability to conduct her role is a shining example of how well she has reigned as the British monarch.

I add my congratulations to her on this wonderful milestone. I wish her well and hope there are many more jubilees to come.

Paul Neville (Hinkler, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to associate my electorate, the electorate of Hinkler, with this motion of the House, the Prime Minister's motion, congratulating the Queen on the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne. As other members have said, for most of us the Queen is the only head of state, the only monarch, we have known in our lifetime. Her reign is compared, I think quite fairly, with that of Queen Victoria and that of the first Queen Elizabeth as landmark reigns and landmark events in British history that shaped democracy, politics and indeed the development of the world.

I can remember very vividly the Queen's first visit to Australia. I was a young cadet and all the streets of Brisbane were lined with military people, from cadets right through to regular Army people. We were very lucky—my school got the spot just on the rise going up to Fernberg House, which of course is Government House in Brisbane, so we got an absolutely stellar view of this new, young Queen.

I can remember coming back on another occasion in 1969 or 1970 and meeting her at a garden party at Parliament House, the year I was state president of the Young Nationals, or the young Country Party as it was then. Then I remember the opening of Expo '88 in Brisbane, on the river stage at Expo '88, and what a marvellous event that was. It was the coming-of-age of Queensland, and it was appropriate that the monarch should be there for that.

As the member for Ryan has said, the Queen's coming to Queensland over and over again has coincided with significant events in the development of the city of Brisbane and the state of Queensland. In my own electorate—or what has been in my electorate from time to time—two events stand out. The first was when the Queen came out in 1954 and Bundaberg was chosen as the Wide Bay centre for the event. There are still today photos of her visit to the Bundaberg showgrounds and the kids there in the circles around which the royal car circumnavigated. The image of the little flower girl presenting the flowers—she was interviewed just recently, I might add—was a very potent image. Interestingly, when Prince Charles went to Timbertop, he went for his holidays to Eidsvold Station, just west of Bundaberg, which, for a time, was in my electorate. I have stayed out there at Eidsvold Station. At the time the owner was Barney Joyce. Barney was a great outback character, and Mrs Joyce was a great mentor and substitute mother for Prince Charles. So there are two very vivid images of the Queen's influence over my electorate. Of course, it came home to us in a very forceful way at the time of the Childers backpacker fire, when she sent Princess Anne to Childers to meet the people associated with that horrific event and for the celebration of the recovery from that dreadful event. So they are the very vivid images in and around my electorate.

I am a monarchist but I am not some fawning devotee of a particular person. I think that the strength of the monarchy is not in the power it invests in any one person but in the power it denies to all others. In other words, the monarchy becomes the unifying symbol of a nation—in our extended form, the Commonwealth—and that power is invested in that figurehead. It is not a power that was used by kings of old in some cruel or demonic way, quite the contrary. The more brutal aspects of monarchy within the system we live in have been flushed out over time, from when William the Conqueror came through to the Wars of the Roses, the Tudors, the first Elizabethan age, the Stuarts and so on into modern times. It has gone hand-in-hand with the development of law. We and the parliament we serve here and the parliaments of the Commonwealth, and in particular I refer to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United Kingdom, have grown up within that framework of law and monarchy and constitutional government.

Those things are intricately interwoven. They are especially potent symbols. When you get someone who not only is the embodiment of that but carries out the task with an even greater aplomb, a person who, as people have said in this chamber today, became the embodiment of duty, purpose, leadership, family and unity of nations, it becomes a much more potent symbol. I was quite surprised during the royal tour last year at the level of affection that has grown for the person of the Queen; there is a tremendous level of affection. Strangely, in that whole event, which I thought would be riddled with republican sentiment, quite the opposite happened. There was even a truce called, if you might call it that, by the republicans because, even amongst them, there is a genuine affection for Elizabeth Windsor, Elizabeth II.

She has continued to be that symbol. We can remember her during the Second World War as part of the unity of the British nation, working on trucks as a young mechanic. We have seen her become the young Queen. We have seen her reign for 60 years. We have seen her as a symbol of unity for 53 or 54 nations, and we saw that in a very potent way in Western Australia at the last CHOGM meeting. We have seen her now introduce another step in modernity for the monarchy in so far as succession will now apply equally to male and female heirs. So, if the firstborn is a female, she will be the heir presumptive to the throne. I think that is a great form of leadership and I think it is one of the crowning glories of this reign. On behalf of the people of my electorate, whom she has visited and whom on other occasions she has sent her children to visit, may I extend the warmest congratulations. I hope this year is a memorable and happy one and that God will continue to bless her in her work.

Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That further proceedings be conducted in the House.

Question agreed to.