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

I am absolutely thrilled with the news that Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit the electorate of Maranoa this year. As announced by the Prime Minister, the royal couple will visit Longreach during their six-day visit to Australia from 5 November to 10 November as Her Majesty the Queen's personal representatives in this diamond jubilee year. To borrow the words from Clancy of the Overflow in that wonderful poem by Banjo Paterson:

And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended,

And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.

That is where Longreach in Western Queensland is centred, right in the heartland of that sort of scene as penned by Banjo Paterson so long ago. Let me take you through a quick tour of Longreach, which is set among the vast Mitchell grass plains of outback Queensland, with star-studded night skies and people with a very firm handshake. Longreach is home to the Qantas Founders Museum and the Australian Stockman's Hall of Fame and Outback Heritage Centre. The Prince of Wales has a very special connection with the hall of fame as he has been patron there since 1998. Longreach is not far also from where Banjo Paterson penned our unofficial national anthem, Waltzing Matilda, at Winton in 1895 and in the other direction is the Labor Party's foundation at Barcaldine, the Tree of Knowledge. The Prince of Wales last visited Australia in 2005 and this will be the first visit to Australia by the Duchess of Cornwall. This is a wonderful announcement and the outback communities of Maranoa and across many parts of rural Australia, including the people of Longreach, I know will give the royal couple a welcome they will never forget. (Time expired)