Madeleine King (Brand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak today on the occasion of the sapphire jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, the Queen of Australia and the Queen of Canada, New Zealand, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tuvalu, Barbados, Grenada, the Solomon Islands, Saint Lucia, The Bahamas, and the United Kingdom. I acknowledge the meaning and significance the monarch of the Commonwealth of Nations; her royal family and the monarchy as an institution has had for Britons and for many citizens of the Commonwealth over many years, but particularly in the very dark days of World War II.

Many of the immigrants to this country who live in my electorate of Brand in Western Australia have originated from Great Britain and other Commonwealth nations, and many of those immigrants remain supporters and firm fans of the monarchy and of the Queen and her family. Queen Elizabeth II is a significant figure in the lives of many, and many people around the globe—many people beyond the 17 countries in her realm—find inspiration in her steadfast loyalty and dedication, and in the dignified manner in which she has carried out her duty during the 65 years of her reign over the Commonwealth of Nations.

I rise to speak today principally on behalf of many of my constituents who themselves would like to thank Queen Elizabeth for her long and dedicated service to their home nations and also to this nation.

In my own experience I know that my father, while he lived, adored the Queen and all that she stands for. My father, John Harvie Morris, was one of the thousands of her subjects who stood outside Buckingham Palace on 2 June 1953 hoping to see her on the Buckingham Palace balcony after her coronation earlier in the day at Westminster Abbey. As a sailor in the war, the royal family and his is first home, England, meant a great deal to him. Although his chose Australia for his home and his future, and lived many more years in Shoalwater, Western Australia, than in Devon, England, his loyalty to the Queen and the country of England remained. At our family home—or it might be at my brother's place; I am not quite sure—there is a dress sword of the Royal Marines that Queen Elizabeth's father, King George VI, presented to my grandfather in 1944 as he was awarded a military Order of the British Empire.

My brother John recently had the sword restored, and I can tell you it is quite a beautiful piece of craftsmanship. It is the tradition of the regal that entrances. The extravagant yet elegant royal cipher of the King is engraved on the basket hilt and the crest of the Royal Marines floats halfway down the blade of the sword, halfway to its sharp tip. The sword has never hurt anyone, but it signifies that the original owner, my grandfather, would have died and killed for the King whose name sits upon its handle, for the Royal Marines whose crest runs along its blade and for the country both institutions stood for.

Of course, that is what the people of the Commonwealth were called upon to do, and they did. Service women and men from around the world died, killed, survived, served and sacrificed for King, for country and for the Commonwealth, and they would continue to do so for his daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, in many theatres of war. It is no wonder the ties to the monarchy are so strong and so many. Queen Elizabeth II is the current and longstanding embodiment of these ties and a tradition that seems so strange when one writes about it and talks about it out loud.

I support many traditions this nation has inherited from the Queen's home of the United Kingdom: the rule of law, our magnificent common law and the judicial system, and aspects of the Westminster system of government that we see in play every day in our workplace here. Like many, I do not like cricket—no, I love it!

Today, I gladly pay my respects and offer my congratulations to Queen Elizabeth II on the occasion of her Sapphire Jubilee, and I pay tribute to her many years of service and dedication, which she had to give by virtue of being the firstborn child of King George VI. The life of the Queen and the royal family has, no doubt, been a life of privilege but equally a life of service and dedication.

For my own part, I hope the day comes sooner rather than later when an Australian can be the head of state of Australia, and will be the head of state only of Australia and not of 16 other nations. Australia will be a republic. That day is inevitable, and I look forward to that day very much indeed.

The Queen herself, when she visited Australia in 2011 for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Perth, said:

Ever since I first came here in 1954, I have watched Australia grow and develop at an extraordinary rate. This country has made dramatic progress economically, in social, scientific and industrial endeavours and, above all, in self-confidence.

Inevitably, that self-confidence should lead us to being a republic, to having faith in ourselves and to allowing an Australian to be our head of state. Becoming a republic is a critical step for Australia and its self-identification in this region, in Asia. The monarchy has played its part in the development of this nation, and I thank the institution and all of those who have served it for helping Australia in its development. But now I think we have got this.

Personally, and to conclude, on behalf of my constituents and on behalf of myself, I would like to say thank you to Queen Elizabeth II for her many years of dedicated service to our nation, to the nations of the Commonwealth and to her own nation of the United Kingdom. I wish the Queen and her family a very happy and peaceful future.

Julian Leeser (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to congratulate Her Majesty the Queen on the occasion of her Sapphire Jubilee, and to acknowledge the gracious remarks of my friend the member for Brand on the Queen's service as well. Unlike my friend the member for Brand, I have been a constitutional monarchist from the time I knew Australia had a Constitution. At the invitation of my early mentor, the late Sir Asher Joel, I joined Australians for Constitutional Monarchy when it was founded in 1992 and I was still a schoolboy. I had the privilege of being elected as the youngest delegate to the Constitutional Convention in 1998 as a member of the No Republic—Australians for Constitutional Monarchy team, and was later appointed by then Prime Minister Howard to serve on the 10 member no case committee for the 1999 republic referendum.

My support for our current constitutional arrangements comes from the fact that I think the constitutional monarchy has helped provide Australia with stable government since its inception. It is the best of all the available alternative systems of government. I like the fact that, despite the inexhaustible ambitions of people in this place, at the apex of our government is one office which we cannot get our hands on. It provides, in the words of the original charter of the ACM, drafted by that great liberal, former High Court Justice Michael Kirby, leadership beyond politics. I always thought it was of great comfort to me that that great generation of lawyers like Michael Kirby, Sir Harry Gibbs, Lloyd Waddy, Ken Handley and Barry O'Keefe banded together because they saw great strength in the legality and the constitutionality of the constitutional monarchy.

Compare our system of government to that of the American system. The American President can never bring the country together as a unifying figure because, at the end of the day, they are an elected politician with ideas, which we all have as politicians, that divide the community along partisan lines. A President as, say, in the German system, chosen by the legislature, can never bring people together because they are usually dull figures chosen as part of a political compromise. The strength of the monarchy as a symbol is that in these highly partisan days there is a figure at the apex of our system who is above politics and provides continuity. While none of us can say who the Prime Minister will be after the next election, we know who our monarch will be for the next century, and that stability is a great strength. The strength of the monarchy, it is said—I think it was Churchill who first said it—is the power that it denies others. The Queen and her governors-general have no mandate. The Queen provides an example to her viceregal representatives. They know that they have to exercise their limited powers in keeping with the traditions of the Crown in a way which brings lustre to the institution, and that has had an effect on the officeholders, turning even doughty Republicans like Bill Hayden into misty eyed monarchists.

The monarchy is a dynamic institution with a great capacity for reinvention. In the 1990s, the monarchy was somewhat unfashionable, but in recent years it has become more popular. No republican system can give us what the monarchy has given us in the last few years: the love of two people, the beauty of a wedding and the rejoicing at the birth of children. In an age of increasing international tension and nationalism, I like the fact that our sovereign is also the sovereign of Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Papua New Guinea, and a range of other realms scattered across the globe. Since European settlement, Australia has had good, bad and even mad monarchs, but it is the system which is fundamental.

Today we acknowledge the exceptional service of the most exceptional monarch we have had, Elizabeth II, whose service is without peer. Queen Elizabeth has been Queen of Australia for 65 years. That is more than half of the entire period since Federation, and that is a matter worth reflecting on. In that time she has seen 14 prime ministers, she has made 16 visits to Australia, is patron of numerous organisations in this country and takes a deep interest in our country and its progress, including, and importantly, the welfare of our First Peoples, for whom she has always had a deep interest. She brings to us the wisdom and unparalleled experience of governance and history, not only of our own country but also of other nations around the world.

Queen Elizabeth has epitomised through her reign some important values. They are values shared by people throughout the Commonwealth and are effectively the values of our inheritance from Britain: stoicism, service, honour, moderation, openness and tolerance. Broadcasting to the Commonwealth as a 21-year-old, she declared that her whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to our service. She reminded us that our mission is to stand for liberty in the face of tyranny, as she reminded her people in that same broadcast:

We must not be daunted by the anxieties and hardships that the war has left behind for every nation of our commonwealth. We know that these things are the price we cheerfully undertook to pay for the high honour of standing alone, seven years ago, in defence of the liberty of the world.

In an increasingly disposable world, she reminds us of our history. Australia's conception of ourselves is that we are a young country, but in democratic terms we are actually a very old country. We are one of six of the oldest continuous democracies in the world. As the Queen said at the time of her golden jubilee:

We ... have ... a long and proud history. This not only gives us a trusted framework of stability and continuity to ease the process of change, but it also tells us what is of lasting value. Only the passage of time can filter out the ephemeral from the enduring.

I am obliged to my friend and collaborator in matters constitutional, Dr Damien Freeman, for alerting me to a special prayer offered by the Chief Rabbi of the Commonwealth at the occasion of the Queen's 90th birthday last year.

The prayer asks the following:

May the supreme King of kings, who in His mercy, has seen fit to preserve the Queen in life and good health beyond her ninetieth year, continue to guard her and deliver her from all trouble and sorrow. May He bless and protect Her Majesty’s Armed Forces. May He put a spirit of wisdom and understanding into her heart and into the hearts of all her counsellors—

And those counsellors include, of course, Her Majesty's ministers of state for the Commonwealth Australia. The Chief Rabbi's prayer continued—

We offer our gratitude for the blessings You have bestowed upon our gracious and noble Sovereign throughout the ninety years of her life. In Your infinite wisdom, You have guided the hand of Her Majesty the Queen and made her a worthy Monarch who loves peace, inspires loving-kindness and champions the finest values of our society. May she continue to reign in good health for many years to come. …

That is a sentiment that I hope we can all share.

Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to congratulate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on her Sapphire Jubilee. I was very fortunate to have been born in a town named after the Queen and to still represent that town. From time to time there is a debate in Adelaide about whether the city of Elizabeth should be renamed, but I think it is a fitting tribute to our monarch that Elizabeth is named after her.

We were very fortunate that the Queen visited northern Adelaide on 21 February 1963. She went to a city that was born of the optimism of that postwar generation. It was an industrial satellite city. It had previously been farmland and had expanded out for housing and, of course, for factories and development. I have a picture of Her Majesty, as a younger lady, at the Holden factory. It was so lovely that she came out on 21 February, on a day that was as hot as South Australia is today. Three thousand or so people went to greet her, including a choir. Some of the members fainted while waiting for her in the heat. But she was very welcome in that town that bears her name.

I think it is important that we acknowledge many of the attributes of the monarchy that the previous speaker spoke about. But he should realise that that period of stability has, I think, been linked to the character and the conduct of Queen Elizabeth. Much of the stability that we have enjoyed and many of the attributes that he assigns to the system of the monarchy have been due to such a good monarch. We should all acknowledge that, whether we are republicans or constitutional monarchists.

I think it is tremendously important that we realise that the conduct of the people within our government, the constraints on power, the denial of power, the observance of convention and the unwritten rules in our Constitution are the glue that binds us. The fact that we are, I think, the fourth oldest continuous democracy in the world is not just a tribute to our monarch; it is a tribute to our people and to the way every citizen in Australia conducts themselves, particularly around the peaceful transfer of power. I am a republican, but I feel no urgency to exert that idea. It will come naturally, as our independence has since federation—and we have been very fortunate that our monarch has been of like mind and has let us exert that independence.

One thing I related to the House on the previous occasion I spoke here, and which I think is fitting to repeat, was that, for a long time, a fountain with a gold tap had sat in the town square in a park where people enjoyed their lunch.

Very sadly, that park was bulldozed. It has now become a car park for Target. The fountain with the gold tap went missing. They tried desperately to find it, and they eventually located it; they wanted to have it ready for the next royal visit. Unfortunately, they did not quite meet the previous deadline, but that fountain with the gold tap will be restored to its place, not in the car park but adjacent to it. We hope that our monarch, Queen Elizabeth, can come once again and reopen that very historic fountain in the city of Elizabeth. In this time of transition for that city, with General Motors Holden now leaving, perhaps the monarch can come and signal a new journey for the town that bears her name.

Julia Banks (Chisholm, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On the occasion of the Queen's sapphire jubilee, it gives me enormous pleasure—and I regard it as a great honour—to speak today about a person whom I and many people regard as one of the greatest women in modern history.

However, before I do this, I feel compelled to describe my views and feelings as follows. During the election campaign and in the context of my leaving the business world to join this new world of politics, a journalist asked me what the surprises had been, regarding the good things and the bad things. In reply, I said that the worst and most disappointing and surprising thing was the 'Mediscare' campaign of the Labor Party. Why? Because, in my view, that was more than advertising puffery. Rather, it showed a complete disregard—and, importantly, a lack of respect—for my constituents and for the Australian people. Respect underpins Liberal values and everything the Turnbull government stands for. Respect underpins the Turnbull government's policies and everything we do. In fact, respect is the reason why we are the most successful multicultural nation on this earth. Yesterday, the Labor Party showed a complete lack of respect in the House—and this was the greatest surprise for me; the most disappointing thing for me, to date. But this time, the Labor Party's disrespect was not only for our Prime Minister and the privileged position of being a member of the House of Representatives. They also showed a complete lack of respect for the Queen. As Prime Minister Turnbull made his speech expressing admiration, respect and gratitude to the Queen for her service, a number of those on the other side squealed with laughter and giggles, heckling the Prime Minister. It was disgraceful, abominable behaviour. It demonstrated nothing more than a clear lack of respect—and ignorance. Sitting across from them and observing their behaviour made me feel outraged. They reminded me of an out-of-control classroom of students, as is often depicted in the movies. The Leader of the Opposition was not a leader at all; in fact, his behaviour and body language was like watching a teacher who was standing in front of the out-of-control classroom waiting for them to quieten down. Perhaps he should have schooled the Labor-Party class before his speech in parliament, because even he recognised that the Queen should be admired for her dedication to public service. However, this point was completely lost on certain members on the other side of the chamber, particularly the Labor member for Griffith and the Labor member for Bendigo, who were squealing and laughing like the two naughty kids sitting in the out-of-control classroom.

The Queen's reign for over 65 years is an extraordinary milestone. The Queen is the longest-serving British monarch. Only five other kings and queens in British history have reigned for more than 50 years. Over those 65 years, the Queen has visited Australia 16 times and has become a patron of numerous Australian charities and organisations.

She has brought nothing but joy, grace and goodwill to thousands and thousands of Australians. No matter which side of the republican debate you are on, no matter what your age, you cannot help but admire and feel gratitude for the Queen.

I have the pleasure and privilege of knowing many young adults in my electorate, particularly thanks to the two universities and many fine senior schools. They, like the vast majority of Australians, have known no other head of state and consistently show deep admiration and respect for the Queen.

The Queen is revered and respected in this country, but members of the Labor Party in this House yesterday failed to demonstrate this. On behalf of the people of Chisholm and, indeed, every nation-state, I acknowledge with gratitude Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's years of duty and service and I thank her from the bottom of my heart for her extraordinary reign and extraordinary service to Britain, the Commonwealth and Australia.

John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I certainly join with others in rising to speak on the amazing achievement of Queen Elizabeth II, who has celebrated 65 years with her Sapphire Jubilee, the longest of any British monarch, as Queen of England and Head of the Commonwealth of Nations, of which Australia is a member. I acknowledge many of the gracious and important comments of all colleagues in the chamber, but I wish to add to that from a more personal perspective from my electorate.

It may come as no surprise to many of my colleagues—as they have become used to me and my view that Toowoomba is indeed a city worth talking about within the parliament and visiting in person, as the Prime Minister did just recently—that I want to point out in particular that the Queen herself has been to my electorate of Groom. The Queen's official coronation, as we know, took place on 2 June 1953 in Westminster Abbey, and less than a year later she visited Toowoomba and Oakey in my electorate. When you consider that the Queen has visited 117 countries on official royal tours since she ascended to the throne, it is plainly obvious to me that Toowoomba was very high on her list of priorities to see. I admit that on that trip she also happened to open the third session of the 20th national parliament here in Canberra but, most importantly, she was greeted by 70,000 ex-service men and women at the Melbourne Cricket Ground during that tour as well.

It was 11 March 1954 when she landed at Oakey airport, and accounts in the local paper recount that she was quickly on her way to Toowoomba. In the city she and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, attended a reception in our magnificent Queens Park and looked over the arena at the Toowoomba Royal Show. The local paper also reported that schoolchildren rode in milk carts and adults travelled in trucks and buses to see the royal couple, even if only for a fleeting moment. The federal government's royal visit commemorative book, published just after that tour, described one of the highlights of the Toowoomba visit as the royal couple witnessing 'the age-old ceremonial of the corroboree', performed by Aborigines who had travelled from as far as the Northern Territory for the occasion. The Queen was quoted as saying, 'What has impressed me the most was the long distances people travelled to see me.'

The Queen has not been the only royal to visit the electorate. Her father, as Albert, Duke of York, who later became George VI, also visited the Garden City in 1927. As an aside, coincidentally, members would remember the hit movie about him called The King's Speech starring Academy Award winners Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush. Geoffrey Rush also hails from Toowoomba, but that is another story. Most significantly for our community, the Queen's grandson Prince William visited our city in 2011 following the devastating flood that caused loss of life and significant damage earlier that year. The prayers, best wishes and respect that he conveyed to our community on behalf of the Queen were heartfelt and moving.

Queen Elizabeth II has had a long and mainly peaceful reign, as we know, which has been marked by vast changes and transition in terms of how Britain is viewed abroad and through the lives of people throughout the entire Commonwealth. Throughout, Queen Elizabeth II has been recognised as a progressive leader.

She has modernised the monarchy by dropping some of the formalities, made certain sites and treasures more accessible for the public, and reined in public funding for the monarchy in line with expectations of her people—and they clearly love her for it. You can certainly see that in every public appearance that she makes. As a constitutional monarch, Elizabeth II, as we know, does not weigh in on political matters, nor does she reveal her political views are—again, I note the comments of colleagues in relation to that. However, she certainly confers regularly with her prime ministers and has proven that the Crown still has a symbolic and diplomatic power. I believe, for example, her visit to the Republic of Ireland, the first by a British monarch in 100 years, spoke volumes about her as a leader and as a person. From a young age she has been acknowledged as the people's Queen. Her coronation was the first major international event to be broadcast on television. Few of us, if any, in this chamber would have had the chance to witness that, but I would be pretty safe in saying that many of us have witnessed significant royal events over the years—and interestingly, most of them have been ratings-winners.

The Queen today, I am advised, still handles roughly 430 engagements each year and supports hundreds of charitable organisations and programs. She is still the leader of the Commonwealth, which has nations across all six continents with roughly 2.2 billion of the world's citizens. I am also advised that in her 23,745 days—or thereabouts—on the throne, she has also sent roughly 170,000 telegrams to centenarians in the Commonwealth. She is a remarkable woman and a born leader. I wanted to note in particular that, as a mark of her true character, she is clearly loved and revered by monarchists and republicans alike. On behalf of the residents of Groom, I congratulate Her Majesty and her family most sincerely on her sapphire jubilee.

Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services and Disability Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to the reign of Her Majesty Elizabeth II, and to congratulate Her Majesty on yet another remarkable milestone, her sapphire jubilee. It seems like only yesterday when, in 2015, I spoke to congratulate our monarch on her achievement in becoming the longest-reigning British and, therefore, Australian head of state. The Queen, as many in the Commonwealth affectionately know her, has reigned for 65 years, and has for many Australians been the only head of state they have ever known. For an individual who took on this role as a young 25-year-old, Her Majesty has seen generations of political leadership, including the famed Winston Churchill, wars, and the evolution of the role of Great Britain in the Commonwealth and in world affairs.

Today, as the longest-reigning living monarch in the world, the Queen still manages a relentless schedule of public engagements and, whilst reducing her activity in late 2016, Her Majesty continues to demonstrate a dignified, level-headed approach to diplomacy. Succeeding her father, George VI, following his death in 1952, the Queen's reign began just three years into Sir Robert Menzies' own record-breaking leadership. Her Majesty has been noted to have said, following the overtake of her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria's record of 63 years on the throne, that she never expected nor aspired to such a feat. 1952 was a period of rebuild in the world's postwar history. Seven years after the Second World War, many global leaders were still defined by that significant conflict. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom was the great Sir Winston Churchill, Harry Truman stood at the helm as President of the United States, Joseph Stalin was Premier of the Soviet Union, and the Long March leader himself, Mao Zedong, was Chairman of the Communist Party of China. It is incredible to believe that a 25-year-old grieving at the loss of her father stood amongst these giants of world history. But Queen Elizabeth II's claim to the Crown was only made possible due to the abdication of her uncle, Edward VIII, a mere16 years earlier.

For the past seven decades, and for countless British prime ministers and many Australian prime ministers, the Queen has remained a constant platform in global politics. Throughout the years, the Queen has grown wiser and more resilient and become, as one could so eloquently put it, the epitome of omnipotence. Attending to a mix of ceremony, politics and diplomacy, the Queen has certainly demonstrated her unwavering commitment to the role. The pace of public life and engagements is taxing for even the fittest, yet at 90 years old, the Queen continues to excel, having given her life to serving the people of Great Britain and the Commonwealth. It gives me immense pride to acknowledge that Australia is united under the Crown.

The monarch's role in the modern era is to be impartial in politics. However, during her reign Her Majesty as the head of state has been called upon to participate in political decision-making. On two occasions, she was required to appoint a new British prime minister on the advice of cabinet.

Irrespective of the separation of Australia from the remainder of the Commonwealth, the Queen will always remain a part of our large family. Her role in leading and representing the Commonwealth's interests abroad is an activity in which she has truly excelled. Overseeing and managing Britain's evolving role in the Commonwealth, the Queen has seen a move from colonial master to partner as Britain's remaining colonies in Africa, South Asia, Oceania and the Caribbean transition to independence. As an ever-calm and pensive woman, the Queen has remained a beloved figure throughout the Commonwealth despite the tumultuous nature of the world.

The Queen has visited Australia 16 times during her reign. There is a genuine affinity and respect for her when she visits, no matter a person's creed or political stance. Noting the republican movement in Australia, the admiration and respect that a majority of us have for Her Majesty bodes well for our continued recognition of the monarchy. With a life of reduced privacy and being accessed the world over, it is continually grounding that she has a realistic understanding of both the privileges and the limitations of the role.

I imagine—this is purely speculative of course—that the Queen would have enjoyed a life less intruded upon. However, it is a testament to her character and sense of duty that she has embraced her role with open arms to unite the corners of the Commonwealth. The Queen's well-documented life—often at the behest of media—has seen tragedy and joy, throughout which she has overcome issues and maintained her composure.

To know that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has achieved her Sapphire Jubilee is a celebration for all, whether you are a monarchist or a republican, for she may indeed be the only monarch we will know to reach such a milestone. Congratulations to Her Majesty. I speak on behalf of my electorate of Ryan in wishing her good health and fortune to continue her reign for years to come.

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity to join with the Prime Minister and my parliamentary colleagues in congratulating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on reaching a significant milestone in her glorious reign—the Sapphire Jubilee. The Queen is Head of the Commonwealth and Supreme Governor of the Church of England. During her long and distinguished reign. the world has changed remarkably. Through momentous economic, political and social events, through conflicts and international events, she has reigned with dignity, integrity and grace. During the Queen's reign, 13 British prime ministers have held office—from Winston Churchill to the current Prime Minister, Theresa May. Her devotion to duty and public service is unparalleled. There are 2.2 billion people living in 52 Commonwealth nations across six continents. Citizens of Commonwealth nations have enjoyed decades of stability, security, good governance and comparably high standards of living. Commonwealth countries are united by diplomacy and international cooperation and through sporting events such as the Commonwealth Games. Currently, the Queen is head of 16 Commonwealth nations.

On the occasion of the Sapphire Jubilee, we celebrate the British heritage of our multicultural nation and all that is good about Australia: our culture, customs, traditions; our system of government and the rule of law; our industrialised economy; and our Defence Force. We should be proud of this heritage and never seek to diminish our British heritage from history. We owe our high standard of living, our peaceful and secure society, to a stable constitutional monarchy built on British heritage. This fact must never be lost in the national debate on multiculturalism and reconciliation. I believe that there should be mutual respect and recognition of all cultures on which our nation is founded without selective omission. The constitutional monarchy is part of our culture that defines us. We must never downplay the significance of the British culture in today's multicultural Australian society. We should celebrate it as an integral part of the pluralistic nature that defines us as modern Australians.

Throughout my lifetime, I have witnessed the Queen's Silver, Ruby, Golden and Diamond Jubilees. My grandparents instilled in me a healthy respect for our sovereign. I have fond memories of queueing up for hours to see the Queen in public on two occasions—at Perth airport and Government House—when Her Majesty visited Perth. I am proud to say that members of my extended family have been loyal servants of the Crown over the centuries in the military, clergy and banking. Their distinguished service has been recognised with knighthoods and ennoblements and the Baronetage of the United Kingdom of South Hill Park and of Broadwell and Filkins. On this occasion, I offer my heartfelt congratulations to Her Majesty on behalf of the Australian people. Long may she reign.

Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party, Minister for Revenue and Financial Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I congratulate Her Majesty the Queen on becoming the first British monarch to reach her Sapphire Jubilee. The Queen was just 26 years of age when she came to the throne. Along with her title, she inherited a huge weight of expectation: that she would be a leader worthy of her nation, that she would be a leader worthy of the Commonwealth, that she would be the bedrock of the Church of England as its supreme governor, and 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 we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear our own share of the danger and sadness of war.

We know, everyone of us, that in the end all will be well …

Throughout her reign, the Queen has fulfilled her duties with humility, grace and dignity, and despite my republican roots I stand with the staunchest of monarchists to honour the Queen in her Sapphire Jubilee year as she celebrates 65 years on the throne. 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 13 Australian Prime Ministers and 20 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 Mark Cooper AO, Noel Alpins AM, Sandford Clarke AM, Leon Serry AM, Jennifer Williams AM, Peter Zablud AM, Philomena Docherty OAM, Jennifer Happell OAM, Isobel Morgan OAM, John Shalit OAM, Allan Zavod OAM and John Retchford.

Today I honour these people, but I also, most especially, honour the Queen for her example of unrelenting service, dedication and duty.

It cannot have been easy for the Queen, during the last 65 years, to balance her public duties with her life as a private citizen: as the wife of Prince Phillip, the Duke Edinburgh; as mother to four children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward; as grandmother to eight grandchildren, William, Harry, Peter, Zara, Beatrice, Eugenie, Louise, and James; and as a great-grandmother to two great-grandchildren, George and Charlotte. Living a life in public is a sacrifice that she has made for all of us. We honour her for it and we congratulate her again on her sapphire jubilee.

Nicolle Flint (Boothby, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today, as my colleagues have risen, to congratulate our head of state, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, on reaching yet another great milestone, that of her sapphire jubilee—her 65th year on the throne—on Monday 6 February. While five British monarchs have reigned for over 50 years, Her Majesty is the only monarch to reach this sapphire jubilee milestone.

She assumed the throne on 6 February 1952—after the passing of her father, King George IV—at the age of the age of 25. I cannot imagine how difficult that must have been for her in a family context but also at such a young age to assume such responsibility. I think in this respect, to my mind, Her Majesty is one of the best examples for women around the world in terms of a leadership role, in terms of her community service, in terms of raising a large family and doing so whilst being one of the most important and powerful women in the world with some of the greatest responsibilities.

I mention that she was and has been a working mother, because her work output is widely known to be unrivalled, I suppose, in terms of what she does. It is often said that far younger people would not be able to do what she does each and every day. Over the past 65 years, for example, she has made nearly 300 official visits to Commonwealth countries, she has answered over 3.5 million pieces of correspondence. As members here know, that is quite a task and we certainly do not deal with, I am sure, 3.5 million pieces of correspondence in our working lives. She received over 120,000 cards, letters and gifts—

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 12:07 to 12:19

As I was saying before we had to attend the other chamber, I believe Her Majesty the Queen is an excellent role model for women everywhere—young women and older women. She has had an incredibly long career and she has raised a family whilst working harder than most of us could possibly imagine. As I mentioned, she has answered over 3.5 million pieces of correspondence in her career, passed more than 3½ thousand acts of British parliament and, in an average year, she hosts more than 50,000 visitors at lunches, dinners, receptions and garden parties at Buckingham Palace—

A government member: How many tweets?

I am not sure about how many tweets she does, but she is also the patron of more than 600 charities and organisations. That is a remarkable work output, and I am sure there is so much more that she does behind the scenes. In her 65-year reign, she has conducted more than 300 official visits, including 22 to Canada, 10 to New Zealand and 16 to Australia.

Her Majesty has taken a special interest in Australia. She was the first monarch to ever officially visit us and her first visit was in 1954. Whilst Australia is a very different country to what it was 65 years ago, Her Majesty has provided much-needed stability and continuity, which is one of the reasons I am a staunch supporter of our constitutional monarchy. It is more than just about Her Majesty the Queen; it is about our institutions and our traditions and the wonderful stability this has provided to our nation. I do strongly believe that our constitutional monarchy is responsible for our great freedoms, our democracy and the stability that we enjoy. Our constitutional monarchy is a vital part of our system of government.

Of course, our Governor-General is primarily responsible for conducting day-to-day responsibilities on behalf the Queen. When you look at the Constitution, you realise how entwined the monarchy is with the government and governance of our nation. The Queen is mentioned as 'part of the parliament' in section 1, she 'is empowered to appoint the Governor-General as her representative' in section 2 and 'The executive power of the Commonwealth is vested in the Queen and exercisable by the Governor-General as her representative', as per section 61.

The Governor-General performs a large number of functions that are outlined in the Constitution, but what I think is particularly important—and is one of the reasons why I am vehemently opposed to us becoming a republic—is that the Governor-General has a number of responsibilities known as 'reserve powers' that are governed by convention. They are not written down. They are part of the tradition, practice and protocol that has developed over many decades since we became a Federation in 1901. What really concerns me is how those conventions would be codified. I do not think we need more regulation and legislation in this country. I do not think we need to encourage a position, such as our head of state, to become subject to laws that may well be challenged in the High Court. I think that the role of tradition and convention in our nation is very important. I will be fighting very hard to see that continue, because I do believe that our constitutional monarchy has provided great stability to our nation.

I want to touch on an article that I came across in The Spectator. The Spectator is the first publication that ever published me as a columnist and it was responsible for starting my career as a writer of opinion pieces. They made a number of important observations on 9 September 2015, when they wrote about Her Majesty becoming the longest reigning monarch by overtaking Queen Victoria.

They observed that, really, we are living in a golden age of prosperity—the second Elizabethan Age—and they give some very good reasons for claiming that this is the case. Over the now 65 years that Her Majesty has reigned, life expectancy for women has increased by a dozen years. We live very comfortable lives with the best of technology available to us. The Spectator gave the example that the Queen now has a team of 12 people needed to send out royal telegrams congratulating her subjects celebrating their 100th birthday. There are so many people who are living to see a century that the Queen has to have a very large team of people to help her congratulate their 100th birthday. This, to my mind, was a particularly lovely quote that indicates the type of leadership that we have seen from Her Majesty—I quote from The Spectator:

In a speech to the UN five years ago, she observed a truth that few politicians acknowledge: the greatest achievements are not guided by leaders, but by people being left alone to achieve what they can. 'Remarkably, many of these sweeping advances have come about not because of governments, committee resolutions, or central directives — although all these have played a part — but instead because millions of people around the world have wanted them.'

The Spectator reflects on the Queen's patriotism, her love of Britain and the Commonwealth and its countries—of which Australia is one—and her long career being marked by service and, in the context of her being such an incredible role model for women, says, 'Her daily schedule would alarm and exhaust someone half her age.'

Her Majesty 'has succeeded in persuading so many former colonies to maintain an alliance with Britain because she is one of the world’s most accomplished diplomats.' The Spectator continues:

Stability is one of the greatest arguments for monarchy, and one to which republicans tend to blind themselves. … Even the US, which can claim to be one of the world’s finest democracies, might benefit from having a non-political head of state—

which is something interesting to reflect upon. This is another lovely anecdote:

The hopelessness of the republican cause in Britain was underlined when, two decades ago, an opinion poll asked the public whom they would like to be their first—

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

In the time remaining I would like to associate myself with the comments of all the members on our side on congratulating the Queen. I think that one of the reasons the Queen has been so successful in our country is not because of the power she has but the power she denies others. It has been said: 'For while the Queen occupies the highest office of state, no one can take over the parliament. While she is head of law, no politician can take over the courts. While she is ultimately in command of the armed forces, no would-be dictator can take over the armed forces.' In fact, the Queen's only power that she holds and safeguards on behalf of every Australia is the power she denies others. It is perhaps for that very reason that those many socialist central-planners would like to replace our Queen. Long may she continue to reign over us.