Milton Dick (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

By celebrating her Platinum Jubilee, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has achieved what no other British monarch has in history. For 70 years she has presided over the Commonwealth. Across these decades, her enduring dedication and unwavering sense of purpose have inspired literally generations. Queen Elizabeth cemented her special place in the heart and history of Australia when she became the first reigning sovereign to visit our shores. When the 27-year-old sailed into Sydney Harbour on 3 February 1954, she all but stopped the nation. Her arrival attracted an estimated one million onlookers in a city with a population of just over two million. Those who couldn't be there in person listened to ABC radio's nationwide coverage of the historic occasion. The trip was an unrivalled cultural moment for Australia, and it cemented the Queen in the heart of our nation. And, while we celebrate her Platinum Jubilee milestone, it is not, as we've heard, without its own sadness.

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's partner in life and a constant source of support throughout these years of leadership, we know is, sadly, no longer by her side. Of course, Queen Elizabeth's rise to the throne all those years ago came in the wake of a profound personal tragedy. It's difficult to imagine the sheer emotion of this time for the Queen, to have these two hugely consequential life events linked to each other: one a beginning, the other an end. And, more than a year after this tragedy, on 2 June 1953 Princess Elizabeth was crowned Queen at Westminster Abbey. The delay was out of respect to the memory of her father, George VI, and allowed time for the preparation of the televised ceremony. The elaborate occasion was beamed to the homes of millions of people across the globe, bringing together both tradition and innovation. It is this mix of the ancient and the modern that has gone on to be a defining feature of her reign, a reign that has seen humanity grow and change and has seen our world become, in some ways, much smaller, as our ability to connect across the seas has soared to new heights.

What has not changed, however, is the Australian people's enduring respect and admiration for our Queen Elizabeth. On the Queen's visits to Brisbane, my grandmother, who was working at David Jones in Queen Street, in the women's fashion department, used to chuck a sickie so she could go and see the Queen. She took my mother and my aunts so that they would be first in line, to make sure that they got a glimpse of the Queen. When I was growing up, my grandmother always had cut-out photos of the Queen, and she also had calendars and fine china dedicated to all the anniversaries and major milestones in the Royal Family. I know that in my electorate of Oxley, when I visit constituents to mark a remarkable birthday, like a 100th birthday, they are absolutely brimming with pride at their very own letter from the Queen. It is usually the first thing that they show me. I'll turn up there as the local federal member with a certificate and letter, which are quickly pushed out of the way so that they can show me that the letter from the Queen is sitting there, normally in pride of place next to some flowers. But that is a generation that would remember the Queen's first visit in 1954, when three-quarters of the population lined the streets to see her in person. When I'm talking to older people in the community, many remember that moment and speak about it with such joy. For that generation, Queen Elizabeth is part of their personal history and our national identity.

On behalf of the people of Oxley, I extend my best wishes to the Queen on this incredible milestone. The Platinum Jubilee will be celebrated across the world in recognition of service to people. I thank you, Your Majesty, for the dedication you've displayed in the service to the Commonwealth and your deep and abiding commitment to Australia and her people.

James Stevens (Sturt, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to support the address commemorating the 70th anniversary of Her Majesty's ascension to the throne. Hers is a truly remarkable achievement—and I think we should call it an achievement, because it is an unbelievable life of service. She is already the longest-serving monarch in the history of the Crown—and there are different reference points you could choose as to the age of the monarchy; if we go back to the Norman conquest in 1066, then the Crown is coming up on 1,000 years. Apart from a brief unfortunate period in the 17th century, it has been continuous. She's the first monarch to reach 70 years from ascension. I dearly hope she makes 70 years from coronation, and I have confidence in that. It is a remarkable achievement, and I pay tribute to the service she has given to what was known as the British Empire, which, when she became Queen, we would now call the Commonwealth.

Of course, in this country we're a proud member of the Commonwealth of Australia, but a lot of my family heritage is English. Three-quarters of the branches of my family tree come from the United Kingdom. My grandfather—my only grandparent who is still alive—migrated here about two years after Her Majesty ascended to the throne in 1952. When she became Queen, hundreds of thousands of her British subjects chose to become Australian subjects, moving from the United Kingdom to this country. The start of her reign, and many decades afterwards, was a period of great postwar migration to this country, predominantly from the United Kingdom and then of course more broadly from Europe. Now we live in a modern multicultural nation, of which she is our head of state, where we happily have migration from all across the planet. But in the early decades of her reign there was an enormous number of British subjects coming to this country.

Sir Robert Menzies was Prime Minister of Australia at the time and Sir Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I think, 70 years later, I can tell a rather interesting story about the coronation. Quite a famous Adelaide journalist called Stuart Coburn was Sir Robert Menzies's press secretary at the time. In fact, his stepdaughter is now the Governor of South Australia. He was married to Jennifer Cashmore, who was a state Liberal minister in South Australia and is Governor Adamson's mother. But Stuart Coburn was Sir Robert's press secretary and so travelled with Sir Robert to the coronation in 1953. A very famous photograph was taken of the Commonwealth heads of state, of which Sir Robert of course was one, and Sir Winston Churchill was in the photo with Her Majesty that evening. The press secretaries were duly given a copy of this photo to give to each of the heads of state as a very significant memento.

Well, Stuart never did that; he pocketed the photograph and kept it for his own purposes. Sir Robert was never to know that that was a memento passed on to him. Only a few years ago Jennifer Cashmore, at a local Liberal Party fundraiser, said: 'I've got an item that we might choose to donate. It could be of some interest. It's one of only 16 photographs taken of Her Majesty with the Commonwealth heads of state, and the other 15 are probably very proudly on display in some very significant locations across the Commonwealth.' So, that photograph is now happily in my possession, because I thought it was a pretty good auction item to acquire at a local Liberal Party branch meeting five or six years ago.

It's been an unbelievable 70 years—70 years of great change in this country and across the Commonwealth, which Her Majesty heads. It's been particularly poignant to have the constancy of her reign through that period. Some of the nations in what we called the 'empire' have gained their independence. We have confronted that question in this country, and I'm happy—very happy—with the decision that was made back with the referendum we held in 1999. I'm a very proud supporter and defender of our constitutional monarchy. That's not just because of the fact of the monarchy; I support the Westminster system and our system of government here. I think we have an excellent set of checks and balances. We have an excellent democracy, and it is all the more robust by having the Crown as a part of that. I can't understand how we could have the same strength of democracy if we changed our system of government in this nation.

We've had moments, of course, over her reign that have tested people's faith in our system: the 1975 dismissal, obviously, was one of those. I won't provoke people in this room by delving into my strong view that it was a very sensible and correct decision made by the Governor-General of the day. Nonetheless, we are, on some measures, the sixth-oldest democracy in the world; we have the sixth-oldest constitution, which of course came into effect in 1901. It was signed by Queen Victoria in 1900, when the bill went through the parliament in Westminster to ratify our Constitution and create our nation.

When King George VI passed away, Sir Winston Churchill addressed what was then the entire British Empire and probably the whole world at the time. He reflected on the king, his demise and the throne, and on the new era under Queen Elizabeth II. He talked about having been born in the era of Queen Victoria—the Victorian era—and how exciting it was as a young boy to live in the Victorian era. He reflected on the renewed excitement he had about living in a new Elizabethan era. Queen Elizabeth I certainly reigned over a period of time that was exciting, tumultuous and very significant—even so 500 years or more later, particularly if you're an American or a member of the Church of England! Equally, I don't think it's disrespectful to say that this new Elizabethan era will definitely be known as the Elizabethan era. It won't be questioned in any way as being an unbelievable70 years, and hopefully many more, of great change in this nation, in the Commonwealth, the British Isles and Great Britain, and also as a period of relative stability and strengthening of democratic institutions and other institutions of which Her Majesty is the head.

I am very lucky and grateful to be able to say that my entire life has been lived during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II. I hope it still is for many, many years to come, and I think we can all be grateful for what we have had so far in the 70 years of her reign. Specifically for this nation, I think those things are the stability of her reign and her leadership; the time she has spent in our country; and the interest she shows in Australia and Australian subjects, which have been much appreciated and inspirational to all Australians for the last 70 years, and before that.

In contributing to this address, I congratulate her Majesty on Her 70 years. I thank her for what she has done for this country and for the entire Commonwealth over the period of her reign. I hope there are many, many years of her reign to come and I'm very proud to live in a country and serve in a parliament that has, at its apex, a great institution that is the monarchy. She is, of course, the Queen of Australia and we wish her very well on these 70 years and on many more years into the future.

Michelle Rowland (Greenway, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Communications) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In 1947, on Her Majesty's 21st birthday, the future Queen declared a life of service to the Commonwealth:

I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service …

Indeed, throughout her seven-decade reign, the challenges of war, the pandemic and various economic woes, domestically and abroad, Her Majesty's dedication to service has remained constant. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is already the longest-serving monarch in Britain's history, and this year Her Majesty the Queen will become the first Australian monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee in honour of her 70 years of service.

Across the world, Her Majesty is held in the highest regard for her unwavering sense of duty to the people of the Commonwealth. Her grace, dignity and often subtle sense of humour have earned Her Majesty the widespread respect of citizens of the Commonwealth and beyond. Her Majesty's commitment to creating a Commonwealth with 'a more powerful influence for good in the world' is one that has been unwavering. Admirably, Her Majesty the Queen has supported almost 3,000 charities worldwide, raising an accumulative 1.4 billion euros, as revealed by the Charities Aid Foundation. Notably, the Queen has elevated contributions towards cancer research, the Red Cross and Barnardos. Her Majesty's charitable support is exceptional and has been exemplary for leaders internationally.

I commend Her Majesty the Queen on this momentous anniversary. On behalf of the people of Greenway, I thank Her Majesty for her tireless service. We honour Her Majesty's dedication over seven decades. As I'm sure my colleagues here will reflect, there is a request just about every week for a picture of Her Majesty. People are excited to request it and even more excited to receive it, and that is wonderful to see. Whether in support of a republic or the monarchy, it is my opinion—and, I think, the opinion of many—that the Queen has served the Commonwealth in the best manner possible. I voted for a republic. I believe in an Australian head of state. I want my daughters to be able to do anything, including possibly becoming an Australian head of state. But my support for a republic does not diminish my deep admiration for the Queen, and I say most sincerely: God save the Queen.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I rise to add my voice to the others congratulating the Queen on the celebration of her Platinum Jubilee—a remarkable 70 years on the throne, which the Queen acceded to on 6 February 1952. When I think about what has happened during her long reign I can't help but wonder what she has lived through and how the world has completely changed. In 1952 the Second World War had barely finished and its impacts were still being felt across the world, including food and fuel rations in the UK; the Cold War was just starting; television was new and not yet available in Australia; and the sun never set over the British Empire.

Over the coming years the Queen witnessed the space race and the moon landing, the emergence of the European Union from the war-ravaged ruins of Western Europe, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War and both gulf wars. She has witnessed the rise and fall of fax machines and the emergence of mobile telephony and the internet. She has witnessed the first female prime ministers in both Australia and the United Kingdom, though not a second female prime minister here in Australia. Throughout all this change, the Queen has been a symbol of stability and tradition. The very nature of her role as the sovereign serves to contextualise the slings and arrows of the outrageous fortunes of today within a centuries-old polity that has survived and thrived through worse.

Queen Elizabeth II is the great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, who was also the grandmother of Kaiser Wilhelm II, against whom Australia fought in the First World War, and great-grandmother of the much-fabled Princess Anastasia of Russia, daughter of the last Czar of Russia, Nicholas II. Queen Victoria's grandfather was George III, who was king when the British first settled Australia. As monarch, the Queen can trace an uninterrupted line back to Cromwell's Commonwealth in the 17th century and, before that, to the Norman invasion in 1066.

Like many, I share British heritage. In fact, before 2016 I was a dual British citizen, but I am that no longer, and so I am able to serve here.

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

Are you sure?

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

I'm most definitely sure, Member for Swan! My dad was one of the first people to work at the British Petroleum oil refinery in Kwinana. He was originally from England. Following two years he spent managing a plantation in Kerala, India, he came to WA. My dad used to fondly recall when he attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June 1953. He was among the many thousands that flocked to and filled the streets of London to witness the coronation of the new queen nearly a year and a half after she was proclaimed their monarch. Her coronation was clearly an event not to be missed, and many shared in the celebration at the time. Perhaps because of the investment from BP, Kwinana and surrounding suburbs have long had a high concentration of migrants from Britain—or perhaps it is simply because Perth is 3½ hours shorter on an aeroplane trip! Before there were commercial flights, stopping at Fremantle would cut your long sea voyage quite significantly—by many days. For my father, the port of Fremantle was the first stop in Australia on his voyage from India, and when he got here he decided to stay awhile. Then, of course, he met my mum, who is an Australian, and Shoalwater became our home.

It's very common to hear a variety of accents from across the British Isles in our local community. Brand is also home to a large community of service personnel, not least because of the proximity of HMAS Stirling on Garden Island, just off the coast of Rockingham. Many personnel of the Royal Australian Navy were indeed formerly personnel of the Royal Navy, and they have come to Rockingham, seen the light and made this great part of the world their home.

It is difficult to underestimate the great depth of feeling serving members of the military have had toward the royal family, particularly during and in the aftermath of World War II. I keep repeating stories of my dad because he loves the Queen, and he loved the King before her. My dad served in the Royal Navy in the Second World War and would often tell the story of the day when Prince Philip's uncle, Lord Louis Mountbatten, visited the ship he was serving on. Dad's fondness for Mountbatten was always evident, and it was always a pleasure for us to hear him tell the story of when they had royalty on board the ship on which he served.

Importantly, during her reign, Queen Elizabeth II has worked hard to transform the former British Empire into a commonwealth of independent states. The Commonwealth is unique as a multinational organisation. It does not exist for any specific economic or security purpose. It is not a defence treaty organisation or a trading block. It is not a coalition of contiguous countries working together for the sake of convenience. Rather, the Commonwealth is an acknowledgement of our shared history—the good and the bad of it—and a shared undertaking to seek to improve the world around us. Perth, just north of my electorate of Brand, was host to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2011. At the time, I was an adviser to the then Special Minister of State, my predecessor in Brand and now our ambassador to Ireland, Gary Gray. It was a privilege to work with Gary, as well as with other ministers such as Stephen Smith and Chris Evans, and with other public servants and the enormous range of Comcar drivers we ran into to deliver CHOGM.

The Queen visited Perth for CHOGM that year only a few months before her Diamond Jubilee. The WA Premier held a barbecue on the Esplanade, a park on the Swan River just down from the Commonwealth parliamentary offices in the city. The park has been transformed in the years since to a new quay, named Elizabeth Quay after the Queen.

I personally support Australia becoming a republic and I believe an Australian should be able to be the head of state of this nation. But I nonetheless have the greatest respect for the lifelong service and commitment that Her Majesty the Queen and her family have given to their country, to our country and to the Commonwealth of Nations over many, many years. On behalf of the people of Brand, the people of the suburbs of Rockingham and Kwinana, who hold a deep affection for her, I sincerely congratulate Her Majesty on her Platinum Jubilee and I commend this motion to the chamber.

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

by leave—I move:

That further proceedings be conducted in the House.

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

Is there a seconder?

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion.

Question agreed to.