Julian McGauran (Victoria, National Party) Share this | Hansard source

At this late hour I am pleased to come and speak to the Governor-General’s speech. It has been a while since we have taken up this debate. I heard you call Senator Pratt, who is not in the chamber as she did not see fit to finish her address to the chamber, so I will take up the cudgels there. I am not surprised because I, after all this time, re-acquainted myself with the Governor-General’s speech, thinking perhaps that at the time I might have been a bit unfair on the Governor-General’s speech. I thought it was a drab speech at the time. In fact, I thought it was one of the worst speeches I had heard at the time. I am beginning to think Senator Pratt might think so too. It was a very shallow speech. So I re-acquainted myself with the speech, and I was right—it is one of the most shallow, drab speeches ever delivered by a Governor-General. It is directionless. I will read you some gems from the speech.