Jane Hume (Victoria, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Superannuation, Financial Services and Financial Technology) Share this | Hansard source

I'm very pleased to hear it, thank you.

It is commonly assumed that you become an adult on your 18th birthday. Now I'm a mother of an 18-year-old boy so I think I could potentially question that assertion. However, what is the milestone that we reach when we hit 118, for indeed that is the age of the Commonwealth Franchise Act? As all parliamentarians, regardless of gender, enter their respective chambers tomorrow, I hope that they will acknowledge this particular anniversary, this particular milestone. Earlier nearly than every other country in the world did we reach 118 years where women could not only vote but enter parliament. I hope that, as they enter the chamber, whether they be male or female, they are genuinely proud of the achievements of women from all sides of politics, all sides of the chamber, all parts of our history, all parts of today and all parts of the future for they have been so important in shaping our nation in the past, today and in the years ahead.