Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move that the following address to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II be agreed to:

YOUR MAJESTY:

We, the President and Members of the Senate, express to Your Majesty our warm congratulations at this time of celebration of the Platinum Jubilee of your accession to the Throne. We express our respect and regard for the dedication you have displayed in the service of the Commonwealth and your deep and abiding commitment to Australia and her people.

Today we acknowledge the Platinum Jubilee of the reign of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II—70 years, a truly remarkable achievement. Whilst we will, through 2022, continue to celebrate this extraordinary milestone and mark it throughout the Australian community, we acknowledge that, for the Queen, this milestone also marks the anniversary of the passing of her father, King George VI.

Turning back to January 1952, after a Christmas spent in England a young Princess Elizabeth—just 25 years old—had set out with the Duke of Edinburgh for a tour that would include Australia and New Zealand. The young princess and her family had been buoyed by the apparent resurgence in the King's health. Hence it was with enormous shock that, en route to Australia, in Sigana, Kenya, Princess Elizabeth received the sad news of the King's death on 6 February 1952. The life of the then-Princess Elizabeth was turned upside down as she became Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of the Commonwealth. As we look back on those early days of 1952, we find a time when Sir Robert Menzies was only a touch over two years into what would be his record-breaking postwar prime ministership. Very few of today's current parliamentarians were even born at that time.

In a broadcast following the Queen's coronation in 1953, Her Majesty reflected on the events of the day, remarking:

I have in sincerity pledged myself to your service, as so many of you are pledged to mine. Throughout all my life and with all my heart I shall strive to be worthy of your trust.

Strived she has, throughout all her life, and a very unique trust she has earned in Australia and around large parts of the world.

Her Majesty has been the reigning sovereign for 15 Australian prime ministers and 16 governors-general, pointing to the natural change that has occurred during her reign. Change—there has certainly been a lot of it over the last 70 years. What hasn't changed is the steadfast example the world has come to expect from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Around her there has been much progress, enormous societal change, significant geopolitical change, wars, issues and challenges—many to navigate. Today we see that as much as ever. In these difficult times and throughout difficult times it has become a custom for people across the Commonwealth and beyond to look to the Queen, with confidence that she will project herself a confidence and understanding, a steadfastness, that provides some degree of reassurance at those times of challenge.

In 2020 the Queen's wisdom continued to be a light and comfort in a time of sorrow, as it always has. As the world grappled with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Her Majesty remarked in a broadcast to the UK on 5 April 2020:

While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed—and that success will belong to every one of us.

At that time Her Majesty demonstrated a confidence and optimism that was reassuring, and, through that, provided the pathway ahead for the peoples of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland, and, of course, for people throughout the Commonwealth.

The Queen has, across her 70-year-long reign, remained a constant—a stabling presence in the ongoing story of our nation here in Australia and of the Commonwealth. Since her ascension to the throne, as a consequence of the way in which she has carried out her duties Australians have developed a respect and affection for the Queen that is rivalled by few, if any. There is no shortage of qualities in Her Majesty that I'm sure many could point to that have been a source of this adoration. Regardless of one's politics, regardless of one's views around constitutional structures or arrangements, the Queen's grace, compassion, diligence and dignity come to mind for many, to name just a few such qualities.

Her Majesty has indeed earned the trust and admiration of so many of the Australian people. As this year of her Platinum Jubilee progresses, Australians will have the opportunity to participate in the celebrations to mark her service. In step with these celebrations I encourage all Australians to take the opportunity to reflect on the period of service by Her Majesty, and, as I'm sure she would wish, to reflect upon their own lives as to how they too can give more in service in honour of Her Majesty.

On this anniversary I extend the gratitude of the Australian Senate for seven decades of unwavering public service and extend our warm wishes, congratulations and thanks to Her Majesty.