Dean Smith (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

October is proving to be a very royal month for Australia. Not only are we looking forward to the much-anticipated visit by Their Majesties King Charles and Queen Camilla; we also welcome His Majesty the King of Bhutan, who arrives today. It may surprise some to know that Australia is home to the largest Bhutanese community in the world, outside of Bhutan, and that my home state of Western Australia has the greatest share of that national community, with over 4½ thousand Bhutanese people calling WA home. There are also more than 24,000 Bhutanese students studying at our universities, making Bhutan the 14th-largest consumer of our education services. So the tie that brings our two nations together is both economic and cultural, with shared ideas and values.

For our Bhutanese Australians, a visit by His Majesty the King of Bhutan is an incredibly exciting and historic time. It is the first time the Bhutanese head of state has visited Australia and the first face-to-face meeting between the king and Australian leaders. Milestones aside, though, the main reason this visit is being met with such eagerness is that His Majesty is revered at home and abroad as an exceptional leader. Under his stewardship, Bhutan has smoothly transitioned into a vibrant democracy and constitutional monarchy much like our own. The king also received widespread praise for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, in which Bhutan achieved the lowest case-fatality rate in the world, at just 0.05 per cent.

But, above all else, he is respected as an inspiring and humble monarch, with a genuine love for his people, and he has brought the Bhutanese monarchy into the 21st century. I particularly look forward to welcoming His Majesty to Perth next week and joining with the Bhutanese community on this important occasion. It is a high point in Australian-Bhutan relations and gives us every case for optimism about the future of our important bilateral relations. Welcome to Australia, Your Majesty the King.

The Raise Our Voice in Parliament speechwriting event is a very special opportunity to share the perspectives of young people from across our country, and I'm delighted to participate again in 2024. A speech submitted by 15-year-old Piper from my patron seat of Cowan, in Perth's northern suburbs, caught my eye. It is with pleasure that I read it in the Senate this afternoon on Piper's behalf:

Imagine sleeping in the cold every night, where in some states it gets to below 0 degrees Celsius.

Imagine living in inadequate living conditions, whether it's couch surfing, on the streets, or in insecure housing for weeks on end.

This is the case for over 122,494 Australians country wide.

Hi, my name is Piper. I am 15 years old, and I live in the electorate of Cowan. Today I am addressing why we need to lower the cost of living.

The cost of living is rising by the second. If we don't stop it, you or someone you know could be impacted next.

To make a change, the government can lower the cost of living or put money towards building and operating homeless shelters country-wide.

So, please listen, and make a change for the sake of our country. I am calling to you to make a change in our country. I am calling to you to make a change for the better. A change that'll benefit millions of Australians.

We need a future where people can live happily. A future where they don't have to worry about not being able to put food on the table, worrying about where they'll sleep the next night, or being on the brink of homelessness.

Well done to Piper, and thank you for your well-worded speech on a topic that is so critical, so top of mind, for many Australians today. I hope you stay engaged with our national politics and that this isn't the last we hear from you. Congratulations, Piper.