Luke Howarth (Petrie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this motion as well. It's a very exciting time for Australia and for Queensland, as, starting next week, we host the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. Last week, on Harmony Day, I had the opportunity to pop out to Grace Lutheran Primary School, at Clontarf in my electorate. I presented an Australian flag and spoke about Harmony Day, and I spoke about the Commonwealth Games. Being Harmony Day, we spoke about the fact that Australia is the most successful multicultural country in the world; we have people from all over the world, including Commonwealth countries, who now call themselves Australians; and we are should be very, very proud of that. The school dressed in orange, as did Norris Road State School, which I also visited that day, to celebrate Harmony Day.

But Grace Lutheran Primary School in particular was also celebrating the fact that the Commonwealth Games were coming, and the different grade levels, from prep through to year 6, dressed to represent the different countries—the preppies came along dressed as Australia; the year 6s came along dressed as Canada—on different continents, of course, which make up the Commonwealth. There are some 53 countries in the Commonwealth, including Australia, and there will be over 70, with the territories also represented, at this year's Commonwealth Games. Members of the Commonwealth are, of course, from Europe, from Asia, from the South Pacific region, and they were all represented at Grace Lutheran College when I was there last week. I spoke about the fact that there are over 1.4 billion people in the Commonwealth. As Australians we're proudly part of those 1.4 billion people in the Commonwealth. There will be, as I said before, over 70 territories and 53 countries represented at the Commonwealth games. Some 6,600 athletes will be on the Gold Coast to compete. I was at the opening ceremony of the 1982 Commonwealth Games; I remember that really well. My parents took me along; I was only ten years old at the time. It was quite an exciting time to go to the 1982 Commonwealth Games. I'm looking forward to seeing it on the Gold Coast. We have athletes in the Moreton Bay and Brisbane regions competing. Next week, the Queen's Baton relay will come through the main street of Redcliff and other parts of Moreton Bay. I congratulate everyone involved. Finally I'd like to wish all the athletes well. I look forward to watching them compete. And I know all of the Australian Parliament is behind them.

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