Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Social Services) Share this | Hansard source

I am humbled to join my colleagues in offering condolences to the royal family as we mourn the loss of one of history's great monarchs and people, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I, like many speakers before, have known no other monarch during my life, and I take this moment to acknowledge a new era for the Commonwealth under the reign of King Charles III. For 70 years, though, the world looked to the late Queen as a beacon of stability, grace, fortitude and compassion. All the stories she would have heard, the meetings she would have encountered, the challenges through history that she witnessed and faced seemed to be received with dignity and respect for people, regardless of who they were.

My memories of the Queen were first formed by the way my grandmother spoke about her. I know that the monarchy, and the Queen in particular, heavily influenced her. She was a monarchist to the end, and, if royal traditions could be woven into our own family fabric, then my grandmother would have ensured they were. The Queen's Christmas message was on television at my grandmother's house every year. Through her, I developed a profound respect for Queen Elizabeth II.

The Queen both inspired my grandmother and guided her choices in the circumstances she faced as a young woman living through the Second World War. My grandmother chose to enlist in the Women's Royal Naval Service, known as the Wrens, to support the United Kingdom's second war effort. The Wrens enlisted to carry out often auxiliary war efforts that, at the time of recruitment, declared a Wren's duty to be to 'free a man for the fleet' to fight for King and country. As a Wren, my grandmother took to her duty to act as a driver for the admiralty. This was dangerous work and exposed my grandmother to situations many women were at the time heavily shielded from. When she finished her shift, she would jump on her bike and ride home through the streets of London, through sirens, shelling and air raids. During those tumultuous years of war, she took risks that were a first for many women in dedicating their lives to service and country.

Of course, Queen Elizabeth II took those first-time risks and precisely those I learned of my grandmother taking. She too, as we've heard, was a mechanic and a driver for the British Army, performing duties alongside service men and women of the Commonwealth. Then a princess, she was the first female British royal to actively serve in the British armed forces, and I believe this resonated with my grandmother and, of course, other wartime women who had chosen to make the same sacrifices. It was the Queen's humanity at the time that endeared her to and inspired those for whom she would become Queen for 70 years.

Queen Elizabeth connected with people across the Commonwealth whenever she could, and it was during her visit to Australia in 2011 that I had my own chance to meet her. On that occasion, I relayed the story of my grandmother's service as a Wren, her life as a war bride and her emigrating to Australia to be with my grandfather, following the war. It was sad that I couldn't reflect sharing that story with the Queen back to my grandmother, as she had already passed, because I know she would have been incredibly proud. But it was the Queen's response to my story—one that she'd obviously heard countless times—that was incredibly endearing and even a little amusing. She told me it was 'a common story'. Now, I'm sure it was the nature of the times she was referring to, as the British colonies were taking on more and more resettling of those fleeing war-ravaged Europe and Great Britain, but I did chuckle at the use of the word 'common'. It did also resonate with me, though, that Queen Elizabeth II was from a different world to that of my grandmother, but the Queen radiated a down-to-earth authenticity that connected her to so many people, including commoners like my grandmother.

Of course, the Queen visited Australia many times, and it was in 1986 that she formally opened Aberfoyle Park High School, in my electorate. Photos show young boys and girls lining the streets, waving Australian flags and being greeted with obvious warmth by the Queen, who waved and smiled back. These types of connections were formed for generations of women and men from all over the world, as she continued to meet with them throughout her 70-year reign.

I conclude by saying that Queen Elizabeth II never looked tired, bored or uncommitted. It was stability, grace, fortitude and compassion to the end. May you rest in peace, Your Majesty.

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