Jenny Ware (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I stand, on this most sombre of occasions, on behalf of the people of Hughes, to pay my respects on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

In 1936, at the age of 10, the life of Elizabeth of York changed forever after the abdication of her uncle, King Edward VIII. As her father, ill-equipped and unwilling, was thrust onto the throne as King George VI, the young princess's dream of living quietly as a country woman surrounded by dogs and horses vanished. This coincidence of birth, together with the premature death of the King, thrust Her Majesty, at the age of only 25, into a role for which she was barely prepared. However, in her inimitable, gracious and determined way, Her Majesty rose to her role and reigned for 70 years. Queen Elizabeth served her country and her Commonwealth, including Australia, with kindness and selflessness. In her coronation speech, Her Majesty said:

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.

Her Majesty lived by this pledge, devoting her life to service and fulfilling her duty until she passed. She epitomised values of loyalty, duty, selfless service and, particularly, the importance of family.

In her final Christmas message, Her Majesty focused on the family and the importance of the circle of life, birth and death. Queen Elizabeth was a daughter, a sister, a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother. As the head of the most famous family in the world, the Queen had to deal publicly with many of the family traumas that are faced by the rest of us in private. She did this with dignity and grace, although she did admit to her 'annus horribilis' in 1992. Her Majesty was also a wife. We occasionally caught glimpses of the private love and devotion that existed between her and the Duke of Edinburgh, who was, in her own words, her 'strength and stay' during her reign. The picture of Her Majesty, alone in her grief, farewelling her husband in 2021 is one that many of us will never forget. Indeed, it was Her Majesty who said, when comforting victims' families after the September 11 terrorist attacks, 'Grief is the price we pay for love.'

The Queen enjoyed a special relationship with Australia. She made 16 visits here during her reign, and her royal tour in 1954 marked the first time a reigning monarch had travelled to Australia. It was during this tour that she and the duke travelled to the Hughes electorate, in February 1954. Local news reports of the occasion paint a picture of 20,000 people lining the route as the royal motorcade passed under an arch reading, 'We welcome our Queen to Sutherland.' In what would have been a momentous occasion for our local area, men, women and children gathered along the highway to each wave as their sovereign passed by. Her Majesty the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh later made an unplanned journey by royal train through Hughes once more, travelling through what was then known as the National Park. The Royal National Park, as it is known today, was renamed in her honour the following year. Her Majesty's love of nature is well documented, and it is especially fitting that the world's second-oldest national park is also her namesake.

In what proved to be one of her final official acts, the Queen appointed her final Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Ms Truss, a mere 48 hours before her passing. Looking extremely frail, although happy and proud, she carried out her duty to the end. I take this opportunity, on behalf of the Hughes community, to express my gratitude for the service of Her Majesty and my condolences to the royal family, to the United Kingdom and to all of the nations of the Commonwealth. Vale, Queen Elizabeth.

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