Lisa Chesters (Bendigo, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to say a few words on behalf of the constituents of my electorate, the electorate of Bendigo. Like many, I was saddened to hear of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, who reigned as Australia's head of state for more than 70 years. This condolence motion for Her Majesty, moved by the Prime Minister, is a moment for this place to mark the passing of our nation's head of state. It is custom and protocol that we do. It signals the end of the 14 official days of mourning.

At 96, her passing was not a surprise. She had lived a good life—a good innings, as they say: just short of a ton—but it still is a sad time for many, particularly her family. The Queen was a mother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother. She will be remembered for being a monarch who witnessed and influenced the trajectory of modern history.

I want to thank the constituents of my electorate who took the time to come into my office to leave a message of condolence. These messages will be collated and sent to Buckingham Palace with other messages from around the country. The messages will also be archived by the Commonwealth and may be displayed in national institutions to form a lasting record of this moment in our history. In the past fortnight, there have been many who have also shared their reflections of Her Majesty on social media, local media and social gatherings. Many have said things such as, 'She's the only queen I've ever known,' 'It is the end of an era,' 'A life of service and duty,' 'A kind lady with a generous smile,' 'She was like my grandmother,'—and that's a comment that we've heard quite a few times today—'and her passing just reminded me of my own personal loss.'

It was a life of privilege—she was the Queen—but with that privilege came great responsibility and great scrutiny. At the young age of 25, she became the head of our Commonwealth and many times was the only woman in those early days to stand in a room of leaders. Today, if she stood in that same room, some things will have changed, but there are still lots of men standing. We are still short of that goal of fifty-fifty. The scrutiny that she lived through—there aren't many that would be on the same level of scrutiny that she experienced: every word, every tour, every speech scrutinised. Every time a family member said something or did something wrong, it was quite often reflected on the Queen. Yes, in public life we expect scrutiny, but the scrutiny that the Queen went through was unprecedented.

Like many have reflected, the Queen did visit Bendigo and, yes, it was in 1954. She spent about 80 minutes in the town and was greeted by over 9,000 children in the upper reserve, renamed Queen Elizabeth Oval, the QEO, after her visit. My partner's mother, Gayle, was one of the 9,000 children that stood proudly on the ground, waving her Aussie flag.

I don't have any royal memories, but my favourite Queen moment was probably one of her most recent: her cameo with Paddington Bear. What a lovely moment to leave her grandchildren, her great-grandchildren and children everywhere.

I do think it's important that we acknowledge that, for some Australians, this period of mourning has been challenging, and, for some, they're indifferent. And I think that's okay. Australia today is a very different country to when the Queen was first crowned our sovereign. Today we are many cultures and histories woven together to make the modern Australian story. At yesterday's national memorial service in the Great Hall, I deeply admired the generosity of spirit of our First Nations elders who not only attended but participated in the service. It's perhaps the words of Queen Elizabeth II that really reflect that generosity:

It's worth remembering that it is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change.

The Queen was known for her words.

On behalf of the constituents of my electorate, I'd like to send condolences to the entire family. May she rest in eternal peace.

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