David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party, Shadow Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

As the Leader of the Nationals, I extend my appreciation to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition, and join with them in their tributes to the life of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia and Head of the Commonwealth. Firstly, may I say that the National Party of Australia unites with millions of Australians in sending our heartfelt condolences to the royal family, to whom Her Majesty was a beloved mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.

My reflections today will focus largely on the unique role Her Majesty played in the hearts of millions of Australians that live outside our capital cities. Since Her Majesty passed away peacefully at the age of 96, Australia has mourned the loss of a truly exceptional leader, a monarch who had a real, profound and enduring affinity with our regions. Over the past 14 days, we have seen magnificent and powerful tributes in honour of Her Majesty. We have witnessed our nation coming together in the spirit of unity on a scale that has been truly remarkable. We have seen public outpourings of grief and admiration through an avalanche of touching condolences, breathtaking spectacles and solemn beauty.

We know that Australia shared so much with Her Majesty. Indeed, it was during a visit 16 years ago that she memorably said:

As Queen of Australia, I have always felt a special bond with a people whose creative energy and collective ambition is leavened by genuine warmth, generosity and humour.

But that bond gets stronger as we go out to our regions. Throughout her life, regional Australians have celebrated Her Majesty in many different ways. Be it in our town halls, our schools or even our pubs, it is heartwarming that you could be in Mildura, Geraldton or even Whyalla and spy a solitary portrait sitting on a wall. This is often a small, yet strong tribute that can embody a community's sentiment without anything needing to be said at all.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a shining light of great hope but also comfort for communities across regional, rural and remote Australia. In the midst of regional Australia's toughest times, Her Majesty provided many messages of support and strength. These efforts showed her true kindness, humanity and leadership. Across the 16 royal visits to Australia, accompanied by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh, Her Majesty graced towns across the regions more than 60 times. In a stunning display of affection for our land, in the incredible royal tour in 1954, the first ever by a reigning monarch, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh called through 35 regional towns, and many of these towns were lucky enough to get a second visit. These occasions took many different formats and held many a different tone. Some of these were showcases and celebrations. Some were deeply sombre ceremonies, marks of respect and remembrance. Yet almost all of these moments were simply a dream come true. They were real-life storybook moments where it did not matter whether you were a small child in Coffs Harbour or a middle-aged bloke in Mackay; this was an opportunity to get a glimpse of or even meet the Queen.

Perhaps the greatest testament that Her Majesty will be remembered by the regions, we are left with stories from each of these visits that she was certainly more than engaged with everywhere she went. In my own electorate of Maranoa, Her Majesty went through Cunnamulla and Longreach twice. Dan Walker, or 'Outback Dan', as he is commonly known, tells the story of the visit to Camden Park Station in Longreach: 'On 15 April 1970, the Queen arrived in her Rolls-Royce, and it was my dad's job for the day to ensure the driveway leading into Camden Park Station was graded so the Rolls-Royce didn't bottom out.' People came from as far as Roma, Rockhampton and Mount Isa to attend a luncheon hosted by the matron of the local hospital. The matron sat with the Queen, introducing her to the dignitaries, and over lunch they discussed issues regarding rural women, their lifestyles, the community and what they had been able to pioneer, while Prince Philip mingled with the men. Her Majesty marvelled that it was the only place she'd been to the world where she could actually see 360-degree views without a man-made structure in sight.

One of the reporters from the travelling media pack thought she'd visit the local pub to ask the locals what the visit meant to them personally, and all they could talk about was the chair that Her Majesty sat in and what they were going to do with it. The chair was nicknamed 'the Throne', and can be found to this day at the homestead.

Her Majesty returned to Longreach in 1988, our bicentennial year, to officially open the Australian Stockmans Hall of Fame, just one of the many projects she opened that have meant so much to our communities. But there was one small problem in Longreach: there were only 30 motel rooms. Visitors brought their own swags and tents and simply did what they do best in the outback: they camped out. It's reported more than 12,000 people came to Longreach on that occasion alone.

These are just some of the stories that have been swapped and passed down through generations, and will be for generations to come. They occur right across, throughout and without wonderful regions such as Dubbo, Benalla, Broken Hill, Armidale, Orange, Shepparton, Swan Hill, Broome and Cooma. The member for Hinkler recently retold the story of Her Majesty's visit to Bundaberg. Our royal visitors were to spend two hours in Bundaberg, but these two hours captivated the region. There were days upon days of rehearsals that even included intense practice and scrutiny of handshakes. This was also set to be the first time that children would take part in a civic reception in Queensland. As recalled by Bundaberg Now, the local newspaper, in the 40 days before the visit it had published 57 articles about the forthcoming event, and the week before her visit the paper published daily hints for residents on how to cope with the whole experience. A full-scale dress rehearsal was held at Bundaberg Showground days before the royal visit and the complete royal reception procedures were run through numerous times until it was faultless.

Ten trains arrived in Bundaberg early Thursday morning, from Maryborough, Gympie, Isis, Monto, Kingaroy, Morganville, Mount Perry and Gladstone, with more than 5,000 people on board, and most had returned home by 9 pm the same night.

In the end, over 30,000 people pooled into Bundaberg Showgrounds that day. Legend has it that Her Majesty also took an interest in the making of a certain local tipple and asked the mayor, Fred Buss, if he enjoyed it. The mayor, who was never one to miss an opportunity, replied that he did but that it was too expensive and cost one shilling a nip when it should only cost a penny—because of the excise duty from the federal government. Nothing's changed! Years later Her Majesty's son, our now King Charles III, visited the Bundy Rum Distillery and blended his own rum. Perhaps His Majesty had been given the heads-up.

There were also visits where Her Majesty marvelled at our great regional challenges and the practical innovations that our communities used to overcome them. After all, Her Majesty famously joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service, learning how to drive and how to service an army truck. In 1963, she visited Snowy Hydro and Eucumbene Dam and then went up north to Kununurra and Diversion Dam. In 1970, she visited the Royal Flying Doctor Service based in Mount Isa and visited the Mount Isa Mines. But this interest and fondness was not a one-way street; our communities worshipped these occasions. Just about every visit shares a similar picture: usually spacious and comfortable country main streets are flooded with thousands.

This fondness is also reflected in our communities through our rural agricultural shows. Entry and participation into these shows has traditionally been a chance to showcase a region's finest for judging as a prize suitable for the Queen. In the member for Riverina's electorate in 1954 Her Majesty attended the Wagga Wagga agricultural show, observing the woodchopping and wool classing. Yet again, thousands lined the streets, and it's been heralded as Wagga's greatest day. These moments have been preserved by our towns. When Her Majesty visited the member for Capricornia's electorate, there were two chairs made especially elegant, stylish and, of course, looking very comfortable. They were there for them to sit outside the Rockhampton Town Hall. They are now on display at the Rockhampton Museum of Art for all to see.

There are countless yarns, and, of course, some of those stories shared might not be entirely true; some that no-one would happen to believe did not in fact happen. That is the beauty of legend and that is the beauty of our regions—that they, the people who make up the very soul and identity of our nation, in their own backyard shared their own unique moment of history with a legend. Regional Australia will be devastated by Her Majesty's passing but can take great comfort that she's at peace. Moments in history like this are an occasion for deep reflection, and, as we reflect on Her Majesty's life, what we see is an incredible record of service, sacrifice and accomplishment.

As Australians, it's worth remembering how blessed we are to live in a society which is defined by a set of core fundamental principles, which have built our nation into what it is today. Australia is the Lucky Country, and part of that luck has been due to the fact that Her Majesty has been able to reign over us. The stability Her Majesty has provided has improved the lives of many. Freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and a free, robust democratic system of government—we owe these values to the United Kingdom and to Her Majesty, who was the proud and living embodiment of them. It is by staying true to these values as Australians that the memory of Queen Elizabeth II will always live in our hearts.

This is a sad time as we now say our final goodbye, and goodbyes are always hard. As we grieve for Her Majesty, we also say thank you. Thank you for your remarkable leadership, thank you for your immense contribution to our nation and our history, and thank you for your love, loyalty and sacrifice. I would like to finish by quoting a message of condolence that was left in my electorate office in Dalby by Mr Arthur Coutts:

To their royal highnesses. Our deepest heartfelt sympathies to you all on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I had the honour of serving as a soldier under her and took pride in my service for her. Never forgotten and always loved.

Vale, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

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