Daniel Mulino (Fraser, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

Much has been said of the Queen's long association with Australia. When the Queen travelled to Australia in 1954, it was the first time a reigning monarch had ever visited Australia. However, her association with Australia preceded that with almost 30 kilograms of dried fruit having been provided for her wedding cake in 1947, the '10,000 mile cake,' by Girl Guides Australia. Upon arriving in Melbourne in 1954, nearly a million people lined the Queen's 'Royal Road' from Essendon Airport to Government House. The Queen went on to visit Australia 15 more times and, over this time, built a special connection with so many in our community.

As the member for Fraser, I want to focus on the connection between the Queen's service, and the nature of my electorate and the broader, modern Australian community. When the Queen first toured Australia in 1954, Australia was still experiencing the burden of the white Australia policy. It was a very different nation from the Australia of 2022. Almost seven decades on from that first visit, we are now one of the world's great multicultural communities. We are simultaneously home to the world's oldest continuous culture and to people who identify from over 270 different ancestries. I represent one of the country's most diverse electorates, nearly half of its over 170,000 citizens were born overseas or have parents born overseas. They come from over 170 countries, with the largest community having its origins in Vietnam. The residents of Fraser speak over 111 languages and practice over 30 religions.

In reflecting on the Queen's life, I also reflected on why and how she mattered for a highly diverse modern community such as my own, many of whose members arrived in Australia only recently. What is the role the Queen played in modern Australia, and how had this evolved as Australia had? In a recent essay about the monarch's nuanced relationship with modern Australia's multiculturalism, a young person from Australia's Vietnamese community noted that the involvement of the Queen in community service over an extended period of time had resonated with her and many in her community. She said:

Look at my family, they're very big on the good works and good deeds … I think that could be a reflection of the wider community. Actions speak louder than words.

I'm a republican, but, regardless of where one stands on that issue, it's been very noticeable to me how the Queen's extended service to community resonated across the many different and varied elements of the Fraser community.

A second and related issue for me is the Queen's own observations on tolerance and diversity. She lived through an era when Australia and many other nations experienced a range of challenges that created many social tensions and were misused by many to sow division. A good example of her response to this was her 2004 annual Christmas message. When many countries in the world were responding to the threat of terrorism, she highlighted the parable of the good Samaritan, who helped a despised foreigner. She said:

Some people feel that their own beliefs are being threatened.

…   …   …

They all need to be reassured that there is so much to be gained by reaching out to others; that diversity is indeed a strength and not a threat.

In addition to her unwavering dedication to service, which many have noted eloquently in the course of today's speeches, I believe that it is this service—when coupled with the Queen's commitment to democratic institutions, to diversity and to tolerance—that helps explain why she appealed to a community like Fraser, which comes from so many varied backgrounds. Over her long reign, Queen Elizabeth II saw Australia change, and she knew that it would and should continue to do so. She always had faith in our nation's capacity to chart its own course.

To the Queen's family and loved ones, including to King Charles III, I pass on my condolences. I conclude by paying tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and to her dedication to duty, faith, service and family, which was inspiring and comforting to so many.

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