Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On this, the 160th anniversary of the Eureka Stockade, it is a pleasure to speak in this adjournment debate. 'It is the inalienable right of every citizen to have a voice in making the laws he is called upon to obey, [and] taxation without representation is tyranny.' So began the call of ten thousand Australians for self-determination, one weekend in November 1854. It was the first solid step towards Australian democracy, and the beginnings of a cherished national identity.

The goldfields of 19th century Ballarat were a colourful and varied place. The call of gold had brought the hopeful from across the globe, drawing together such a number of cultures and nations as to make what happened there all the more remarkable. The 10,000 bound themselves under the oath of the Southern Cross to each other, determined that any rights available to one would be reflected upon the others. The charter says: 'It is not the wish of the League to effect an immediate separation of this colony from the parent country, if equal laws and equal rights are dealt out to the whole community …' Less than one month later, on 3 December, this stockade, made of miners, immigrants, men and women, stood together under the flag of the Southern Cross where they were attacked. It took only twenty minutes for troopers to reach the flag and tear it down, leaving 22 diggers dead, along with five troopers. The charter reads: 'We swear by the Southern Cross to stand truly by each other and fight to defend our rights and liberties.'

It was not the end for the Ballarat Reform League. Their struggle for basic human rights and their fight to be free of unjust, uncaring tyranny sparked changes that led to freedoms for all Australians—freedoms we now hold dear, and ideas like the right to a fair go, of personal liberty and a national identity forged around mateship. The charter reads: ' … the Reform League will endeavour to supersede such Royal prerogative by asserting that … the people are the only legitimate source of all political power.'

This significant moment in Australian history is all the more powerful for its selfless reach and universal application. The crowd at Eureka was fuelled by anger, disappointment and fear, and yet their struggle birthed a charter determined to reshape a more equal society for all. The fundamental tenets of the charter called for full and fair representation; suffrage for all men—women would, of course, come later; the eligibility of nonlandowners to hold office; the payment of members of parliament; and a short parliamentary duration. Not only that, the charter itself presents the first serious call for the freedom of the press in Australia's history, making it the first time a real platform for an Australian democracy was laid out.

Today has seen my home town of Ballarat come together to celebrate the anniversary of Eureka, and I am so proud to be able to speak on behalf of the people of Ballarat. Sovereign Hill held its light and sound show, 'Blood on the Southern Cross', in commemoration this morning. A memorial service at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka saw the raising of a flag hand-stitched by Eureka Stockade descendants, as well as fine speeches by the Hon. Steve Bracks; Mayor of the City of Ballarat John Phillips; and MADE Chairman Kaaren Koomen.

Yet, as a nation, we may be letting the Eureka spirit fade. The anniversary of the stockade is not a date well known by children around the country. It is not even an annual fixture in the schools of Victoria, the site of the gold rush that energised this country for more than 50 years.

It is also not a simple event. Australians died on both sides—fighting for greater rights and fighting for the state. The actions of the colourful protagonists, such as Governor Hotham and rebel leader Peter Lalor are still debated from many angles. Peter Lalor's later election as the member for Ballarat and North Grenville just served to demonstrate the complex nature of the events. We have seen the adoption of the Eureka flag by many causes, both left and right.

But this does not serve to reduce the relevance of what happened, 160 years ago. It should spark a deeper debate, a greater connection to our education, more literate institutions and a greater understanding of our nation and ourselves. The Eureka fight for equality, representation and freedom continues today around the world, and we should be very proud of what Australia has done to contribute to that legacy.

I want to pay particular tribute to the people who keep the Eureka spirit alive—the fantastic Museum of Australian Democracy at Eureka; the Children of Eureka, whose idea it was initially to have a copy of the diggers' charter tabled in this place—and I will seek leave to do that shortly; and the families of the descendants of those who were at the stockade. It is groups like these that make sure the legacy of the Eureka stockade lives on.

This legacy is simply stated in the charter's concluding words, that cut right to the heart of why the 160th anniversary is so important: 'Its principles and objects are the full political rights of all people.'

I seek leave to table a copy of the diggers' charter, a larger version of which I will have in my office and which will continue, hopefully, in perpetuity in this place, in all the of members for Ballarat's offices into the future. (Time expired)

Leave granted.