James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

It is an honour to be re-elected as a senator for Queensland and to represent the people of Queensland in this august chamber. I am also humbled to have been reappointed by the Prime Minister as his parliamentary secretary, or assistant minister. It is an absolute privilege to be part of the returned Turnbull-Joyce government—the coalition government—the only team in this place with a plan to provide jobs and growth and a secure future for Australian families.

But before talking about what happened during the election campaign, I want to touch on something that is very close to my heart, and that is the national flag of Australia—our flag. On 3 September it was National Flag Day, and that was a day to celebrate the anniversary of our Australian national flag. For the past 115 years our flag has accompanied Australia on its journey of nationhood, a symbol of our historical ties and a symbol of our achievements. On 3 September in 1901, at approximately 2.30 in the afternoon, a new Australian flag, featuring stars and crosses, was hoisted for the first time above the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne, which was the site of our first federal parliament. Prime Minister Edmund Barton announced it as the winning design of a competition which attracted more than 30,000 entries worldwide. Four Australians and one New Zealander were pronounced joint winners of the competition. One was a well-known female artist from Perth, one a Melbourne schoolboy of just 14, another an 18-year-old optician's apprentice, one an architect and another a first officer with the Union Steamship Company of New Zealand.

They were from different backgrounds and had different skills, yet those different perspectives led them all to a nearly identical design combining the Southern Cross and the Union Jack. Even before this competition, Australians had begun to raise unofficial flags, often featuring the Southern Cross in place of the Union Jack. They wanted a flag that would represent them and their fledgling nation, a flag that would unite all Australians. Today our flag is part of our identity as a nation. We are a country with a diverse population, yet the flag connects us all. We express pride in our country with it. Wherever it is flown, it signifies to others where we live in the great land under the Southern Cross.

Last night I was watching Last Night of the Proms, which is one of my favourite TV programs every year. It is a fantastic music spectacle.