Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Hansard source

Senators, you will be aware that today, 9 May 2018, marks 30 years since the official opening of Parliament House by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. I wish to advise that His Excellency the Governor-General wrote to Her Majesty noting the anniversary and drawing Her Majesty's attention to the program of events to be held this year to mark the occasion. We have received the following message in reply from Buckingham Palace:

Please convey my warm thanks to the Members of the Senate and the House of Representatives for their kind letter, sent on the occasion of the Thirtieth Anniversary of the opening of Australia's Parliament House which is being celebrated today.

I remember with fondness my visit to Canberra during Australia's Bicentenary and was interested to learn that Parliament House now attracts more than one million visitors each year.

This message comes with my best wishes to you and the Australian people for a most successful year of events marking the milestone in the history of your National Parliament.

I thank the Senate. I observe that it was a senator who suggested the idea to me to actually commence that letter.