Michaelia Cash (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

It is an honour and a privilege to rise to speak to this condolence motion for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the greatest and most enduring leader the world has ever seen. Over the past two weeks, while we have mourned and reflected on Her Majesty's extraordinary life, many people from all around the world have made observations about what made this remarkable woman so special. There is, of course, no single observation that can answer this question. In fact, a life lived so well, in which so much was achieved and so much good was done, in many ways defies analysis or observation. It simply speaks for itself.

I honour and pay tribute today to a woman who in every way possible lived up to a promise that she made at a very young age. As we have heard, it was the then Princess Elizabeth who, on her 21st birthday on 21 April 1947, gave a speech in which she said:

I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.

What a vow to make to literally millions of people in Commonwealth countries all around the globe. We now know, of course, that Her Majesty lived a very long life and without a doubt fulfilled that promise, right up to the last moments of her life. There Her Majesty was, just two days before she passed, swearing in the new British Prime Minister, the Rt Hon. Elizabeth Truss. And, despite her obvious frailty, she performed that duty to perfection.

I think the ultimate selfless act at the end of her life was how she did not burden her subjects with any worry of her health. She just quietly retreated to her beloved Balmoral to embark upon her final journey.

My first encounter with Queen Elizabeth was as an 18-year-old university student in Western Australia. Her Majesty was on her 1988 bicentenary tour of Australia, in which she visited every state and territory and, of course, officially opened this place, the new Parliament House. I was honoured to be invited to an official garden party in Perth and had the privilege of meeting and speaking with Her Majesty. I still remember how at ease she made us all feel and how vivacious she was. Her Majesty was genuinely enjoying being in Australia, and for me, like so many others, it was a privilege to be in her presence. I was delighted to be able to meet Her Majesty again in Perth when she visited for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting during her final tour of Australia in 2011. It struck me at the time that she still displayed the same spirit and the same genuine love and affection for Australia that she had all those years earlier.

The Queen visited Australia on 16 separate occasions during her reign and was deeply loved and respected by the people of this nation. The Queen was the rock of our constitutional monarchy and represented the stability we have in our great democracy. Her Majesty showed us from the beginning to the end of her reign that she was a lady of grace, dignity and duty. That is how she reigned. Her Majesty had a genuine affection for her subjects and a genuine desire to see them succeed. It is one of the great lessons in leadership that the Queen has given this world. A true leader has a deep desire for those she leads to succeed. Her selfless and unfailing devotion to duty is also a great lesson, particularly for all of us in this place where we gather to serve the Australian people. If we are able to show just some of the dedication to duty that Her Majesty did during 70 years as our monarch, we will go a long way to serving the Australian people as they truly deserve.

This condolence motion today brings to an end the official mourning period and commemoration of Her Majesty's life, but I feel, for many of us, she will be in our thoughts for the rest of our lives. What an inspiration she was, and will remain, for millions of people all over the world. Rest in peace, Your Majesty. Long live the King.