E&OE……………………….……………………………………………………………

 

Prime Minister, Speaker, Deputy President, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, everyone who has come to celebrate this remarkable occasion. It is a remarkable occasion because more than 80 per cent of Australians, four fifths of us, have lived our entire lives under the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Her Majesty the Queen had already been on the throne for 20 years when the current father of the House of Representatives first entered the parliament. So far, Queen Elizabeth has had 12 Australian prime ministers and no fewer than 17 opposition leaders and I suspect she may have a few more of both before her reign finally ends.

 

In an ever-changing world, the Queen has been a constant in our lives and a reminder that though much changes, much remains the same, especially the ideals of duty and service of which she has been such an extraordinary exemplar.

 

She has been Queen of Australia, of Canada, of New Zealand and of Papua New Guinea as well as of the United Kingdom, and she has served the people of all those countries and the Commonwealth with equal distinction.

 

The monarchy is a product of history but it testifies to values that transcend time and place, to the duties of rulers, to the responsibilities of citizens and to the bonds that tie the greatest to the least in all well ordered societies.

 

It is fitting that we light a beacon tonight. A good monarch should be an island in a sea of change, a comfort when so much is uncertain and, if needed, a point of light amidst darkness.

 

So, we salute Queen Elizabeth who for 60 years has been an adornment for our country and for the entire world.

 

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