Good morning everyone, on behalf of my parliamentary colleagues and in particular the Senate and Senators, welcome to this celebration.
In particular, a very special welcome to His Excellency the Governor-General.
First, my congratulations to the ACT Primary Concert Choir for that fantastic rendition of our national anthem.
I can say I wasn’t much older than you when I watched the opening of this building. It is an incredible honour to now serve in it as a representative of the people and President of the Senate. I know I speak on behalf of all my parliamentary colleagues when I say our children are our inspiration for our work here.
Second, my thanks to the representatives of our many faiths and for their blessings.
Like this building and all it represents, you remind us that even as individuals, we are part of something bigger than ourselves.
I would like to echo the Speaker’s welcome to guests here today, but particularly our fellow citizens, the people we serve in this place.
117 years ago today our national parliament first sat in my hometown of Melbourne, in what was before and since, the Victorian Parliament; built by the rush of gold that brought people to Australia from across the world.
Just as it is today, it was Parliament elected by the people, under a constitution they themselves had written and voted for by referendum. Something we should never take for granted, it was a lot less common then than it is today.
Today we celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of this building, built as the permanent home of our democracy, albeit a few decades later than originally intended.
The construction of this building also drew thousands of people from across our country and the world to join us and build our democracy along with their lives and families, continuing the great tradition of this nation as a magnet for hope.
Placed here, at the axis of this national city down to the Australian War Memorial, Parliament House directly connects our democracy to the sacrifices of hundreds of thousands of men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice to guarantee the freedoms and opportunity we hold dear, both for ourselves and our fellow man.
I know I speak on behalf of all my parliamentary colleagues in saying it is a great honour to be here today to celebrate not just this building but what it represents: Australia’s democracy, one of the world’s oldest and most successful, that not only has a great deal to be proud of, but a bright future as a beacon of opportunity and freedom.
Can I please ask you to join me in welcoming His Excellency, General the Honourable Sir Peter Cosgrove, Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia.