Key events
In other news…
Malcolm Farr has written about new senator David Pocock, and how the “Pocock factor” will influence the government’s success at passing new bills.
Pocock is much more than a new guy who said the word “bullshit” in parliament after hearing more climate science denial from a small minority of the usual suspect senators, he writes.
Josh Butler
After the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, and the governor general, David Hurley, led the laying of wreaths at the Queen’s statue at Parliament House, numerous other federal MPs including Michaelia Cash, Linda Reynolds, Jane Hume and Gordon Reid followed suit.
After the politicians, dozens of members of Canberra’s diplomatic establishment paid their respects, with foreign ambassadors and representatives from embassies also laying floral tributes.
Notable in the line of those laying flowers and wreaths was Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian, with tributes laid on behalf of the embassies of New Zealand, Thailand, Serbia, Singapore, Peru, Egypt and many more.
The opposition leader, Peter Dutton, also spoke with reporters after the wreath-laying ceremony at Parliament House.
Dutton said the ceremony and the array of diplomats present “really reinforce the impact of the Queen’s passing, not just in Commonwealth countries but right across the world.”
He said:
That was the impact of the Queen, the leadership that she provided for the [time] of her reign, the inspiration that she provided for generations, the stoic nature, the way in which she stood by her people through good times and bad, and it is fitting that we have been able to lay wreaths today.
Dutton said the King’s first address overnight had continued “in the same selfless spirit as his mother served, and lived her life”.
I want to acknowledge a lot of outpouring of emotion right across the country – the amount of messages that we’ve had from people in my electorate and around the country who are grieving in different ways.
They have been touched in ways because of their own lives and their own experiences, even though they may not have met the Queen, but they have taken something from her service and they’ve been able to associate with that and I think that was the great power, the great strength of her leadership.
She was able to connect with people from all walks of life, and that’s why there is such a deep sense of grief and mourning.
Anthony Albanese says Queen’s commitment to service an ‘absolute inspiration’
Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese spoke last night with the new UK prime minister, Liz Truss, who met with the Queen in Scotland just two days before her death.
Speaking to reporters moments after a wreath-laying ceremony at Parliament House, Albanese said:
We talked about the depth of mourning that is occurring in the United Kingdom, but I also conveyed the feeling, the depth of sadness of the Australian people at the loss of Queen Elizabeth II. We will meet when I am in the United Kingdom.
Some time next week, the prime minister will fly to the UK ahead of the Queen’s funeral at Westminster Abbey. He will also meet formally with King Charles III alongside the governor general, David Hurley.
The prime minister also commented on the King’s speech overnight.
I think there have been many moving tributes to the contribution of Queen Elizabeth, but none more so than from King Charles III. King Charles, of course, was paying tribute not just to the sovereign but to his beloved mother, and it was extraordinarily fitting words.
It struck me in particular his words where he said, “the affection, admiration and respect she inspired became the hallmark of her reign.”
That’s why so many Australians have made moving tributes and are mourning this enormous loss, and I again reiterate, on behalf of the people of Australia, our sympathy for the royal family, for their personal loss as well as to the people of the United Kingdom and the people of the Commonwealth in particular, but also the whole world for what is an enormous loss.
Queen Elizabeth reigned for 70 years, in an era of enormous change. She was a constant, reassuring presence with her compassion, her decency, her commitment to service which is an absolute inspiration and which King Charles has referred to in his remarks paying tribute to his late mother.
This morning’s formal and silent wreath-laying ceremony at Parliament House will be the first of many formalities and occasions for reflection over the coming weeks after the death of the Queen. Another will take place tomorrow.
The last time Australia experienced the death of a monarch was 6 February 1952, when the then prime minister, Robert Menzies, told parliament at 9.50pm that King George VI had died.
As then governor general William McKell did in 1952, the current governor general, David Hurley, will tomorrow read a proclamation at Parliament House. He will declare the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the new reign of King Charles III.
Natasha May
Jackie Traynere and Barbara Parker are visiting Sydney from Chicago, Illinois, and praised Hail Marys for the Queen’s death outside government house in Sydney.
They said their first memory of the Queen was the royal wedding when Princess Diana and Prince Charles got married. Parker said:
I worked with a woman who didn’t want to be bothered. She rented a hotel room and went in there ordered room service and turned on the TV and just stayed there to watch the whole wedding.
The last big wedding before that was Luke and Laura on General Hospital.
Being in Sydney for the Queen’s death Parker said:
I had a woman in the hotel lobby yesterday that came up to me, all of a sudden she starts hugging me. And she said, Did you hear our queen is dead?
She goes, “aren’t you a Brit? I’m like, No, I’m an American but it’s still sad.
Jackie Traynere and Barbara Parker are visiting Sydney from Chicago Illinois and praised hail Maries for the Queen’s death outside government house in Sydney. pic.twitter.com/TW59gaTUTi
— Natasha May (@natasha__may) September 9, 2022
Jenny Collins brought her 6-year-old daughter Scarlett and 11-year-old son Xavier to lay flowers and a handwritten card at government house Sydney.
I wanted the kids to have something they’ll remember and they’ll tell their kids they remember when the Queen passed and and when they went and saw all these flowers and all the people.
I think it’s important because it’s a moment in time for Australian history and the Queen was – especially for our girls – she was an amazing role model for them. And they’ll, they’ll know a king forevermore now, and we grew up with the queen.
Jenny Collins brought her 6 year old daughter Scarlett to lay flowers so she would have something to remember the Queen by.
“The Queen an amazing role model, especially for our girls. They’ll know a king forevermore now, and we grew up with the queen.” pic.twitter.com/NhE7LYPux1
— Natasha May (@natasha__may) September 10, 2022
Diplomats have now moved through the ceremony on Queen’s Terrace laying wreaths and flowers, including UK high commissioner Vicki Treadell and the Chinese ambassador Xiao Qian.
Flags at Parliament House, as they are in most places, are at half-mast today. The ceremony has just concluded.
Australian Governor-General Hurley and his wife, and PM Albanese with finance minister Katy Gallagher, lay wreaths at the Queen’s statue in a ceremony at Parliament House pic.twitter.com/HAgsQQeepw
— Josh Butler (@JoshButler) September 10, 2022
Josh Butler
Walking up to the Queen’s statue on the building’s terrace in a procession, led by the Senate’s usher of the black rod, governor general David Hurley and his wife paused for a moment to reflect. They walked forward to lay a wreath of bright yellow flowers, including wattle and sunflowers.
Anthony Albanese and Katy Gallagher were next, laying a similar wreath of yellow and green. ACT chief minister Andrew Barr followed.
Speaker of the Gouse Milton Dick was accompanied by Senate president Sue Lines to lay their wreath. Opposition leader Peter Dutton followed after.
All wreaths were laid in silence.
Green and gold wreaths of flowers have been placed at the foot of the statue of the Queen by Anthony Albanese and finance minister Katy Gallagher.
ACT chief minister Andrew Barr and the opposition leader Peter Dutton follow.