COMMITTEES

Mr ALBANESE (Grayndler—Prime Minister) (09:01): I move: That: (1) a Joint Select Committee on the Centenary of Parliament in Canberra be appointed to oversee planning and delivery of the commemoration of the centenary of Parliament in Canberra, in consultation with the Presiding Officers; (2) the committee consist of nine members: Ms Claydon as Chair, Mr McCormack as Deputy Chair, Mr Dreyfus, Ms Payne, Ms Sharkie, Mr Rebello, Senator Stewart, Senator Walker and Senator Kovacic; (3) the members of the Committee hold office as a joint select committee until 30 November 2027; (4) the deputy chair shall act as chair of the committee at any time when the chair is not present at a meeting of the committee; (5) at any time when the chair and deputy chair are not present at a meeting of the committee the members present shall elect another member to act as chair at that meeting; (6) the chair, or the deputy chair when acting as chair, shall have a deliberative vote and, in the event of an equally divided vote, a casting vote; (7) three members of the committee constitute a quorum of the committee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House; (8) the Committee: (a) have power to appoint subcommittees consisting of three or more of its members and to refer to any subcommittee any matter which the committee is empowered to examine; and (b) appoint the chair of each subcommittee who shall have a deliberative vote and, in the event of an equally divided vote, a casting vote; (9) at any time when the chair of a subcommittee is not, present at a meeting of the subcommittee, the members of the subcommittee present shall elect another member of that subcommittee to act as chair at that meeting; (10) two members of a subcommittee constitute a quorum of that subcommittee, provided that in a deliberative meeting the quorum shall include one Government member of either House and one non-Government member of either House; (11) members of the committee who are not members of a subcommittee may participate in the proceedings of that subcommittee but shall not vote, move any motion or be counted for the purpose of a quorum; (12) the committee or any subcommittee have power to: (a) call for witnesses to attend and for documents to be produced; (b) conduct proceedings at any place it sees fit; (c) sit in public or in private; (d) report from time to time; and (e) adjourn from time to time and to sit during any adjournment of the House of Representatives and the Senate; (13) the provisions of this resolution, so far as they are inconsistent with the standing orders, have effect notwithstanding anything contained in the standing orders; and (14) a message be sent to the Senate acquainting it of this resolution and requesting that it concur and take action accordingly.

This year, Australia is celebrating 125 years of Federation, and I was with you and other members in Melbourne to commemorate that event of the first sitting of parliament, and it was a very good celebration of our history, which is worthy of celebration. In 2001, we had re-enactments and a great celebration there in Melbourne, as well, for the centenary of Federation.

Next year is, of course, another really important commemoration—one which we should celebrate as a profound national achievement and the beginning of a string of world firsts. We were the first country on earth created by the free and peaceful vote of its people. We were the first democracy where women could vote in elections and stand for parliament, and we were the first parliament anywhere in the world where a Labor Party formed national government.

We Australians sometimes think of ourselves as a young nation on an ancient continent, yet by global standards, of course, we are one of the oldest and strongest democracies in the world. Next year will mark an important anniversary: the 100th anniversary of Australian democracy making its home here in Canberra, our national capital. It has been 100 years since members and senators from across the country took their places in what was then called the Provisional Parliament House.

It is important that we mark this milestone as a parliament and as a country and do so in a way that deepens Australia's understanding of our democracy and the pride that all of us can take in its ongoing resilience. I know there's a great affection for Old Parliament House, as we call it now, and the history that it holds. Next year, I propose that our parliament holds a special sitting in the old building down the hill so that we can pay tribute to its service to Australia and reflect how what was debated and decided there and then continues to shape the life of our nation here and now.

I'm pleased that the Leader of the Opposition has agreed, and members who I have spoken have agreed to join this Joint Select Committee on the Centenary of Parliament in Canberra. It will be chaired by the Deputy Speaker the member for Newcastle, and the former deputy prime minister the member for Riverina will be the deputy chair of that committee. We've tried to bring together a group of people who would represent what parliament looks like today and would contribute.

I note the member for McPherson, who's a former attendant in Parliament House, has agreed to be one of the members of that committee as well, and that's a good thing. The member for Canberra, Alicia Payne, will be a member of that committee as a local member, and we have a broad cross-section of people who would work together to get through the detail, working with the Speaker and the President of the Senate.

The Museum of Australian Democracy, under Barrie Cassidy, the chair, has written to me already making suggestions, including the sitting of the parliament. We'll work through and make sure that there are constructive debates on the day. This isn't a day for partisanship; it will be a day for celebrating what unites us as a nation.

Included in that will be a question time in both chambers. Parliament has not been expanded since 1984, so people squished in there for all those years, and they'll be very close to each other in that time. This is an important opportunity.

The terms of debate take it up to 30 November of 2027, so it may well be that the members of the committee come up with different ideas to celebrate and engage. I note that Senator Jana Stewart will be a member of the committee as well. That's pretty important because one of the things that didn't happen a hundred years ago was the recognition of First Nations people and their role in this country.

That will be important. I also want to shout out the member for Mayo, who will ensure that crossbench members can be engaged. She's someone who's passionate about it and tells me about her constituent who is 108 years old and travelled, as a very young boy, from South Australia with family for the opening of the first parliament—and he's still there.

We hope he's able to attend again. We might fly him across, I'd suggest, at this time, but that would be remarkable. We need to tell our stories.

We need to have pride in who we are. This is a great democracy, and this is an opportunity for us to celebrate it. The national capital here in Canberra, sometimes denigrated, is a fantastic achievement.

This planned city—and it is planned, perhaps because of disagreement between Sydney and Melbourne, and all those debates—has turned out to be, because it is planned, very functional and livable. That is what we have here with all of our national institutions. One of those national institutions is the Museum of Australian Democracy.

It's where a whole lot of students go. There is range of activities that people come up with. One of the appointees to this committee with this motion is Senator Walker, elected on her 21st birthday last year.

I thought it would be a pretty good idea to get a young person's perspective as well. Charlotte will make a contribution, as will all the members of the committee. Senator Kovacic will also be a member.

She actually grew up in Canberra. I thank Michael McCormack in particular with Sharon Claydon for the engagement we've had over recent weeks to try and work through these proposals constructively. Everyone will go into this with a sense of goodwill.

I really look forward to Sharon and Michael's leadership on this—he's already organising things—together with your fine leadership, Mr Speaker. This will be a really important moment for the nation, to bring us together. We need more of that, not less.

These can be troubled and turbulent times globally. At a time when democracy around the world is actually, if you look at the global surveys, in retreat in terms of the way that people perceive democracy as a system, it is absolutely critical that we celebrate this. I commend the motion to the House.