Sydney, Sept. 22 (BUS): Australia held a national day of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying the greatest honor the nation could give was not a statue but a “rejuvenated embrace of community service.”
With the day declared a national holiday, a memorial service attended by 600 dignitaries was held at Parliament House in Canberra for Queen Elizabeth, who as head of state of Australia has toured the country 16 times over seven decades.
The ceremony was opened by a First Nations elder, my Aunt Violent Sheridan, who gave a traditional welcome to the country, remembering Queen Elizabeth as a mother and grandmother.
The event took place before protests by indigenous groups against the monarchy and the impact of British colonialism on First Nations peoples, which are scheduled to take place in three cities in the afternoon.
Albanese, who returned to Australia the day before after attending Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in London, noted her memory is being honored “on a continent that is home to the world’s oldest continuous culture”.
Albanese supports Australia becoming a republic, but has previously said his centre-left Labor government will prioritize recognition of First Nations people in the constitution, which, like any transition to a republic, requires a national referendum. A referendum for the republic failed in 1999, and recent opinion polls show a divided opinion.
In a speech at the memorial service, he said Australia had gone through a transformation during the reign of Queen Elizabeth. When it first toured, he said, Britain was Australia’s largest trading partner and largest source of immigration.
“Australia, in 1954, where seven million people – 70% of the population – were to welcome the first sovereign to visit these shores, was, in almost all respects, a different nation in a different world,” he said.
He said Queen Elizabeth was proud of Australia’s progress and stood with us, and that “Australia’s passion is strong”.
“Perhaps the greatest tribute we can give to her family and her memory is not a marble statue or a metal plaque. It is a renewed embrace of community service,” he said.
MI