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My Story: Julia Gillard’s Book Launched By Quentin Bryce

Sep 26, 2014

Australia’s first female Governor-General today launched the memoirs of the nation’s first female prime minister.

Gillard

Julia Gillard was prime minister for 3 years and 3 days from June 23, 2010. Her 504-page book of memoirs, My Story, was published this week.

In her speech, Quentin Bryce, appointed Governor-General by Gillard’s predecessor Kevin Rudd in 2008, emphasised the example Gillard set for girls and women.

Bryce paid tribute to Gillard’s grace, courtesy, respect for protocol and her attitude of “getting on with it”.

Bryce

Gillard, fresh from a trip to New York, spoke briefly, depicting her book as a story of resilience.

Gillard made no mention of specific policy issues. She criticised journalists for their predictable responses and made it clear she did not want to feed media interest in the internal machinations of the ALP.

  • Listen to Bryce (24m)

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  • Listen to Gillard (12m)

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Filed Under: A.L.P., Audio, Gillard, Governor-General, Sexism, Women Tagged With: , , ,

Dame Quentin Bryce, 25th Governor-General Of Australia, Farewelled In Canberra

Mar 25, 2014

Two hours after the announcement that she had been made a Dame, Australia’s 25th Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, was farewelled at a reception at Parliament House tonight.

Bryce

Bryce’s official portrait, painted by artist Ralph Heimans, was unveiled during the farewell.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott spoke in glowing terms of Bryce’s service and approach to the position of Governor-General. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, Bryce’s son-in-law, also addressed the gathering. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Abbott, Audio, Governor-General Tagged With: , , ,

Arise Dame Quentin And Sir Peter: Abbott Reintroduces Knights And Dames For “Pre-Eminent Australians”

Mar 25, 2014

The Prime Minister, Tony Abbott, has announced that Knights and Dames will be reintroduced for “pre-eminent” Australians.

Abbott

The outgoing Governor-General will become Dame Quentin Bryce, whilst the new Governor-General will be Sir Peter Cosgrove.

Abbott said a small number of knights and dames would be created each year. He suggested the number would be four.

The honours would go to people who have been given public office rather than sought it. The award recognises that some people can never entirely return to private life after holding high office such as the Governor-General’s position.

The honours would add a “grace note” to Australia’s public life, Abbott said.

Abbott said the Queen had amended the Letters Patent for the Order of Australia to allow the introduction of knighthoods.

New Zealand has had a similar order of chivalry, known as the Order of Merit, since 1996.

Imperial honours were abolished by the Whitlam government over 40 years ago. They were briefly re-introduced under the Fraser government in the late 1970s but abolished again by the Hawke Labor government in 1983. Even the conservative administration of John Howard did not seek to reintroduce knighthoods.

The former head of the Australian Republican Movement, Malcolm Turnbull, currently Minister for Communications in the Abbott government said republicans should not lose too much sleep over Abbott’s announcement. See full statement below.

  • Listen to Abbott’s press conference – transcript below (18m)

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  • Watch Channel 7 News report (3m)
  • Watch a response from the NSW ALP (25s)

Media release from Prime Minister Tony Abbott.

A new honour for pre-eminent Australians

On my recommendation, Her Majesty the Queen has amended the Letters Patent constituting the Order of Australia.

Knights and Dames in the Order of Australia will be approved by Her Majesty on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Abbott, Audio, Governor-General, Honours, Video Tagged With: , , ,

Governor-General Quentin Bryce Calls For A Republic And Same-Sex Marriage

Nov 24, 2013

The Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, has called for an Australian republic and same-sex marriage in the last of her Boyer Lectures, delivered just four months before she retires from the Vice-Regal role.

Bryce

Bryce’s remarks came at the end of a speech titled “Advance Australia Fair”. She concluded by imagining a nation of care and equality, “where people are free to love and marry whom they choose and where, perhaps, my friends, one day, one young girl or boy may even grow up to be our nation’s first head of state”.

Bryce has been Governor-General since 2008. Appointed by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, she is the first female Governor-General.

  • Listen to Bryce’s speech (29m)

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Text of Governor-General Quentin Bryce’s final Boyer Lecture for the ABC.

Advance Australia Fair

My Friends

One of the occasions, that spoke openly, of the diversity of Australian life and talent was the lunch I hosted to honour Her Majesty the Queen during her visit here in 2011.

Some around the table were –

  • a high school principal;
  • the chair of a major public company;
  • a paralympic gold medallist;
  • race horse trainer;
  • the director of a medical research institute;
  • a young female helicopter pilot
  • and a young man in our Army’s SAS,

both rising through the ranks of our military;

  • the founder and director of the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital for women in Ethiopia;
  • a senior laywoman of the Anglican Church;
  • a Sister of Mercy;
  • a farmer;
  • an Australian-Vietnamese author and comedian;
  • the CEO of a Women’s Resource Centre in the Kimberley in far north-west Australia.

All of them passionate about their work, fine advocates of its value to society, and modest narrators of their own stories of achievement.

I felt privileged to be among them, and to share in their generosity of spirit and intellect. They exemplified, the quality and breadth of contribution I see all around our country. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Equality, Gay, Governor-General, Republic Tagged With: , , , ,

Governor-General Quentin Bryce Opens 44th Parliament

Nov 12, 2013

The Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, has officially opened the 44th Parliament.

Bryce

After a day of ceremonies, including the swearing-in of the new House of Representatives, Bryce summoned members to the Senate and delivered the traditional government-written speech outlining the government’s program for the new Parliament.

The government will be “active” but not “big”, Bryce said. She outlined Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s plan to “repeal the carbon tax, abolish the mining tax, cut the waste and build the roads of the 21st century”.

Bryce’s 30-minute speech was followed by a 19-gun salute by military cannons outside Parliament House.

Earlier, the House of Representatives elected Bronwyn Bishop as its new Speaker, replacing Anna Burke, the last of three speakers in the 43rd Parliament.

The Parliament gets down to business tomorrow when it is expected that the bills to repeal the carbon tax will be introduced in the morning. Abbott and new Opposition Leader Bill Shorten will face off in Question Time at 2pm.

Today’s speech was Quentin Bryce’s last opening of Parliament. She retires in March next year.

  • Listen to Quentin Bryce’s speech (30m)

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  • Watch Bryce (38m)
  • Download a copy of the Governor-General’s Address (PDF)

Transcript of Governor-General Quentin Bryce’s Address at the Opening of the First Session of the Forty-Fourth Commonwealth Parliament.

Bryce

Introduction

Honourable Senators and Members of the Parliament of Australia.

Today, at the opening of the 44th Commonwealth Parliament, we celebrate the enduring health of our democracy.

One hundred and twelve years after the first Federal election, nearly 14 million Australians have cast their votes in another free and fair election.

For only the fourth time in three decades, the Australian people have voted for a change of government. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Abbott, Audio, Governor-General, Opening Parliament, Video Tagged With: , , , , ,
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