It is with sadness today that I rise to speak on the passing of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The people of Canberra offer our deepest condolences to the royal family on the loss of a mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Her remarkable life of service and unwavering dedication to duty has been truly inspirational, and certainly I and, I think, many of us reflect with some awe on the experience of a young woman at the age of 25, following the death of her own father, taking on such a great responsibility and duty, and then to hold that responsibility and fulfil it with grace, dignity and respect for all people that she encountered every day until her death at the age of 96.

Her Majesty, of course, lived and reigned through the pivotal events of the 20th and 21st centuries. In Australia her long and record-breaking reign spanned 16 separate Australian prime ministers, and 16 governors-general served in her name. For 70 years she remained steadfast, a rare and reassuring constant in a rapidly changing and at times uncertain world. For most Australians, she was the only monarch we have ever known. The Queen visited Australia 16 times between 1954 and 2011, visiting every state and territory. She opened the Sydney Opera House, attended the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane and Melbourne and, in 1988, opened our parliament in which we stand today, 61 years to the day after her father opened the Provisional Parliament House just down the hill. At the time, she would have been one of the only women in the room, as she would have been frequently throughout her reign. Her appearances were always met with adoring crowds cheering, clapping and taking photographs in a show of affection. It was clear that Her Majesty had a special place in our hearts, as Australia and Canberra did in hers.

I remember clearly, as a primary school student in 1992, being one of these well-wishers, lining up along Drakeford Drive to watch and wave flags and being very excited to catch just a glimpse of her waving. She must have been on her way to open Bonython Primary School. Many of my Canberra constituents share such memories as mine, as the Queen visited the national capital on 14 occasions, more than any other Australian city. As a result, she holds a special place in the history of my electorate and the national capital. She visited Parliament House, both old and new, on eight occasions and opened the federal parliament three times, including in 1977, the year of her Silver Jubilee. She opened many of the capital's best-known and most important institutions: the Parliament House in which we stand but also the High Court and the National Gallery of Australia.

She featured prominently within the parliament and national capital this year as we commemorated her Platinum Jubilee, and I was very pleased to support applications from many organisations in my electorate to be part of the Planting Trees for the Queen's Jubilee program. I have already been to two ceremonies: one at St John's Church in Reid, where the Queen attended many times, and one just last week at Macquarie Primary School. These trees obviously take on a very special meaning now. It's wonderful to think that those young students at Macquarie primary, who will not see a monarch reign for 70 years again, will have cause to reflect on the remarkable life of Queen Elizabeth.

She was born into a role in which she had little choice but fulfilled it with a deep sense of dedication all the days of her life. As others have said, she was a great example of servant leadership. As former prime minister Paul Keating said:

Queen Elizabeth … instinctively attached herself to the public good against what she recognised as a tidal wave of private interest and private reward. And she did this for a lifetime. Never deviating.

As Prime Minister Albanese reflected yesterday, perhaps the best way that we can honour the life of Her Majesty is not with statues but with:

… a renewed embrace of service to community.

A truer understanding of our duty to others.

A stronger commitment to respect for all.

This would be the most fitting memorial to a magnificent life. May she rest in peace.