Afternoon Reception for Delegates Attending the 27th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Queensland Seminar

Good evening: Mr Speaker; Minister Grace; Clerk; Secretary General; ladies and gentlemen. Kaye and I are delighted to welcome you all here to historic Government House, known also as Fernberg.

For those unfamiliar with Queensland’s history, our original Government House was co-located next to Parliament House for the first 50 years or so following the formation of the colony of Queensland in 1859.

The first decade of the twentieth century in Queensland was, politically, tempestuous. In 1907, Governor Baron Chelmsford rejected advice of then Premier, William Kidston, to appoint more members to the Legislative Council, something for which, according to Baron Chelmsford, there was not a sufficient mandate.

His Excellency then called upon the Opposition Leader, Robert Philp, to form government, and despite defeat in the Assembly, Philp was granted a dissolution.

There were two subsequent notable matters of fact.

The first: Kidston won the next election.

The second: shortly afterwards, a search was underway for a Government House more than a short stroll away from Parliament, Old Government House having being identified as the site for Queensland’s first university.

And so, here we are at Fernberg!

Whether there was a link between these episodes remains a matter of intrigue and conjecture, and I trust you will agree I am treading on safe ground not moving beyond well-established speculation!

This has been Government House Queensland since 1910, and our people – regular visitors – are very proud of it!

Kaye and I are very proud to be Fernberg’s present custodians, and to discharge our duties, as Governor and representative of Her Majesty The Queen, from here, for the benefit of Queenslanders.

(And we were very pleased to mark, in Her Majesty’s 90^th birthday year, the relocation of a magnificent bronze statue of The Queen from Brisbane CBD to here at Government House on the Western Formal Lawns on Saturday during our Open Day.)

We are also delighted that such an eminent group of parliamentarians, parliamentary officers and staff from across the Commonwealth realms, can join us here tonight, as participants in the 27^th Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Seminar, furthering understanding of Westminster principles which underpin stability, and giving substance to the enduring values of the Commonwealth.

We wish you all a most productive week and a pleasant stay here in Queensland. Thank you.