Governor-General Sam Mostyn has addressed members of the 48th parliament in Canberra today, speaking about the value of care, kindness and respect in politics and Australian life.
At the official opening of the 48th parliament, Mostyn urged MPs to put care at the centre of their thoughts as they embark on the next three years of lawmaking.
“I hear regularly from Australians, as you must do too, that they see civic life underpinned by these values demonstrated by all of us who have the great privilege of serving our communities in public life,” she said in her speech in the House of Representatives.
“If you make the mistake of thinking that care is soft, I always talk to people and remind them that in its most powerful form, care is tough. It’s accountable and measurable, often hard to do consistently and persistently, but always essential to our nation’s future and our cohesion as a modern society.”
Speaking to members of the House of Representatives directly, Mostyn said:
“Now for you, working with integrity and optimism as stewards of our democracy, I believe you’ll bring that same care, kindness and respect to your roles in The Great House of Representatives,” Mostyn said.
“I’ve seen those values become as much a part of life as anything throughout Australia. And I know you see them too across your electorates. You see these people, you see the communities. It must be something wonderful for you, because it certainly is for me to see the muscle of care exercise so regularly.”
As Governor-General, Mostyn is the federal representative of the monarch of Australia.
“Because I speak about care and kindness so often around the country, I often receive emails, as I’m sure you do too, from people who give me a response to that way of framing our values,” Mostyn explained in her speech.
After her speech in the House of Representatives, Mostyn moved to the Senate, where she spoke about the federal government’s legislative agenda for this term.
“At a time of declining electoral turnouts around the world, a record number of Australians had their say, peacefully and purposely,” she said, referring to the recent federal election.
“They re-elected a government that will continue building on the foundation of its first term, upholding the values of fairness, aspiration and opportunity, shaping an economy that rewards effort and innovation and ensuring every Australian has a chance to succeed and can access essential services.”
As Mostyn spoke in the Senate, Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi held up a protest sign that read: “Gaza is starving, words won’t feed them. Sanction Israel”.