On an autumn day in Cape Town 64 years ago, a remarkable address was given.
It was the speech of a young woman who knew a life of duty stretched before her.
A life she accepted with courage and with grace.
In that address, Princess Elizabeth pledged that her “whole life whether it be long or short” would be devoted to the service of the British people and the Commonwealth.
Your Majesty, You have kept that pledge with unbroken constancy of purpose.
And the life upon which you were venturing has turned out to be long, eventful and greatly productive.
So it is that we greet you on the sixteenth time you have honoured us with a visit to our shores.
Many heads of state and government are welcomed within these walls.
But in this home of Australian democracy, you are a vital constitutional part, not a guest.
Just as in this nation, you can only ever be welcomed as a beloved and respected friend.
Your Majesty is the longest-lived sovereign in British history.
And surely history's most travelled head of state as well.
You are also the first and only reigning monarch to venture upon these shores.
Not merely to visit - but to share and understand the life of this nation.
You have witnessed our evolution from a small agricultural economy to an open, modern trading nation at home in this region and the world.
A vibrant multicultural democracy that has welcomed people from every corner of the globe.
A nation that honours its First Peoples and speaks the truth about its past.
A nation that more fully embraces the rights and aspirations of all its people, women and men alike.
And it is perhaps a sign of our progress that Your Majesty was welcomed at Canberra Airport by a female Governor-General, a female Prime Minister and a female Chief Minister.
These have been remarkable decades indeed.
My eminent predecessor once spoke of a lady passing by.
Far from passing by, you have endured.
You have endured with dignity and abiding strength of spirit.
As heir and monarch, you have walked fully two-thirds of Australia's national journey with us.
Understanding with clarity and sympathy our growing maturity as a nation and as a people.
Visiting every corner of this Commonwealth.
And sharing great national moments like the opening of the Opera House, the Bicentenary and this very Parliament building.
Now you stand at the gate of a truly extraordinary year;
An anniversary experienced by only one other monarch in our long history: because in 14 weeks time, the people of Britain and the Commonwealth will mark your diamond jubilee.
We will celebrate that jubilee with sincere gratitude and joy.
We will honour a wise and gracious sovereign who has spent her life in the cause of duty.
And we will honour the consort who has stood so constantly
at your side, himself a true friend of this country in peace and war; an outstanding supporter of science, innovation, and the education and support of our young people; and man whose robust humour and commonsense have always resonated with the Australian character.
Your Majesty, we do not know where Australia's path of nationhood may lead in the times to come.
We are, as you once so rightly said, “a country on the move and will go on being so”.
But we know this for a certainty: your journey of service will continue all the length of your days.
Keeping faith with the pledge made in Cape Town so many years ago.
And keeping faith with us, the people you have so long served.
And who give you, in return, our lasting affection and our very deep respect.