Page 1168 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 24 June 1992
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Members have spoken about the history of the wattle. As Mr Humphries, I think it was, said, it was only in August 1988 that the golden wattle, Acacia pycnantha, was declared as the floral emblem of Australia. In having a National Wattle Day, we will be celebrating all varieties of wattle, some of which we have heard about in the debate today. In the ACT we will need to establish which wattles we might have in full bloom for 1 September. I know from my own garden and my own area that it will not be the most common wattle, the Cootamundra wattle.
I believe that most States have responded affirmatively to Senator Bolkus's proposal for 1 September. Following this debate in this Assembly, I will be pleased to respond positively as well. I do think it is appropriate that issues of this significance should come to the Assembly for some debate and an indication of support amongst all the parties. I assure members that the proclamation of a National Wattle Day does not in any way mean that there will be a further public holiday. In fact, Senator Bolkus has gone to some pains to assure governments of that. He says:
The national celebration would be on the understanding that neither a national holiday nor any commitment of Commonwealth funds would be associated with this proposal.
That hardly comes as a surprise to some of us. It should reassure members opposite and, of course, reassure the business community, who in general do not favour public holidays in any form. Having heard members' views on this, I will be in a position to respond positively to the Federal Government. I look forward to seeing some proposals from members on the celebration of our National Wattle Day - although I do not think I will be putting Mr Moore in charge of it, based on his remarks today.
MRS GRASSBY (11.48), in reply: I thank all members who spoke very nicely on this. I would like to let Mr Humphries know that the Spanish were here long before the Dutch, and we all know that the Spanish Armada was then wrecked on the south coast of England and Ireland and could very easily have taken the wattle back to England in that way. I think he had better look up his history. After all, the English found their way here on Spanish maps. I have seen wattle trees in England and also in Ireland. I am speechless about the comments made by Mr Moore. I felt very much in tune with the speech made by Mr Lamont as he quoted one of my favourite poems. My leader made an excellent speech. Mr Humphries recited poetry with much perspicacity, but an old bushie would say a poem this way:
This 'ere is our wattle,
as 'e 'eld it in 'is 'and;
it's a symbol of our land.
You can stick it in a bottle,
you can 'old it in your 'and.
I shall finish with that, Madam Speaker.
Question resolved in the affirmative.
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