Parliament is known as a place of regular cacophony. But on the eve of a new parliament, Anthony Albanese speaks of hope in silence. | Tony Wright | PERSPECTIVE auspol
Anthony Albanese, on the eve of his first day in the Australian parliament as prime minister, spoke of the power of silence, and the need to listen for it and never to forget the depth of it.
“Giants”, he said of his own mentor and father figure, the long-time Labor MP and peace activist Tom Uren, and one of the most significant post-war Liberal figures, Sir John Carrick. “This is the fourth time since World War II and the fifth time in 100 years that Labor has formed government from opposition,” he said.“We are only able to do that because of your hard work, because of your commitment, because of your principles, because of the people, the party members and volunteers and union members who have sent you here, who do so much work and will never be interested in appearing in a public forum.
The war historian Charles Bean wrote of the eerie quiet that settled on the Western Front at the end of the First World War: ‘The sound of guns ceased – the gates of the future silently opened’.
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