On the 2nd of June the Prime Minister, Mr Albanese, was reported to have said of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations across the Commonwealth: “lit up in royal purple we joined 53 other nations in celebrating our common heritage celebrating a life of service, fidelity, integrity and humanity.”
Coming ahead of lighting the national Jubilee beacon on Canberra’s newly named Elizabeth II Island, the Prime Minister’s reference to common heritage pointed to an enduring cultural connection between otherwise distinct nations.
It is trite to say that we share historical links with Britain and the Commonwealth. The connections run deeper. Distilled in one person, the Queen, and one institution, the Crown, the Jubilee has reminded us that we share a profound vernacular canon of constitutional, legal, philosophical and cultural characteristics.
As the Prime Minster said on 2 June, Australia is no longer the “young upstart” to our British parent, but an equal and a friend. We say that such a mature and close cultural relationship would be impossible without the familial link.
We at the BAC wish Her Majesty The Queen a happy Platinum Jubilee and a flourishing continuance of her reign.
We commend to you our common cultural links with Britain so exquisitely amplified in the Jubilee celebrations. We encourage you to take the time over the remainder of the Jubilee year to contemplate and celebrate your British inheritance.