On Tuesday 9 May 2023, the latest session of Australia's oldest Parliament was officially opened by the Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales, His Excellency the Honourable Andrew Bell.
The day included ceremonial proceedings with His Excellency and representatives from the Aboriginal community, the swearing in of members, and the election of the Parliament's new Presiding Officers. Here's how the events unfolded…
The morning Opening by commission
A new Parliament commences with an official Opening. Openings generally take place in the presence of the Governor of New South Wales or commissioners, who are senior ministers appointed by the Governor to open the Parliament. This year, commissioners opened Parliament during morning proceedings, while later in the day the Lieutenant-Governor delivered the official speech on the Opening of Parliament.
The three commissions appointed to open the Parliament were the Leader of the Government in the Legislative Council, the Honourable Penny Sharpe, Deputy Leader the Honourable John Graham, and Treasurer the Honourable Daniel Mookhey.
Watch the commission Opening:
Gathering in the Legislative Council chamber
For the morning Opening – and the afternoon speech by His Excellency – members from both Houses of Parliament gathered in the Legislative Council chamber.
Why this particular spot?
By convention, the monarch or their representative (such as the Governor) never enters the Legislative Assembly chamber. This goes back to 1642 in England, when King Charles I entered the House of Commons and attempted to arrest five members – an action that saw the lower house's doors barred to the monarchy then, and ever since.
So, for members to come together for the Opening, the Council's Usher of the Black Rod was directed to summon members of the Assembly to the Council chamber. The summoning itself was a tradition-filled process, with the Assembly's door being symbolically and literally shut in the Black Rod's face! The Black Rod was then required to deliver three sharp knocks to the door, before she was permitted entrance to deliver her message and escort members across.
The election of Presiding Officers and swearing in of members
During the morning Opening, both Houses were asked to go forth and elect the new President of the Legislative Council and the new Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, in their respective chambers.
In the Legislative Council, after all new and re-elected members were sworn in, the Honourable Ben Franklin was elected as President. The Honourable Rod Roberts was then elected Deputy President, and the Honourable Peter Primrose Acting President.
In the Legislative Assembly, after all members were sworn in, Greg Piper was elected as Speaker. Sonia Hornery was then elected Deputy Speaker, and Jason Yat-Sen Li Assistant Speaker.
Afterwards in both chambers, another tradition-steeped moment occurred: the introduction of the Law of Evidence Bill. This bill is always the first to be introduced at the start of a new session of our Parliament – but it's not listed on any business or notice paper, and isn't intended to be passed! Instead, its introduction is a statement of the Parliament's independence from the Crown, with the Parliament effectively choosing its own item of business before turning to any matters raised by the Governor.
Ceremonial proceedings with His Excellency the Lieutenant-Governor
Ceremonial proceedings for the day took place on the Parliament's Rooftop Garden.
When His Excellency arrived, he received the Royal Salute and inspected an honour guard formed by Ambulance NSW. The NSW Police Band was also in attendance.
A Welcome to Country was then delivered by Yvonne Weldon, Deputy Chair of the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council, alongside a traditional Aboriginal Smoking Ceremony. For the first time, all members of Parliament were invited to participate in the Smoking Ceremony – a cultural practice for purification and cleansing. Smouldering native plants were used to produce smoke considered to cleanse the area and ward off bad spirits from the people and the land.
Watch the Rooftop Garden proceedings:
Afterwards, both Houses of Parliament formally presented their Presiding Officer and all members to His Excellency in the historic Jubilee Room.
The official speech on the Opening of Parliament
In the afternoon, all members assembled once again for a key moment in the Opening of the 58th Parliament: the official Opening of Parliament speech, delivered by His Excellency.
An Opening of Parliament speech traditionally declares the causes of calling Parliament together, reviews current policy issues, and considers the government's broad legislative agenda for the upcoming session. For the first time, the speech was accompanied by live Auslan interpretation, following a recommendation by the Council's Procedure Committee arising out of an inquiry into Auslan last year.
Before His Excellency's speech, Ray Ingrey spoke to members in the Dharawal language. Mr Ingrey is a Dharawal person from the La Perouse Aboriginal Community, Chairperson of the Gujaga Foundation and member of the NSW Aboriginal Languages Trust. After his remarks, he handed the Aboriginal Message Stick to the Usher of the Black Rod, to be placed on the dais at the front of the chamber as a reminder of the two-way, ongoing dialogue between the Aboriginal community and Parliament. This particular Message Stick was first presented to the Parliament in 2017 during a ceremony to mark the introduction of the Aboriginal Languages Bill.
Watch the full speech proceedings:
And with that, the 58th Parliament of New South Wales was opened!
