Motions

Royal Commonwealth Society

Adjourned debate on motion of Hon. J.S. Lee:

That this council—

1. Congratulates the Royal Commonwealth Society for celebrating a special milestone of 150 years;

2. Acknowledges the formation and important work of the Royal Commonwealth Society—South Australia branch;

3. Highlights the history and significance of the commonwealth as an association of governments and peoples, built around shared language, institutions, challenges, aspirations and values; and

4. Acknowledges the role of Australia in the commonwealth and the work by the Royal Commonwealth Society in improving the lives and prospects of commonwealth citizens around the world.

(Continued from 26 July 2018.)

The Hon. J.E. HANSON (16:56): Oh, to be standing between everyone and the door. What a way to end the year, talking about the Royal Commonwealth Society. From humble beginnings above a shirt shop in The Strand, the Royal Commonwealth Society this year will celebrate its 150^th birthday. Their mission, being to promote the values of the commonwealth and the values upon which it is based is indeed a laudable one.

The society brings people, governments, the diplomatic community and businesses together to champion best practices in social wellbeing, as well as to highlight the barriers that inhibit prosperity and equal participation in society and democracy. Even from its humble beginnings, it seemed that the society always maintained a vision of lofty aims. This can best be summarised in a resolution put forward in 1870 to help define the society's aims and objects, which was as follows:

That a lecture hall, a library and a reading room, and a museum of science, industry, and commerce be opened as soon as the funds of the society will allow, where the natural products and resources of the colonies will be exhibited; to afford opportunities for the reading of papers, and the holding of discussions upon colonial subjects generally; and to undertake those investigations in connection with the colonies which are carried out in a more general field by the Royal Society, the Royal Society of Arts, the Royal Geographical Society, and by similar bodies…

As can be observed from this short resolution, one of the many put forward at the conference in 1870, the society never aimed to be particularly limited in scope. It is worthy in this respect to note that the optimism towards what we might know today as globalism was unusual to the age. The fact is that in 1868, when the society had its real founding, there was a movement in England not unlike what we might associate with that nation today. The Liberal government—as known over there, I suppose, as the Liberal government—which had swept into power in the 1868–69 elections saw few virtues in globalism.

More than somewhat unluckily mirroring what we see today, England in 1868 was in the grip of what could be described as a separatist philosophy, and in many ways we have not seen a larger peak in that nation than what we see today. It is worth noting that in 1868 the English newspaper The Times wrote that there was a prosperous monotony in the nations that now make up our Commonwealth. It put forward that the government of the day should look to domestic concerns first and that the colonial office, once the most onerous department in the government, was now in great measure relieved of its legislative and administrative functions. Well, the colonial society decided to disagree.

In addition to these international doldrums towards globalism, for many years the nation was in the grips of an economic gloom of a depression, which was in its third year. Regular trade in the nation and in shipping was stagnating, and private investment had struck new lows, with the market of the time being unstable in terms of good governance. The Royal Bank of Liverpool had failed, and the cotton mills of Lancashire were reduced to working only half the time. Certainly, these were hard times, which were making many look internally before considering the lofty aims that the society saw as important to advocate for.

It is serendipitous that the first fully financial member of the society was in fact an Australian. His name was Edward Wilson, and he had been an early advocate of the formation of the society. Edward was a journalist of some note and was the owner of The Argus in Victoria—quite a time to own and run a newspaper, during that period of the gold rush and then the subsequent Eureka Stockade. He was something of a reformer in his own right, writing at the time to the premier with a list of suggested reforms.

These reforms included justice for the Aborigines, the organising of agriculture as a department of the state, the introduction of the ballot into municipal elections and the leasing of Crown land for cultivation with the right of ultimate purchase. This does not sound too radical today but it certainly was at the time. He was certainly a meritorious first member of any society. This reformist bent showed through during many of the early debates of the society on the intellectual issues of the day. Many members often wished for a more liberalised outlook and argued for it passionately in all matters.

For example, during a debate about simply changing the name of the society, a sitting councillor noted in the debate that 'the plain fact is that the London membership, including the ex-politician of 30 years ago, Australian Agents-General, is probably the most ultraconservative section of the whole body'. That member was sitting across from him at the time. They certainly were not backward in coming forward.

For the time in which it was founded, the political sentiment towards globalism and the somewhat reformist tendencies of many of its first members, it is quite remarkable that the Royal Commonwealth Society not only was able to be founded and grow but, from the beginning, kept a charter of political neutrality. While the papers presented at its meetings were generally substantial pieces of work and often of high intellectual quality, they were always expected to be politically neutral. The neutrality was strictly maintained by a papers committee that vetted all presentations to be made. However, this committee proved to be very unpopular to sit on for some reason and eventually ceased to function only a few years after its creation—if only we were so lucky here.

That said, the society rolled on and maintained its neutrality through more practical means. A good example of these means was in 1870 when an American minister, Reverdy Johnson, tactlessly suggested during a speech that the commonwealth nations of the time may eventually be best served by leaving that commonwealth and being absorbed into an American commonwealth. The speech was reported to no less a person than The Queen herself, who reportedly was not amused, and the minister was never invited to return.

From early on, the society may also be seen to have been progressive for its time towards equality and diversity. The first Asian member, Ji ju Sanjo of Japan, was admitted in 1872, and the first African member, Samuel Bannerman, was admitted in 1879. The society was also one of the first organisations to admit women as full fellows in 1922. Ladies had attended meetings as guests of fellows since the early 1870s, and female membership was an ongoing debate in the society from as early as eight years after its founding.

In 1894, Flora Shaw read a paper at a society function and attended dinner with guests. Flora's paper not only secured high attendance at the reading but was featured in two columns and an editorial in The Times newspaper. Lady Lugard, as she later became known, returned in June 1904 to give another paper to the society to a record attendance. The first full female member of the society was admitted 18 years later. Her name was Mrs Alec Tweedie.

As we can observe, over the years the role of the society has evolved to meet the changing nature of the commonwealth. Today, it is a network of individuals and organisations committed to improving the lives and prospects of commonwealth citizens across the world. Far from the 1967 observation by the Australian prime minister of the time, Sir Robert Menzies, that the commonwealth was in danger of becoming an association which 'no longer expresses unity but exists chiefly to ventilate differences, even to advertise conflicts, and to develop pressures upon individual members, frequently without reason and not infrequently for bad reasons', we have in fact seen the commonwealth for which the society advocates adapt and change to a modern world.

Leaders of member countries shape commonwealth policies and priorities. All members have equal say regardless of size or economic stature. This ensures, of course, that even the smallest member countries have a voice in shaping the commonwealth. The Royal Commonwealth Society is now at the centre of an international network of more than 10,000 members, spread across 100 countries and territories and linked by around seventy self-governing society branches and commonwealth societies in 43 countries and territories.

On a global engagement level, its aims have adapted from their humble beginnings to bring alive the fundamental principles of a modern commonwealth—tolerance, diversity, freedom, justice, democracy, human rights and sustainable development. They aim to build broad consensus within the commonwealth for advancing the equal enjoyment of rights by all commonwealth citizens. They together protect our natural environment and the ocean that connects many of our nations shore to shore. They cooperate on trade to encourage inclusive economic empowerment for all people, in particular women, youth and marginalised communities. They take part in friendly sporting rivalries and encourage our young people to participate in sport for development and peace.

They have the aim to reform discriminatory legislation and expand the belief that the rights of all people should be respected equally, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity. The society also brings young professionals and experts on a range of gender-related issues, from employment and entrepreneurship to sexual health and rights, to form the Commonwealth Youth Gender and Equality Network.

Through its educational, youth and outreach programs, the Royal Commonwealth Society seeks to engage and encourage young people to develop their skills, with an increasing understanding of their role as global citizens. On a national level in Australia, the Royal Commonwealth Society is dedicated to celebrating and promoting the values and diversity of the modern Commonwealth of Nations and continues important work in the fields of gender and human rights, environmental conservation and literacy. Youth participation and leadership is an integral focus of the society. Recognising their capacity, contribution and potential, they facilitate a number of youth summits and leadership awards.

Closer to home, the South Australian branch encourages participation in the arts, facilitating photographic and art competitions. This includes being a major sponsor of the Plain English Speaking Award youth public speaking competition and offering additional prizes to South Australian submissions to The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition.

In summing-up, to quote Lord Casey, an Australian with long experience of political life and commonwealth affairs, on his 1962 commentary on the Royal Commonwealth Society—I think it is a worthy quote—he said:

You are a great institution, long established, with high prestige, with entry into the highest quarters in this country. You are, I believe, ideally situated by your membership and your prestige to take a much more militant attitude in respect of the commonwealth: asking awkward questions...pointing out in simple understandable language what is at stake and what might be done. That is what I would like to see. Not that you are not an active body now, but I would like to see some more militancy facing up to the hard facts of our Commonwealth situation, and making proposals for its betterment, so that we could look forward over the years ahead to a greater degree of unity and cohesion in the Commonwealth.

There is no doubt, given everything they do, that the society has taken on the broad spirit of this commentary, if not necessarily the view that they do so militantly. I want to take the time today to acknowledge the positive impacts the Royal Commonwealth Society has had globally, the distance it has travelled, the positive impacts it has had in our country and in our state in improving the lives of citizens for 150 years. And what a way to end the year!

The Hon. J.S. LEE (17:08): I thank the honourable Justine Hanson for his contribution—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. J.S. LEE: Justin, sorry! It was just a twist. I thank the Hon. Justin Hanson for his contribution and also the Legislative Council members for their support of the motion to congratulate the Royal Commonwealth Society for celebrating a special milestone of 150 years. I am very certain that the local South Australian branch will be very grateful that this particular motion was supported. I commend the motion to the chamber.

Motion carried.