The common thread for these people was their Christian faith, which taught that every individual had intrinsic worth, was deserving of respect and should be free to make choices. Born in 1820, Florence Nightingale saw the needs of the wounded in Crimea, saw the needs of the poor who didn't have competent health care and worked to develop the profession of nursing that would serve the ill, whether poor or rich. In 1859, after the Battle of Solferino in Italy, Henry Dunant, a wealthy businessman who came across the wounded soldiers-the commoners-left to die on the battlefield and organised care for them, created an enduring institution that we now know as the Red Cross. For example, in 1780 William Wilberforce became a parliamentarian in the UK who devoted his parliamentary life to ending the slave trade. We see this thread emerging through individuals who devote their life to change. There has been an alternative thread to human history, however, which has found an exemplar in Queen Elizabeth II. In fact, the darker side of human nature has frequently seen stronger groups, whether linked by tribe, empire or ideology, subjugate the weaker, often with little or no regard for the impact on individuals. It is true that throughout history empires dating back from the Babylonian to the Greek, the Roman, the Ottoman, the Chinese, the German, the Japanese, the British and others have exercised dominion over other lands. As the Governor-General said yesterday, however, this has not been the response of all Australians, given the history of Australia as a colony of Britain. Overwhelmingly, the people of Australia, the Commonwealth and the world have noted the extraordinary service, good humour, humility and wisdom of our late monarch, who devoted her life to the people of Britain, to the Commonwealth and to their institutions. Senator FAWCETT ( South Australia) ( 10:53): I rise to support the motion of condolence on the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. DEATH OF HER MAJESTY QUEEN ELIZABETH II AND ACCESSION OF HIS MAJESTY KING CHARLES III.
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