Page 4083 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 24 October 1990
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ensuring that problems that face the world are able to be handled in a way that is agreeable to the nations that are working together in the United Nations.
I think it is important for us this evening to comment on the United Nations and to support its work. That does not mean we have to agree with everything it says and everything it does, because there is an opportunity for people to disagree. But while it exists, while people are still speaking, at least the opportunity exists for differences to be resolved in a logical and rational way.
MR SPEAKER: Before we proceed, I would just like to remind members that we have a CPA meeting on rising tonight.
United Nations Day
MR CONNOLLY (4.29): I rise briefly in the adjournment debate this evening, following Mr Moore's comments, to note United Nations Day today. Driving into the Assembly this morning it was very pleasing to see the pale blue flag of the United Nations atop City Hill. I am sure members will, as is usually the case in these debates, say nice things about the United Nations. It has become a tradition to do that annually. But this year more than most we can actually see that it is not just a pious hope for the United Nations to have a real role in world peace. We are actually seeing the breakdown of super-power tensions and the emergence of the United Nations in its real role.
Mr Speaker, Australia can be particularly proud of the part it has played in the United Nations. It was a key player in the negotiations leading to the formation of the United Nations and, of course, the Australian Labor Party is always proud, and has always been proud, of the role that Dr Evatt played in those early negotiations. Dr Evatt's proudest achievement, despite the enormous achievements of that great man - High Court judge, Leader of the Opposition for many years - was that he had served as first president of the General Assembly of the United Nations. I believe that his gravestone, which is here in Canberra, simply says, "Herbert Vere Evatt, First President". It refers to his presidency of the United Nations and that is the only office that is referred to. Australians were also rather involved in the League of Nations and the drafting of that covenant, but that is another story.
Mr Speaker, I rise, as members of my party and members of all parties have traditionally risen on United Nations Day, to salute the role of the UN, but this year more in real hope and real expectation than perhaps ritual hope. We have seen the United Nations this year and in the recent months playing the role that we all expected of it, and we hope to see much more of this.
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