History weighs on house blessed with a first

As Evelyn Parkin pressed her index finger on Leeanne Enoch’s cheeks, the first Aboriginal woman in Queensland parliament teared up.

Evelyn Parkin embraces Leeanne Enoch, the first Aboriginal woman MP in Queensland. Picture: Liam Kidston

As elder Evelyn ­Parkin pressed her ochre-daubed index finger on to Leeanne Enoch’s cheeks and held her gaze, tears appeared in the eyes of the first Aboriginal woman elected to Queensland parliament.

“Words are very hard at this time, as everything is inside of us,” Parkin, a Quandamooka woman from Stradbroke Island, off Brisbane, told Enoch in a traditional blessing before yesterday’s opening of the state’s 55th parliament. “But we’re so proud of Leeanne.”

She urged Enoch, and fellow indigenous Labor MP Billy Gordon, to consider not only the Western system when they considered matters parliamentary, but also to “listen to the spirit of our ancestors”.

The weight of history was not lost on Housing Minister Enoch, who said the support of 3000 generations of Quandamooka people “builds you up and makes you strong”.

A short time later, in the chamber, history was not lost on the MP for Nicklin, Peter Wellington, elected unopposed as the first independent Speaker in a century.

“I owe no favours to vested interests, lobby groups or parties,” the former policeman and solicitor told parliament. “In this context, I acknowledge the significance of my election to this office as only the second independent Speaker in Queensland’s history.”

These were two moments of calm, respectful ceremony at the beginning of a parliamentary term that might be anything but. Annastacia Palaszczuk’s Labor government holds power only with the support of Wellington. Katter’s Australian Party crossbenchers Rob Katter and Shane Knuth have promised every vote will be a fight.

Wellington has guaranteed only to support Labor on matters of supply and confidence.

“With the numbers in the house so close, I anticipate that we will see real debate and ­exchange of ideas leading to the best legislation possible for Queensland,” he said.

The Liberal National Party, some of whom looked bewildered or plain grumpy to be sitting on the opposition benches after just one term in government, backed Wellington’s nomination.

As deputy leader John-Paul Langbroek cautioned, it was all about tactics. “With the house poised on a knife-edge, it makes sense for this opposition to support an independent MP for this role rather than surrender one of our own, which could offer this minority government a possible majority on the floor,” he said.

Another snippet of ceremony belied the raw emotion of the day.

As the official photographer urged members of the 55th Queensland parliament to plaster a “good expression” on their faces for a historic snapshot, one couldn’t manage it. Jeff Seeney, LNP hardman and, until recently, deputy premier, was stony-faced.

He could have been reflecting on recent history, rather than these new beginnings. It was a reminder of how quickly political fortunes can change.