RNA 2026 Annual Cabinet Dinner

Premier of Queensland and Minister for Veterans, the Honourable David Crisafulli MP; Deputy Premier, Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning and Minister for Industrial Relations, the Honourable Jarrod Bleijie MP; Minister for Primary Industries, the Honourable Tony Perrett MP and Executive Councillors; The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the Honourable Patrick Weir MP;  Representing the Leader of the Opposition, Shadow Minister for Primary Industries and Rural Development, Shadow Minister for Manufacturing, Mr Tom Smith MP; Representing the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Councillor Fiona Cunningham; RNA President, the Honourable David Thomas, Council Members and Chief Executive, Mr Brendan Christou; distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.

I begin by acknowledging the Original Custodians of the lands around Brisbane, the Turrbul and Jagera people, and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and to any First Nations people here tonight.

I am delighted to be with you all tonight for what will be my final Royal Queensland Show Cabinet Dinner, and I thank the President for his kind remarks.

As a veteran of the RNA Committee for 24 years, almost 16 of them as President, David has now welcomed five different Queensland Governors as Patron of the Ekka as well as five Governors-General and has been a valued source of information and advice on all things RNA. I personally thank him for that.

At this juncture I also extend thanks to our current Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC.

By custom and practice, the Governor of Queensland and the Governor-General have officially opened alternate Royal National Shows.

This year, while it was the Governor-General’s turn, she has deferred to me in this significant anniversary year for the Ekka and for Queensland, and I publicly acknowledge that most generous gesture.

Since my term began in November 2021, my husband Graeme and I have had the privilege of travelling extensively throughout Queensland, including to many regional and remote areas.

It has given us the opportunity to meet Queenslanders where they live, listen to their experiences, discuss local challenges, and celebrate the strengths, resilience and successes of communities across our State.

Among those strengths are the agricultural and horticultural industries that have been at the heart of the Ekka since the very first International Exhibition 150 years ago.

From cattle to cotton, and mangoes to macadamias, our producers today excel, and, as Governor, I am very proud to have been invited to be part of the drive by Trade and Investment Queensland to take Queensland’s produce to the world through government-supported missions to China, India and Japan during my term.

Those missions enabled Graeme and I to experience, firsthand, the response of those markets to the exceptional quality of Queensland produce and to see the critical importance of maintaining that standard.

Queensland’s reputation for excellence may be built primarily on the skill, innovation and entrepreneurial flair of our producers, but it also owes an enormous debt to the Ekka’s 150 years of dedication to showcasing the best of Queensland’s agricultural produce, encouraging healthy competition, and providing a unique and invaluable forum for sharing information and ideas and acquiring new knowledge and skills.

A hundred years ago, the then Governor-General of Australia, Lord Stonehaven made a speech before 600 guests at a luncheon after officially opening the 1926 Show in Brisbane. “Your show has been a revelation to me,” he said. “You are developing [this country’s] magnificent resources, and you are contributing not merely to the prosperity, happiness, contentment and well-being of the people of Queensland, but to the strength of the Empire”.

While the focus on Empire may have disappeared and the Ekka of today certainly offers patrons more than the show-bag of coal they were able to purchase in 1876, these nine days in August remain a revelation and continue to make an enormous contribution to the lives of all Queenslanders. Whether they’re from a remote cattle station in the Gulf or have never lived outside the urban south-east, we all welcome the opportunity for the amazing symbiotic exchange that that occurs every year when the country comes to the city.

It is vital to ensuring that future generations understand not just where their food comes from, but the fundamental importance to all of us in having a strong and resilient agricultural sector and supporting the men and women who sustain it.

As Governor and Patron of the RNA, on behalf of all Queenslanders, I sincerely thank everyone involved in planning and bringing about this year’s enormous event, from the President, Councillors and Executive to the sponsors, staff and the army of volunteers.

It is only through shared commitment, passion and belief that this memorable sesquicentenary celebration has been possible. Congratulations.