Mr ABBOTT (Warringah—Prime Minister) (14:00): On indulgence, I do rise to note that today marks the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, the greatest constitutional document of all time that has shaped our democracy as it has shaped all democracies. On 15 June 1215, a group of feudal barons stood with King John on the banks of the River Thames. At Runnymede they agreed a charter which declared that no man, not even the king, was above the law. The barons— Ms Macklin interjecting— The SPEAKER: Member for Jagajaga! Mr ABBOTT: I am happy to continue, Madam Speaker. The SPEAKER: The Prime Minister has the call. This is a serious question and we will have some silence to hear it. Mr Shorten interjecting— Mr ABBOTT: Did you get no notice? Ms Macklin: No notice. Mr ABBOTT: I am sorry. We will do it another day, then. The barons were thinking of themselves, not history, and the king was thinking of survival, not of fundamental rights; yet from this mix of expediency and self-interest emerged a document that has echoed through history. As Winston Churchill once remarked, the English-speaking world owes more to the vices of King John than it does to the labours of many virtuous sovereigns. But such is the alchemy of history. When a disparate group can fight a principal in common, self-interest can become an engine of human progress. The words of the original document, including the 1297 version on permanent display in this parliament, have faded but they have been renewed through time in other documents of liberty: the American Declaration of Independence, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and in constitutions and judicial systems around the world. Modern Australia has an Indigenous heritage and a multicultural character. We also have a British foundation, which in small measure we honour today. We salute those whose struggles have led to our enlightenment and we acknowledge our indebtedness to a history from which we learn and to a legacy upon which we build. The SPEAKER: I call the Honourable Leader of the Opposition. I would say perhaps that, earlier today, the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and myself took part in opening Magna Carta Day in the Great Hall, of which many were present, where speeches were made. I would invite the Leader of the Opposition to comment, again.