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The Australian Parliament House
is the center of Australian
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politics. It's situated on
Capitol Hill in Canberra and
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much of the building is built
into the hill. It took 30 years
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to construct, involved 10,000
people, contains 4,500 rooms and
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2,700 clocks. It was the world's
most expensive building when it
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was built. Since opening in 1998
over 30 million people have been
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through its doors. Perhaps
the most identifiable symbol of
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Parliament House is the
distinctive flag mast and flag
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above the building. The flag
mast is a whapping 81 meters
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high and weighs a mighty
220 tons making it one of the
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largest stainless steel
structures in the world. And the
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flag is about the size of
the side of a double decker bus.
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Parliament House is surrounded
by dozens of federal buildings
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set in park land around lovely
Lake Burley Griffin. And in a
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sense all of this is largely
due to one man Alfred Deakin
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Australia's second prime
minister who chose Canberra as
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the nation's capital. Alfred
Deakin was a remarkable man.
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He was the architect of
Federation that made Australia
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a nation. He was the
first attorney general of the
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commonwealth and the founder of
the High Court of Australia in
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1901. He served as prime
minister for three terms. He
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founded the Arbitration Court,
the Australian Navy and laid the
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plans for a railway across
Australia. He was the driving
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force behind the Murray
irrigation scheme and he
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produced old age pension.
He was one man who truly made a
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difference. But what motivated
him? And who inspired him? The
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answer may surprise you. Stay
with us to find out because it
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could inspire and motivate
you as well and help you make a
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difference too. Join us as
we take a look at the life and
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legacy of one of
Australia's political giants.
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¤ ¤
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Australia in the mid to late
19th century was basking in the
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glow of a golden era. The six
Australian colonies were well
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established and enjoying the
fruits of what is known as the
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long boom. Five of those
colonies had introduced the
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constitution and Australians
were on the cutting edge of
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world leading initiatives. The
secret ballot and the eight hour
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work day were both tried in
the country during this time.
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Literature was thriving and
books were freely available.
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The arts were being patronized
like never before. Technological
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advances such as the
Adelaide to Port Darwin overland
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telegraph line was completed.
Australia beat England in what
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is generally regarded as the
first Cricket test match and the
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University of Melbourne became
the first university to admit
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women. It was an amazing era to
live through and it was at the
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very cusp of all this excitement
that Alfred Deakin was born.
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His parents were originally from
England and left Plymouth in
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1849. It was a time of
great economic depression and
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starvation in England and many
British subjects were leaving in
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search of better economic
opportunities in faraway lands.
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When Sarah and William Deakin
arrived in Australia they could
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hardly have imagined the kind
of impact one of their children
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would have on their new home.
Alfred Deakin's story is glowing
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and enigmatic by turns but at
its very center is a firmly held
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belief in God and his
providential leading that
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anchored much of what Deakin
accomplished. Alfred Deakin was
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born in August 1856 in Fitzroy
a suburb of Melbourne. He had an
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older sister Catherine and his
parents, William and Sarah, were
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financially stable middle class
folks. At the age of four Deakin
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was sent to school in Canton
where he learned to read almost
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immediately. After his time in
Canton Deakin's parents sent him
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to the Melbourne Church of
England Grammar School where he
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was often teased and bullied by
his peers. He turned to books as
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a companion and spent countless
hours reading. The hours Deakin
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spent reading opened his mind
to a vast array of ideas that
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helped him to think differently
He had an amazing memory and
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could recall chunks of poetry
and prose to writers he admired
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the most. His almost
photographic memory would prove
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to be an invaluable asset when
he entered politics years later.
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As a teenager Deakin would
regularly pack himself a lunch
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and spend the entire day holed
up in either the Melbourne or
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Caron Public Library. He read
anything he could get his hands
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on. He also read a great deal of
religious books. One book that
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made a significant impact on him
in his teens was John Bunyan's
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timeless classic The Pilgrim's
Progress. After completing his
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secondary studies Deakin
studied law at the University of
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Melbourne. He was admitted
to the Victorian Bar in 1878 to
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practice law as a barrister.
Interestingly during this time
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of his life, Deakin was a
vegetarian and an advocate for
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temperance which was a social
movement of the 19th century
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that championed abstinence from
alcohol in all its forms. Deakin
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was also searching for
the answers to life's great
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questions of origin, meaning,
morality and destiny. In his
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late teens and early 20s he
began to look for these answers
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in various different places, the
Bible being one of them. In May
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of 1878 Deakin joined the
staff of the Age Newspaper as a
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journalist. Despite his initial
reluctance Deakin soon proved
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himself to be a very good
journalist and churned out
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pieces of writing on various
different topics and genres.
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While at the Age, Deakin
hit it off with the owner of the
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newspaper David Cy. Their
relationship proved to be a
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fruitful friendship and
mentorship in Deakin's life.
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Cy influenced Deakin with a
lot of his ideas including his
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political ideology. Cy proved
to be the driving force behind
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Deakin's political career
urging the young lawyer turned
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journalist to contend for
the seat of Wes Burke in the
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Victorian parliamentary election
of 1879. Deakin was elected to
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seat of Wes Burke in the 1879
election but chose to give up
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his seat. Speaking before the
Victorian Parliament he resigned
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his seat stating that there had
been a discrepancy in the vote
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counting. The move which
surprised the Parliament was a
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testament to Deakin's impeccable
sense of integrity. He was
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finally elected to office in
July 1880. Deakin had an eye for
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detail and the capacity to work
hard. He was also liked by his
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peers which made him easy
to work with. During his first
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decade in politics Deakin worked
in the areas of immigration,
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workers' rights and represented
Victoria at the 1887 colonial
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conference in London. In 1882
Deakin married Elizabeth Anne
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Browne. They had three daughters
Ivy, Stella and Vera. Between
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1890 and 1900 Deakin
threw himself into the cause of
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helping Australia become a
nation. The issue of federation
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was the hot topic in the late
1800s. Australia was coming of
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age as a nation and a vast
majority of the adult population
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were Australian born. Culturally
this restlessness manifested
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itself in the songs and
literature of the day but most
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states were wary of idea of a
federal government fearing that
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their own powers of government
would be restricted. Sir Henry
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Parkes the premier of New
South Wales was instrumental in
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pushing for the idea of a
federation and in the early
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1890s a number of conventions
were held to develop a
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constitution. Later Deakin was
part of a five man Australian
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delegation sent to England
to facilitate the passage of the
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bill that would unite the
colonies under a single federal
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government thus giving birth to
the Commonwealth of Australia.
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After weeks of negotiation
the bill was passed with only a
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single minor modification.
On the first of January 1901
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Australia became a federation
and the first governor general
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of Australia, Lord Hopetown,
was sworn in. They chose Edmund
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Barton as the first prime
minister of the newly formed
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nation. Deakin was appointed the
first attorney general of the
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Commonwealth of Australia.
Deakin certainly believed that
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God had called him to public
office. His faith in God and his
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desire to serve him faithfully
during his time in office is
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seen in many of his letters and
papers. He was a man of prayer
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and faith and he encouraged
these qualities in the lives of
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his three children as well.
Shortly after federation the
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first Commonwealth Parliament
was opened at the Royal
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Exhibition Building in Melbourne
on the ninth of May 1901. In the
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busy days surrounding the
opening of the Parliament Deakin
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managed to get all the members
of Edmund Barton's first federal
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Parliament to sign his Bible
along with the Duke of Cornwall
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and the Duke of York, later King
George VI. On the 12th of July
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2016, when Prime Minister
Malcolm Turnbull took his oath
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of office he chose to place his
hand on Alfred Deakin's Bible
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during the ceremony.
The Commonwealth Parliament
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remained in Melbourne at the
Victorian Parliament House till
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1937. In 1914 a competition was
announced inviting architects
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and designers to submit their
proposals for a new provisional
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Parliament building to
be erected in Canberra.
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Construction on the building
commenced in August 1923 and was
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completed in 1927 employing
tradesmen from all across
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Australia. The new building was
opened by the Duke and Duchess
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of York, later King George VI
and Queen Elizabeth, the Queen
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mother. The building was known
as the provisional Parliament
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and was built to be used for a
maximum of 50 years. It was the
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seat of the Commonwealth
Parliament from 1927 to 1988
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when the new parliament building
was erected on Capitol Hill.
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In May 2009 the building was
renamed the Museum of Australian
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Democracy at Old Parliament
House. On either side of the
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building are the Parliamentary
Gardens which fell into
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disrepair after Parliament was
moved to Capitol Hill. However,
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gardens were restored, renamed
the National Rose Garden and
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opened to the public in 2004.
In 1981 construction began on
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the new Parliament House, the
meeting place of the Parliament
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of Australia today. The design
of the building is based on the
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shape of two boomerangs and
was officially opened by Queen
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Elizabeth II on the 9th of
May 1988. Immediately after the
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federation of Australia Alfred
Deakin reached the pinnacle of
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his career. He was instrumental
in instituting some of the
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country's most enduring
institutions and policies.
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For example, he established
the High Court of Australia, and
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introduced Old Age Pensions. The
broad reach of Deakin's policies
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soon garnered international
attention, especially in the
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area of social welfare. Social
scientists from across the globe
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traveled to Australia to observe
some of the most progressive
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welfare legislation introduced
and applied throughout
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Australian society. Alfred
Deakin was a multifaceted man
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but perhaps one of the most
intriguing things about his life
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was his incessant search for
truth. During his lifetime he
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kept up a constant stream of
personal reflections in the form
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of journals. A constant theme in
these writings is his quest for
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spiritual understanding. On
this journey he dabbled in a
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multitude of different ideas and
forms but he was always drawn
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back to the Bible. Deakin didn't
embrace organized religion but
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he had a high regard for the
Bible and its teachings. In a
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letter to his
children in 1890 he wrote:
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The whole civilization
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is saturated with
Christian feeling and governed
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extensively by its principles.
The best features it possesses
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are largely to
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be credited to Christian
effort and teaching and the
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indebtedness should
be frankly acknowledged.
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Reminiscing about her father
during an ABC radio interview in
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1960, Deakin's daughter Vera
talked about how their father
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had often read to them from the
Bible. She also shared how her
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father was always deeply
conscious of God's hands in his
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life and always acknowledged
that he was an instrument in
00:16:16.67\00:16:20.84
God's hand. Many historians
offer that Deakin is one of
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Australia's greatest prime
ministers. He was part of the
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difficult and toilsome birthing
process of the nation and was
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present when it was finally born
He helped to shape it in its
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childhood and in many
ways Australia would not be the
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nation that it is today
were it not for the sacrificial
00:16:42.23\00:16:45.50
contribution of Alfred Deakin.
In 1919 Alfred Deakin died of
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meningoencephalitis, a viral
infection of the brain. He was
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given a state funeral and
buried at St. Kilda Cemetery in
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Melbourne. His funeral
was attended by many of his
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colleagues in government
including Sir Edmund Barton
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the first prime minister of
Australia. Looking at the life
00:17:08.86\00:17:14.46
of Alfred Deakin one of the most
striking things that stands out
00:17:14.50\00:17:18.93
is his relentless search for
truth and it wasn't just facts
00:17:18.97\00:17:23.24
he was looking for. Deakin
understood that truth was to be
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found in a person. In an entry
made in his personal diaries
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Deakin wrote this:
00:17:32.25\00:17:33.88
The life of Christ, that is
the one thing made forward, the
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only revelation required is
there. We have but to live it.
00:17:37.99\00:17:43.89
What was it about the life of
Christ that drew Deakin like a
00:17:43.93\00:17:48.56
magnet. And not Deakin alone.
Millions of people over the last
00:17:48.60\00:17:52.80
2000 years or more have been
drawn to the person of Jesus
00:17:52.83\00:17:57.01
Christ. Even his greatest
critics are compelled to
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acknowledge that he was no
ordinary man. What was it about
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Jesus' life that made him so
extraordinary? Come with me if
00:18:04.95\00:18:11.12
you will on a journey through
three short snapshots, three
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images that come from the life
of Jesus that highlight perhaps
00:18:15.59\00:18:20.13
what was most powerful and
compelling about him. The first
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is an image of a woman cast
at his feet in the pale light of
00:18:25.77\00:18:30.64
dawn. Jesus is teaching at the
temple and a mob roars through
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the sacred courts and fling the
woman at his feet. Loudly they
00:18:35.74\00:18:41.62
accuse her of adultery, of
having caught her in the very
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act. They demand that Jesus
preside as judge over her case.
00:18:46.55\00:18:51.46
What must they do? Well they
tell him what Moses says in the
00:18:51.49\00:18:56.46
law, that such a sinner should
be stoned. But what, they ask,
00:18:56.50\00:19:01.74
would he recommend? Jesus is
quiet for a long time. The crowd
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grows restless. Solemnly he
stoops down and begins to write
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in the dust with his finger.
The woman is terrified. Her eyes
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squeeze shut awaiting the first
painful blow. But no one hurls a
00:19:18.82\00:19:24.36
stone at her. Instead she
hears Jesus straightening up and
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answering a few simple words:
Let him who is without sin among
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you cast the first stone.
Conviction dawns on the faces
dawns on the faces of
00:19:36.87\00:19:41.01
that group of rabid accusers.
One by one they drop their
00:19:41.04\00:19:46.21
stones and slink off. Jesus then
addresses the woman. Where are
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your accusers? he asks her. Does
no man accuse you? Finally she
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brings herself to look up at
Jesus. His face is not what she
00:19:59.73\00:20:03.60
was expecting. It's not
condemning or cruel. It's kind.
00:20:03.63\00:20:09.14
No man accuses me Lord, she
tells him and Jesus nods. Then
00:20:09.17\00:20:16.08
he added a few short words
that give her a passport to a
00:20:16.11\00:20:20.12
new life. Neither do I condemn
you, he says. Go and sin no more
00:20:20.15\00:20:27.39
One of the most compelling
things about the life of Jesus
00:20:27.42\00:20:31.89
was his desire to forgive and
restore. His ability to neither
00:20:31.93\00:20:37.27
accuse or excuse but to gently
and lovingly bring healing and
00:20:37.30\00:20:42.40
hope where neither existed
before. The life of Jesus draws
00:20:42.44\00:20:48.04
us because it offers us the
healing and restoration we so
00:20:48.08\00:20:52.15
desperately long for. The second
snap shot I would like to draw
00:20:52.18\00:20:59.65
your attention to is Jesus
kneeling alone in the Garden of
00:20:59.69\00:21:04.39
Gethsemane. His disciples are
asleep nearby. The night is dark
00:21:04.43\00:21:10.37
and his soul is burdened with
the shadows of the sacrifice
00:21:10.40\00:21:14.47
that lies before him. He doesn't
want to die. He doesn't want to
00:21:14.50\00:21:19.24
sacrifice his life on behalf
of men and women who may never
00:21:19.27\00:21:23.65
appreciate his sacrifice. Alone
and friendless he wrestles with
00:21:23.68\00:21:29.35
the choice before him. He can
choose to walk away, but should
00:21:29.38\00:21:34.32
he? Finally in terrible agony
he cries out Father if it be
00:21:34.36\00:21:41.20
your will, let this cup
pass from me yet not my will but
00:21:41.23\00:21:46.70
thine be done. The wrestling
continues long into the night
00:21:46.74\00:21:51.97
until finally exhausted
and bloodied by the struggle he
00:21:52.01\00:21:57.08
collapses in surrender.
Even though this is a trial his
00:21:57.11\00:22:02.02
humanity shrinks from it. He
chooses to accept it, to endure
00:22:02.05\00:22:06.86
it because he loves God
and he loves you and me.
00:22:06.89\00:22:11.79
Hebrews chapter 12
and verse two says:
00:22:11.83\00:22:14.76
Jesus endured the cross because
the joy that was before him was
00:22:26.01\00:22:31.91
greater than the humiliation of
a painful and public death. What
00:22:31.95\00:22:36.95
was that joy that was before him
and drove him on? The joy of an
00:22:36.99\00:22:42.36
eternity spent with you and me.
As the old saying goes, when he
00:22:42.39\00:22:48.36
was on the cross you were on his
mind. The life of Jesus is so
00:22:48.40\00:22:54.54
compelling because the love he
carried in his heart for every
00:22:54.57\00:22:58.64
single human being is a
love that each of us long for
00:22:58.67\00:23:02.58
and search
00:23:02.61\00:23:03.95
for yet seldom find. Jesus loved
us enough to sacrifice his life
00:23:03.98\00:23:09.25
for us. That love is what draws
so many millions to him. That
00:23:09.28\00:23:15.76
love is what makes his life more
than ordinary. Finally the most
00:23:15.79\00:23:24.20
enduring image of Jesus is
of him hanging on the cross. The
00:23:24.23\00:23:29.34
Romans were especially adept at
torture. Watching criminals die
00:23:29.37\00:23:33.71
was a blood sport that people
paid good money for. Jesus'
00:23:33.74\00:23:38.65
death was cruel, slow and
humiliating. Yet he faced it
00:23:38.68\00:23:43.85
with courage and dignity. As
human beings we all grapple with
00:23:43.89\00:23:49.26
fear especially the terror
of public humiliation, physical
00:23:49.29\00:23:54.03
suffering and death. We shrink
from it instinctively. None of
00:23:54.06\00:23:59.23
us would willingly run towards
it and yet Jesus faced each of
00:23:59.27\00:24:03.77
these scenarios with courage.
Jesus was dauntless. He grappled
00:24:03.81\00:24:08.98
with fear just like you and I do
and yet he was able to stare it
00:24:09.01\00:24:13.58
straight in the eyes and
surmount it. We're all drawn to
00:24:13.62\00:24:18.75
stories about heroes who have
accomplished marvelous feats of
00:24:18.79\00:24:22.66
mental and physical endurance.
The story of Jesus on the cross
00:24:22.69\00:24:27.20
is just that, a true story of a
man who stared fear in the face
00:24:27.23\00:24:32.90
and overcame it with dignity.
The life of Jesus is compelling
00:24:32.93\00:24:38.84
because he showed us how
to be brave even when it seems
00:24:38.87\00:24:43.61
impossible. Alfred Deakin
looms large over Australia's
00:24:43.65\00:24:49.45
historical narrative. He was a
giant of a man. His work shaped
00:24:49.48\00:24:54.66
Australia in so many different
ways. Tellingly one of Deakin's
00:24:54.69\00:24:59.96
heroes was Jesus and rightly
so. He saw in him a man whose
00:25:00.00\00:25:05.23
ability to bring healing and
hope, whose ability to embrace
00:25:05.27\00:25:09.44
sacrifice and whose ability
to face fear with courage was
00:25:09.47\00:25:14.64
worthy of his admiration.
In life we always look for role
00:25:14.68\00:25:22.05
models, the kind that inspire us
and challenge us to be the best
00:25:22.08\00:25:27.06
version of ourselves. Alfred
Deakin has been a role model for
00:25:27.09\00:25:32.29
many Australians over the
last 120 years. But I would also
00:25:32.33\00:25:37.23
encourage you to look at the
life of Jesus as a role model.
00:25:37.27\00:25:41.27
He is perhaps the most worthy
role model, you can ever turn
00:25:41.30\00:25:45.51
your eyes to. If you'd like to
learn more about Jesus, if you'd
00:25:45.54\00:25:50.18
like to experience true inner
peace and happiness in your life
00:25:50.21\00:25:53.25
then I'd like to recommend a
free gift we have for all our
00:25:53.28\00:25:57.99
Incredible Journey viewers today
It's the Bible reading guide
00:25:58.02\00:26:02.72
God's Plan for My Life. This
popular reading guide is our
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gift to you and is absolutely
free. I guarantee there are no
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costs or obligations whatsoever.
This Bible reading guide has
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brought me hope, peace and
happiness. It's been a great
00:26:18.81\00:26:22.54
benefit to me and I'd like to
share it with you. So make sure
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opportunity to receive the free
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If you've enjoyed today's
journey to Canberra following
00:27:13.40\00:27:18.97
the footsteps of Alfred Deakin
and our reflections on Jesus as
00:27:19.00\00:27:23.37
our role model, then I'd like to
invite you to join us again next
00:27:23.41\00:27:27.24
week when we will share another
of life's journeys together.
00:27:27.28\00:27:31.48
Until then let's ask the
blessing of the God that Alfred
00:27:31.51\00:27:35.38
Deakin so often prayed to.
00:27:35.42\00:27:38.45
Dear heavenly Father, we are
grateful for the life and legacy
00:27:38.49\00:27:42.46
of Alfred Deakin and for the
freedom and democracy we enjoy
00:27:42.49\00:27:47.30
today. We are also grateful for
Jesus our Lord and Savior, for
00:27:47.33\00:27:51.37
the peace and happiness he
brings to our lives and for
00:27:51.40\00:27:54.97
being our perfect role model.
We commit our lives to you and
00:27:55.00\00:27:59.37
ask you to care for us and keep
us through this coming week.
00:27:59.41\00:28:03.38
And we ask this
in Jesus' name, Amen.
00:28:03.41\00:28:07.15
¤ ¤
00:28:07.18\00:28:24.43