Mr Shorten has given notice that he wants the government's support for a motion "reaffirming this house's commitment to the right of all Australians to enjoy equal rights and be treated with equal respect regardless of race, colour, creed or origin, consistent with the Speaker's values".
He notes that John Howard and Kim Beazley "cooperated to support an identical resolution in 1996" and believes "this would be a powerful and bipartisan note to strike at the beginning of this term".
Which was, obviously, the last time Pauline Hanson was elected to Parliament.
Mr Turnbull congratulates Mr Smith on his return to the speakership: "You have conducted this vitally important office with elegance, intellect, dignity, charm, impartiality. This is a very robust chamber, as we all know."
"Sometimes in Question Time even people that are naturally very reasonable will become unreasonable and intemperate," Mr Turnbull says in one of the greatest understatements ever made.
"But you Sir, have risen above that and you project a calm that reflects so well on our house and so well on our democracy. It is a great achievement that you have done that because all of us understand that we come into politics as advocates, making a strong case for our principles, for our constituents, being prepared to take on arguments with force and sometimes with ferocity."
In news that will surprise no one, Stephen Parry has been re-elected as Senate President and Tony Smith has been returned as Speaker.
However, Alex Ellinghausen did manage to take this picture earlier on.
Pauline Hanson has just been sworn in as a senator.
I'd love to show you a picture of this but due to the crazy restrictions on photography in the Senate I can't. When will this madness end?
Back to topAnd winning the political selfie comp is returning senator Louise Pratt:
Wonderful to witness the boys from @SICRiverview dancing for Senators @MalarndirriMLA & Pat Dodson's swearing in. pic.twitter.com/RhqO79An7D
— Louise Pratt (@Louise_Pratt) August 30, 2016
The Chief Justice of the High Court, Robert French, has officially declared Parliament open.
It is a job traditionally delegated to the Chief Justice by the Governor-General, so the excellent people running the Senate's twitter account tell me.
Fun facts:
Usually, after a half-Senate election only the 4 territory senators are sworn in by the President. Today it's all 76 sworn in by the Deputy
— Australian Senate (@AuSenate) August 30, 2016
Groan.
Just removing strangers from the House before proceedings start. #auspol pic.twitter.com/4a6I02pr0N
— Andrew Leigh (@ALeighMP) August 30, 2016
We're now on to the very British parts of the opening.
Lower house MPs have just been summoned to the Senate for the opening. The Usher of the Black Rod, Rachel Callinan, strides from one chamber to the other to convey the message.
Back to topOther than that, everything is ticketyboo.
There's also bad news for the government opinion poll wise.
And a lot of he-said-she-said when it comes to the government's omnibus savings bill.
The government says reducing debt is a "massive moral challenge" but Labor says the government lied about what was in the bill.
Before I move in to the actual moment when Parliament actually opens let's have a look at some of the themes dominating politics today.
New Liberal backbencher Tim Wilson has written this piece about why the plebiscite should go ahead.
The ball is very much in Labor's court when it comes to the plebiscite after the Greens and some members of the crossbench said they would vote against it.
As Mr Morrison just said, it's a plebiscite or not at all on this issue.
Meanwhile, the national secretary of the Labor Party, George Wright, is stepping down.
Mr Wright, who once worked for former prime minister Kevin Rudd, has run the past two federal election campaigns and says he is leaving the party in good shape for whoever takes over. No word on who that might be.
"I certainly would do nothing that would obstruct its passage through parliament," Mr Morrison says of the legislation enabling the plebiscite.
"We couldn't have been clearer about how we were going to handle this issue."
"If the Labor Party want to derail that....that's a matter for them. We will just get back to business and that is to manage and arrest the critical rise in debt."
Back to topAfter all those nice sentiments it's back to the blunt and brutal world of real politik.
Treasurer Scott Morrison is doing that thing where he does a radio interview then backs up with a press conference just in case we missed anything.
Mr Morrison is pressing the case for the government's omnibus bill of savings' measure.
He also says that if the enabling legislation for the same-sex marriage plebiscite is unsuccessful then that's it for that particular matter in the life of this parliament.
MPs have now moved outside for a smoking ceremony.
There is a much greater incorporation of Indigenous elements in today's opening than on past occasions. It's lovely to see that side of our history elevated alongside the pomp and ceremony that comes with the Westminster traditions we have inherited.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says: "Our Parliament is a great institution. Politics is a great institution. It affects everyone's lives and at each election the Australian people place their faith in the leadership, diversity and contention of a new Parliament. All of us who are elected are privileged custodians of the people's trust."
Mr Shorten says it is "a challenge for us to use our Parliament more intelligently, to elevate politics, to make this an even more pluralist, more democratic, more representative place."
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull speaks and notes it will be 45 years next week since the first Indigneous MP, Neville Bonner, spoke in Parliament.
"Our role, our duty is to acknowledge these traditions and the strength of this history and amplify it within the collective voice of our democracy. It is our responsibility to ensure the practices of this place work to forge a common way, a shared way, with those of our nation's first peoples," Mr Turnbull says.
"Ours, my friends, is the most successful multicultural nation in the world, complex and evolving. A work in progress always, as we strive here in this Parliament to a better and fairer society.....So let us continue the 45th Parliament in the way we
begin it today, with mutual respect, good will and a shared commitment to advance Australia and all Australians."
"As you know Canberra is a local word meaning meeting place," Ms Brown says.
She says every time an Indigenous elder is asked to do a welcome to country people show respect.
"Our nation needs us to create solutions, drawing wisdom from an ancient Australia."
"Welcome to the lands of the Ngunnawal."
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