Australia reacts to Elizabeth II’s death: Julia Gillard remembers ‘strong and steadfast’ Queen; 96-gun salute outside Parliament House – live

NSW and Queensland suspend parliament as tributes flow for the Queen and King Charles III becomes monarch. Follow the latest updates live

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The prime minister Anthony Albanese is addressing the nation about the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

He said it is a loss that is felt deeply in Australia". The Queen was a rare and reassuring constant in a period of massive change, he said, and was the only monarch to visit Australia, which she did 16 separate times.

There is comfort to be found in Her Majesty's own words. Grief is the price we pay for love."

This is a loss we feel deeply in Australia. Queen Elizabeth II is the only reigning monarch most of us have known, and the only one to ever visit Australia. Over the course of a remarkable seven decades, Her Majesty was a rare and reassuring constant amidst rapid change. Through the noise and turbulence of the years, she embodies and exhibited a timeless decency and enduring calm. Her