Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

At the outset, I would like to congratulate the honourable member for Bruce on bringing to our attention, very clearly, the grave situation which had occurred in Rwanda. Often, it is ‘out of sight and out of mind’ and, as time goes on, we tend to forget some of the horrific acts that took place over such a long period.

Also, of course, as has been indicated by other contributors to the debate, some 657 ADF members were deployed to Rwanda in 1994 and 1995 as part of the United Nations assistance mission in that sad country. The motion moved by the honourable member for Bruce states:

That this House:

…         …         …

(8)

notes that despite the severe trauma and the danger faced by Australian Peacekeepers in Rwanda, their service is still not treated as warlike service under the Veterans’ Entitlement Act; and

(9)

calls on the Government to immediately reclassify this service from ‘hazardous’ to ‘warlike’ in recognition of the risk faced by these troops and the magnificent contribution they made to the protection of Rwandan citizens.

It is amazing that what happened in Rwanda was largely ignored by the international community at the time. I do not think that really says very much for the international community. Media reports were scarce—virtually non-existent—and therefore the seriousness of these civil atrocities took some time to gain wider acknowledgment.

Information has since spread and is often accompanied by considerable disbelief that the initial strife could occur virtually unnoticed by the world at large. The release of Hollywood films such as Hotel Rwanda in Australia last year has helped to enhance further general community awareness of this dark period in Rwanda’s history. The fact that, 11 years after the slaughter, we are here today discussing the topic in parliament is further acknowledgment that the senseless slaughter of an estimated one million people was totally and completely unacceptable.

As an international community, we must remain vigilant in preventing anything like this happening anywhere again. Historically, before the slaughter, tensions had been bubbling in Rwanda for some three decades. Rwanda was initially a colony of the Kingdom of Belgium but gained independence in 1962. Then, in 1959, the Hutu community launched a series of attacks on the Tutsis, and this resulted in the Hutus taking over power and eventually remaining in that position for some 45 years. Throughout these years, the Tutsis retaliated several times, with the struggle for power resulting in an almost constant state of uneasiness. It was an incredibly unenviable way to live, with some citizens living their entire lives in a constant state of discomfort and apprehension.

In April 1994, the tensions between these two people boiled over, coming to a head with the shooting down of the Hutu President’s plane. It was the final trigger for violence on an unprecedented scale, which resulted in widespread, fanatical, unfettered killings. The death toll of Tutsis is estimated to be about one million people, with countless women and children numbered among the victims.

An international contingent of peacekeeper soldiers had been on the ground in Rwanda, but the majority of officers were withdrawn when some of them were killed. By late April, with most of the international peacekeeping contingent gone, the Tutsis retaliated and the unencumbered killing escalated. Tutsi rebels renewed their military offensive and eventually overthrew the government and this, in turn, triggered a mass exodus of some two million Hutus into Zaire. It is estimated that over the following months about 50,000 of those refugees died from hunger, disease and lack of water.

There were 657 Australian Defence Force personnel among the international military contingent that was involved in supporting Rwanda and trying to restore stability. I would like to commend the Minister Assisting the Minister for Defence and the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs for his announcement today that the Australian Defence Force personnel who served in Rwanda from 1994 to 1996 will have their service recognised as ‘warlike’ following a review by the Department of Defence and a decision by the Australian government. This means that the additional benefits will flow through to those soldiers who risked so much to ensure that the situation in Rwanda was improved. This is a positive decision and I particularly want to commend the new minister. (Time expired)

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