Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to pay tribute to the veterans of Long Tan, and also to pay tribute to all of the Australians who served in the Vietnam War. The commemorations that took place throughout the country on 18 August, including those in the south-west of Sydney, certainly stirred the emotions of those who were involved in the conflict, their families and those of us who recognised the efforts that they put in on behalf of a grateful nation.

As in all other theatres of conflict in which Australians have served, those Australians who bravely served in Vietnam served their nation with distinction and commitment. Having said that, the veterans of the Vietnam conflict were treated poorly on their return to this country. No matter what your views may be on the war in Vietnam, those who served this country, at this country’s behest, did not deserve the treatment they received when they returned to this country.

I would like to put on record my apologies to those veterans who were subjected to that treatment at that point in time. It is something that needs to be said, as grieving is still taking place amongst Vietnam veterans, and particularly, I know, amongst the veterans in my electorate of Werriwa. There is no excuse at all, and there never will be an excuse, for treating our returned servicemen and women in this manner. They dedicated themselves to the task at hand—the service of their country—and no matter what conflict it was, no matter how they were recruited to do so, they nevertheless discharged their duty with valour and honour, which would ordinarily be regarded as something very prominent in the Australian psyche.

In making these comments, I am reminded of the story of a local Vietnam veteran, Peter Millar. He is a former New South Wales police officer. In Mr Millar’s case, having served in Vietnam between 1968 and 1969, during which time he served for a period in Saigon, as a police officer in New South Wales he was not only entitled but would have been expected to wear the necessary service ribbon, in recognition of the honoured service that an officer has performed in a theatre of conflict. However, because of the hostility that he faced when he returned home, Mr Millar kept his service, quite frankly, to himself. Worst of all, he kept many of his experiences bottled up inside him as well. It is simply wrong that veterans like Mr Millar have been forced into this dilemma, feeling that they need to keep their service on behalf of their country secret and private. The bravery of those who served should never be questioned, and the treatment of many Vietnam veterans, received at the hands of the rest of the population, should never be allowed to occur again.

The Battle of Long Tan adds to and enhances the Anzac spirit that was established in Gallipoli. I would like to think that what the New South Wales Police Commissioner, Ken Moroney, had to say when he addressed the Campbelltown commemorative service on 18 August resonates with the rest of us. He said:

The name of Long Tan adds to those of Gallipoli, the Somme, Tobruk and Kokoda.

Long Tan was the first major engagement in Vietnam in which Australians were involved. That battle is the stuff that legends are made of and should be recognised as such. Once again, Australian soldiers found themselves in a position where only their sheer bravery and determination allowed them to battle against the odds.

It should be recalled that Delta Company, 6RAR, encountered a numerically superior force in the rain, the mud and the mist of that rubber plantation just outside the village of Long Tan. Who would reasonably have expected the results that occurred? I would suggest that no-one could have reasonably expected that a force of 108 Australians, mostly national servicemen, led by a few regular soldiers and artillery, could hold off a force comprising over 2,000 NVA and local Viet Cong. That is equivalent to almost two battalions.

As wave after wave of enemy attacked the Australian position during the few hours of this battle, there were many acts of bravery and the obvious aspects of mateship which have come to typify that Australian or, realistically, the Anzac spirit. For three hours they fought in the rain, with nothing more than the trees of the rubber plantation and the mist generated by the rain for cover, all the time waiting for reinforcements to arrive.

Sadly, lives on both sides were lost that day. By the end of the battle, 18 Australians had lost their lives, with another 24 having been wounded. It is interesting that the oldest Australian casualty was a 22-year-old and the youngest was a 19-year-old. To put it in the context of their own families certainly shoots back to me the stark reality of this conflict. On the other side I understand they lost somewhere in excess of 250, with another 500 wounded.

As I mentioned at the outset, despite the significance of the Battle of Long Tan, the commemoration of this battle is not simply about the battle itself; it is about all Vietnam veterans. It is about the nearly 500,000 who served in Vietnam. It is about the soldiers and about the families of more than 500 Australian troops who lost their lives in the service of this country, and it is about the 3,000 who were wounded during the conflict. As the member for Prospect reminded us, it is also about those who have returned carrying the scars of their time in the service of this country, and that is something that should never be lost. Everyone who served in the Vietnam conflict deserves our proper recognition and our full respect.

I would like to take the opportunity to recognise the veterans and the organisers of the commemoration ceremony that took place in Campbelltown on 18 August. It was an honour for me to attend and pay my respects along with hundreds of local residents in Mawson Park in Campbelltown. I would particularly like to pay tribute to Bob Roach, President of the Vietnam Veterans Association South Western Region sub-branch, and Ken Foster, and to everyone else involved in the organisation of the commemoration service.

I would like to recognise the attendance of many from the Vietnamese community as well, which is a very strong community in Campbelltown. Their attendance was very much in recognition of the contribution that Australian troops made in fighting for their country during that period. I was also pleased, quite frankly, to see so many of the younger generation turning up, so many from local schools. I know their presence was not lost on the veterans who marched on that day. While it is disappointing that it has taken so many years for such recognition, it was heartening to see that all Vietnam veterans can finally stand proud of their service, when once they could not.

We need always to be mindful of the fact that, even though the last of our troops left Vietnam in 1972, it was not until 3 October 1987 that Australia officially held ceremonies recognising the homecoming of Vietnam veterans. While I have never taken the position that political statements should be made when showing appreciation for the service of our troops, I cannot let this opportunity pass without making some comment on the reluctance of government to conduct an inquiry into the Long Tan bravery award fiasco.

When the Prime Minister rose in the House on 17 August, I personally hoped that he would take the opportunity to announce that, on 40th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, an inquiry would be conducted into the bravery awards of that period. Sadly, that did not occur. He said:

The difficulty faced by any government in reopening a particular set of recommendations, having regard to changes that might have been made on the original recommendations, is that as one sense of grievance might be addressed so many others are opened up.

Quite frankly, that is unacceptable. It is unacceptable with regard to the issue at hand, and it is certainly unacceptable in addressing the injustices that have occurred. We cannot paper over this simply by saying that it is either too hard or that there may be other consequences. The argument that the issue should not be re-examined on the basis that it might cause other problems in the future or that it might be too hard to do in retrospect is simply, and should always be considered by this House to be, unacceptable. I stand proudly behind Labor’s longstanding policy and support an inquiry into the Long Tan bravery awards. This should be a bipartisan position. It is time that we right this wrong.

Vietnam veterans throughout the country continue to suffer and are haunted by the ghosts of their involvement in that war. Recently I met with a veteran who outlined to me how, as a direct result of his involvement in the war, he has suffered—how he lost his job and how he is still suffering from terrible psychological problems. He said to me that he had only just started to attend Anzac Day parades and other commemoration services but was continually perplexed that the positive statements about the bravery of our troops did not seem to be reflected in the support that our veterans receive. I deeply sympathise with him and with those like him who suffer.

Largely, the veterans and their families have been left to deal with the aftermath of the war with limited assistance. I commend the bravery, dedication and commitment of all our Vietnam veterans. I welcomed the opportunity to attend the commemoration service held in Campbelltown and the opportunity to meet and talk with so many Vietnam veterans and their families, basically to personally recognise their bravery and acknowledge their sacrifice. Commissioner Ken Moroney said in Campbelltown:

I recommend to a younger generation to take up the reading of this history ... to gain an understanding of who we are as a people.

It is an important part of Australian history and should be given such status. I hope that no group of Australian veterans is ever treated by Australians in the way that we treated our Vietnam veterans. We need to right that wrong.

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