Louise Markus (Greenway, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Immigration and Citizenship) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak to the condolence motion for the late Trooper David Pearce, Special Forces Sergeant Matthew Locke and Australian Special Forces Commando Luke Worsley. Today I want to particularly pay tribute to Luke Worsley, of the 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, who was killed during an attack on the Taliban in Afghanistan on 23 November 2007. I wish to express my condolences to Luke’s mother and father, Marjorie and John Worsley, his brother and three sisters, their spouses, his nephews and his nieces. I had not had the privilege of meeting or knowing personally Luke or his family. I understand, from a public statement by Luke’s father, that the family wishes their privacy to be respected and desires people to think of Luke in the way he was known by those who knew and loved him.

Luke’s parents live in the electorate of Greenway. Today I would like to record some reflections to honour his life. The commanding officer of 4RAR, Lieutenant-Colonel Mark Smethurst, described Luke’s actions during the attack on a Taliban bomb-making compound in Oruzgan province this way:

Luke was the first man of the team through the door and was met by enemy forces that opened fire at close range … Luke’s actions upon entering the room, warning of the enemy threat, almost certainly saved the lives of other members of his team.

On the Department of Defence website there are some biographical notes about Luke, and I would like to refer to them now:

Private Luke Worsley enlisted into the Australian Regular Army on the 23rd of October 2001. After completing his Recruit Training he was allocated to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and commenced his Initial Employment Training at Singleton, NSW on the 15th of April 2002. At the completion of his Initial Employment Training, Luke was posted to the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment. During his service with 1RAR, Luke deployed to East Timor as part of Operation Citadel, providing security to the people of East Timor.

After two years of service with the 1st Battalion, and looking for more of a challenge, Luke applied for selection with the 4th Battalion (Commando), The Royal Australian Regiment. He was successful in his attempt, and Luke went on to complete the Commando suite of courses, becoming ‘beret’ qualified in 2004.

Luke deployed with Delta Commando Company Group to Afghanistan in 2006. Upon return from his rotation, Luke was posted to Bravo Commando Company Group and deployed with them to Afghanistan in September—of last year, 2007.

For his service in East Timor and Afghanistan, Luke was awarded the Australian Defence Medal, the Australian Active Service Medal with clasp East Timor, the United Nations Medal with the United Nations Transitional Authority East Timor Ribbon, the International Coalition Against Terrorism Clasp, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Infantry Combat Badge and the Return from Active Service Badge. Luke was also awarded the Unit Citation for Gallantry for his service with the Special Operations Task Group in 2006.

The Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, said of Luke:

He was a greatly respected soldier and will be dearly missed. He was one of our finest. I am told his dedication and enthusiasm for soldiering was an inspiration to all those around him.

Luke has been described by his family, his colleagues and his comrades as: ‘an inspiration to his fellow soldiers’, ‘greatly respected’, ‘one of our finest’, ‘an outstanding soldier’, ‘loving’, ‘compassionate’, ‘someone whose qualities set him above almost all other commandos’, ‘talented’, ‘modest and unassuming’, ‘tolerant’, ‘humorous’ and ‘a reflection of his upbringing’. In the words of Private Worsley’s brother-in-law:

Luke’s bear hugs were legendary among the family. He was soft, gentle and loving. We’re going to miss that affection so much. It’s something he gave so readily and something so many men are afraid of.

He was a son, a brother, an uncle, a mate, an Australian hero. I am reminded of the words, ‘Greater love hath no man except he lay down his life for his friends.’ He was a man of courage and compassion, love and light-heartedness. I wish to honour his parents and pay respect to his family. We are proud of your boy. We thank you. I acknowledge the price that you, your son and your family have paid.

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