Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

Yesterday was the sixth anniversary of the terrible day when 88 Australians lost their lives in Bali. The date of 12 October is now forever marked with sadness in Australia—sadness for the 88 Australians who lost their lives, sadness for the many more who were injured in the bombing, sadness for the 38 Indonesians and the 76 people from other countries who were killed in that awful attack. For those who lost loved ones, life will never be the same. We think of the families and the friends of the victims from that terrible night. Our thoughts and our sympathies will always be with them. For those who lived through the bombing, the painful memories are remembered by so many, many people today. Those painful memories remain. Remember those who in the Australian tradition thought not of themselves but of their friends in the aftermath and did what they could to help the injured.

We also remember those who contributed so much in the aftermath of the tragedy in a very practical way: the doctors, the health professionals, the police, the government officials and the local residents of Bali itself. Six years on, Australia can be proud of how we responded to that terrible night—that terrible event. We showed the courage, strength, compassion and friendship for which we as a people are known. Six years on, we continue to be grateful to the government of Indonesia for its support and hard work in the aftermath of the bombing. The perpetrators have been brought to justice. Through this tragedy our two nations have been brought closer together. Both of us suffered and we are both committed to remembering those who died. We are both committed to preventing acts of terror taking innocent lives. Every effort of our two governments has been directed towards that end. On behalf of the government and, I am sure, on behalf of all members here in the House today, I say that our thoughts and our prayers are with all those who remember and commemorate the 12 October bombings.

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