Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Youth and Sport) Share this | Hansard source

It is indeed a privilege to rise this evening, on behalf of the coalition, to add the support of members on all sides of the chamber to the motion that has been put forward by the member for Ballarat and which has been spoken of today—principally, of course, to recognise the sacrifice of those Australian servicemen who lost their lives aboard the Montevideo Maru some 68 years ago.

As someone with involvement in the Montevideo Maru Foundation since my election in 2001, I want to pay particular tribute to Cynthia Schmidt and James Kennett who I know worked alongside so many others, all of whom have been tireless advocates of the Montevideo Maru and the need for recognition of Australia’s worst maritime disaster. Of what has been the worst maritime disaster there is still too little known. I know from the time that I have spent speaking face-to-face with people like Cynthia of the genuine grief and the need to have closure through a definitive answer to questions that have lingered for far too long.

The facts of the Montevideo Maruthe capture of the Australian Lark Force personnel and the civilian interns, as well as what we know about the circumstances of the ship’s sinking—have been, today, relatively well documented, both in the House and by the member. But it stands in contrast to the history—that for so long so many people had no real clarity about the circumstances that took place.

What I want to talk about today—and I am mindful of the presence in the public galleries of survivors, of relatives, of family and friends—is the need for closure and the need for certainty for so many Australians who lost family members either on the Montevideo Maru or in the days before the ship set sail. In the past I have sponsored petitions in this place calling for the government to conduct an inquiry, and for a search for the Montevideo Maru. It is important to acknowledge that not everyone is of the same view with respect to the relevance of that. But I have been persuaded over the years that an inquiry, and looking into the feasibility of a search, is the direction in which we should go to help to provide closure for those who still question who was on board and who was not.

In many respects, today is just a start. The formal recognition by this nation’s parliament is something that has been well overdue for too long. But it is just another step on the journey. I know, from having had the opportunity just this afternoon to speak with family members, that there is still a great desire for more to be done. That is why I was pleased that both the government and the opposition committed $100,000 today towards an ongoing search, as part of an ongoing commitment to bringing closure to the families involved.

On this important occasion, when the families of victims have travelled from around Australia to be in the House of Representatives today, I want to renew that call for closure. For Australia’s worst maritime disaster and following the joy of finding the HMAS Sydney and the Hospital Ship Centaur, I believe that we as a nation should expect nothing less. I also think we should give consideration to a national day of remembrance to be celebrated on 23 January—the anniversary of the fall of Rabaul, New Britain, New Ireland and the surrounding islands of New Guinea. The reality is that, despite this being Australia’s worst maritime disaster, there is not enough public awareness of the ultimate sacrifice made by more than 1,000 Australians in this incident. Though most Australians know of the HMAS Sydney and the search for the Centaur, fewer Australians would know anything about the tragedy of the Montevideo Maru. It is my sincere hope that today will represent a turning point in the ongoing story of the Montevideo Maru.

I would also like to place on the record my profound respect and admiration for the Australian men and women who gave their lives in this horrible disaster. Though not a lot, and certainly not enough, is known about their fate, we can be certain of their bravery and sacrifice in the defence of our nation. I have no doubt that all the people in the gallery today and all of those who read of this in subsequent days will stand proud of the fact that that sacrifice was not for naught but for our nation.

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