Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence Materiel) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to express my condolences to the family and friends of Lieutenant Marcus Sean Case and Lance Corporal Andrew Jones. I also wish to offer my condolences to the family and friends of Sergeant Brett Wood and Sapper Rohan Robinson. The Australian War Memorial is less than 4,000 metres from here. Etched on its walls are the names of 102,734 men and women who have laid down their lives in the service of our nation. Four more men now join this list and, like the names they join, each of these men has their own story, their own family and their own legacy that they leave behind.

Sergeant Brett Wood lived an extraordinary life. He served across the world, in Bougainville, East Timor, Iraq and on three tours to Afghanistan. His many decorations speak of his courage, among them the Medal for Gallantry and a posthumously awarded United States Meritorious Service Medal. Brett was a commando, one of the Australian Army's most highly trained and important roles. He did that job since 1998. His 13 years in the special forces involved some of the most difficult and dangerous work that Australian forces have been asked to do. According to those who knew him well, he was not one to boast about it. At his funeral his wife, Elvie, said:

To say Brett was humble is an understatement. He did not want to be defined by his achievements and introduced himself as just an ordinary guy. His most frequent expression was 'no big deal'.

He was not an ordinary guy. He will be remembered as a decorated soldier, dedicated to the service of his country, and his death is a big deal for all Australians, as is the death of Lance Corporal Andrew Jones.

The photograph on our television sets and in our newspapers of Lance Corporal Jones, butcher's knife in hand and sharpening steel across his chest, tells us something very important. The work of our troops is not done just in the fields and in the mountains of Afghanistan; it is also done in the kitchens, the garages, the hospitals and the hangars, as well as at remote forward operating bases like FOB Mashal in the Chorah Valley where Lance Corporal Jones was killed. That he was taken from us by the actions of a rogue Afghan soldier makes his loss all the more painful and all the more difficult to accept. It is made no easier by the news yesterday of the death of that Afghan soldier who did this terrible act. The commander of Australian forces in the Middle East, Major General Angus Campbell, said: 'Lance Corporal Jones chose...to take the challenge of working in a patrol base and underwent additional weapons and other training to be part of the small, tight-knit teams that support our troops'. He said: 'the efforts of people like Lance Corporal Jones often go unrecognised, but they are much loved and respected for their contribution'. His efforts certainly do not go unrecognised in this place. They are appreciated. His sacrifice is remembered and his service is honoured by us all. In the words of Brigadier Mulhall, 'He was a bloody good soldier and bloody great cook,' and he will be remembered as such.

Our thoughts are also with the family, the five brothers and sisters and the parents of Lieutenant Marcus Case, who was killed when the Chinook he was in crashed in Afghanistan last month. He was a young man who packed a lot of living into a very short life. Many soldiers aspire to be a special forces commando, some to be an army aviator. Lieutenant Case was both. He served as a commando on his first deployment to East Timor in 2007 and as an aviator on his deployment to Afghanistan. Between those two deployments he was involved in another very important mission; he was part of Operation Queensland Flood Assist in January this year, flying reconnaissance missions across affected areas in a Kiowa helicopter. No wonder his family was so proud of him. At his funeral his brother Chris said, 'We are thankful he was born into our family.' They said he had a heart of gold. He will be remembered as a soldier, a pilot, a mate and a son. We are all grateful for his service and our thoughts remain with his family.

Finally, I take this opportunity to remember Sapper Rowan Robinson. As a sapper, he did one of the toughest jobs in Afghanistan, not only in combat construction, demolition and explosive work, but in all the other work of a soldier. Two weeks ago his unit uncovered one of the largest weapons caches found by the Australian Special Forces in Afghanistan this year. As they moved to the second part of the mission, Sapper Robinson was shot. He was providing covering fire for his mates. At his funeral, his father said, 'He was someone that others looked to when things got tough,' and you can understand why. His unit commander said this about Sapper Robinson:

He epitomised everything it means to be a special operations engineer … everything that one could be, he personified: bravery, mateship and a willingness to risk one's life so that others may live on. ...

These were his qualities.

He was a brave Australian soldier. He was also a son. I am told that, even while deployed in Afghanistan, Sapper Robinson organised to send his mum flowers on Mother's Day. We remember his commitment to his family alongside his commitment to his country. His father made this promise at his funeral:

We will be there every Remembrance Day and Anzac Day to honour you and your fallen mates, 'til the day we die.

Sapper Robinson's family will not be alone. As a nation we will pause to remember Sapper Rowan Robinson every Remembrance Day and every Anzac Day, just as we will remember Lieutenant Marcus Sean Case, Lance Corporal Andrew Jones, Sergeant Brett Wood and the other 23 who have fallen in Afghanistan whose names are inscribed on our hallowed Wall of Remembrance.

In the space of four weeks, the loss of four young Australians forever lost has had an impact. Understandably it has caused some to question why we are in Afghanistan and how long we will remain. In these dark moments it is important to remember why we are in Afghanistan. We are there because it is in our national interest to be there. It is in our national interest to be there because the threat posed by an unstable Afghanistan reaches far beyond its own borders. It affects its neighbours; it affect us. We all remember where we were on September 11. We remember where we were when we heard about the Bali bombings. We also have to remember where these terrible acts were planned and who the men were that planned them. We are one of 48 countries contributing to the same effort under a mandate of the United Nations, and we are all there for the same reason—the threat posed to all countries by an Afghanistan where malign forces can take root again. As I said in the debate about our involvement in Afghanistan last year, we cannot pretend that what happens in Afghanistan does not affect us here in Australia; it does, and because it does it is right that we are there. That is why our troops are there today. That is why their work requires our support in good times and in bad. That is what these men whom we honour today would expect of us. Our responsibility is to be worthy of them and of their sacrifice and to honour their memories with deeds, not just words. Lest we forget.

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