Ewen Jones (Herbert, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to pay my respects on the loss of Sapper Rowan Jai Robinson. Sapper Robinson was a member of the special operations Incident Response Regiment, whose job it was to clear the way for the Special Forces who come behind them. As many have noted, this is a very dangerous job requiring a high level of skill and the most courageous soldiers. Sapper Robinson fitted into this category perfectly. Sapper Robinson has been described by his officers as a motivated, dedicated and highly professional soldier who recognised the dangerous and important nature of his role and took it extremely seriously. His family have spoken about how proud he was to be an Incident Response Regiment engineer.

After joining the Army in 2006 Sapper Robinson was posted to Townsville, my home town, to be followed soon after by his family as they sought to be closer to their children. As the home of Australia's largest defence base the people of Townsville feel the pain of his death acutely. I offer my sympathies to Sapper Robinson's family, friends and mates, particularly those with whom he served and who are still based at Lavarack Barracks. The community of Townsville is standing right beside you at this difficult time.

It was in protecting his mates through providing cover fire in overwatch that Sapper Robinson was killed. You sometimes think about how you would react if you were put into a situation like that. It is only when you are actually faced with situations like that that you find out whether you have the bravery or not. The Army does a lot of training so that it becomes muscle memory and they train over and over and over again. They take their training very, very seriously because if they get it wrong people die. In some cases even when they get it right people die.

Sapper Robinson showed great courage. He was killed in crossfire but he was able to show the grit in his teeth and the steel in his spine that truly makes our soldiers and the men and women of our ADF the best defence force in the world. Earlier in the day he had been part of a team that removed the largest cache of weapons, ammunition, drugs and bomb components found in Afghanistan this year. The significance of this and the wider role played by Sapper Robinson cannot be overstated. What he did was to take those weapons out of circulation so that they could never be used against anybody else. Sapper Robinson played a crucial role in contributing to a crucial war.

Thanks to our soldiers, the Afghanistan of today is unrecognisable compared to the Afghanistan that we first entered. That country, under the power of the Taliban, had no regard for justice, no regard for basic human rights and no regard for the lives of its people. The Taliban regime openly supported and fostered terrorism, and reports of atrocities committed against Afghanis by their own government quickly became common knowledge. The Taliban's values could not have been further removed from those we are fortunate enough to enjoy here in Australia and in other Western countries, and they targeted us for that.

Afghanistan has come a long way thanks to soldiers like Sapper Robinson, but the journey is far from over. We watch as our death toll from this deployment rises to 27. We must not forget what we are fighting for and how important it is. Afghanistan must become a democratic country where all its citizens are treated equally regardless of their age, sex, religion or ethnicity. Sapper Robinson was a brave soldier who played a role in Afghanistan that has not gone unnoticed, and he will never be forgotten. As I offer my deepest condolences to the Robinson family, I join the chorus of voices which reflect on the bravery and courage of a young soldier who has made the ultimate sacrifice for his country and for the international community, and with the promise that he did not die in vain.

Sapper Robinson's parents live in Townsville and when I called at his mum and dad's house the front step was covered with flowers. They were not home and it looked like they had already left for northern New South Wales in readiness for the funeral. I left a card to say that whatever they wanted they should call me. Those of us who are parents will mourn with Sapper Robinson's parents. Surely having to bury a child of your own is the hardest thing one must ever have to do. I pray that we do not have to do it. Our hearts go out to Sapper Rowan Robinson's parents and family. Our thoughts are with you. You are not alone. I honour the bravery of this young man and soldier. May he rest in peace. Lest we forget.

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