Louise Markus (Macquarie, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise today to commemorate particularly Vietnam Veterans Day but also to honour those men and women who have served through our history and continue to serve as I speak here in the chamber. The 18th of August is a significant day on the Australian calendar. It is the opportunity for all Australians to remember those who served during the Vietnam conflict and to acknowledge the price paid not just by them and their mates but also by their families. In total, approximately 60,000 Australians served in the Vietnam War between July 1962 and June 1973, and 521 Australians were killed in action and over 3,000 were wounded. Like all men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice in the fight for freedom, we honour their lives and acknowledge the deep loss of those who loved them.

The Australian commitment consisted predominantly of Army personnel; however, a significant number of Air Force and Navy personnel as well as some civilians served during this period. Australia's involvement began with the Australian Army Training Team arriving in South Vietnam in July 1962. This consisted of 30 military advisers who were known as 'the Team'. The Royal Australian Air Force also sent a flight of Caribou transports to the port of Vung Tau in 1964. At the beginning of 1965 it became evident that South Vietnam could not keep at bay the Vietcong and their North Vietnamese comrades for more than a few months. This led to a major escalation by the US military, who requested that Australia and other nations join the effort. The Australian government dispatched the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment in June 1965 to serve alongside the US 173rd Airborne Brigade in Bien Hoa province.

There were many significant battles with Australians involved. Australia's heaviest actions of the war occurred in August 1966 in what would later become known as the Battle of Long Tan. This year, as has already been mentioned, we mark the 45th anniversary of the battle. The battle involved a company of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, 6RAR, and took place in a rubber plantation near Long Tan. The 108 soldiers of D Company held off an enemy force estimated to be over 2,000 for four hours in the middle of a tropical downpour. They were greatly assisted by a timely ammunition resupply by RAAF helicopters, close fire support from Australian artillery and the arrival of reinforcements in APCs as night fell. The armoured vehicles had been delayed, having had to 'swim' across a flooded creek and fight through groups of enemy along the way. When the Vietcong withdrew at nightfall they left behind 245 dead but carried away many more casualties. Seventeen Australians were killed in action and 25 were wounded, with one losing his battle for life several days later.

The 18th of August has become the day that veterans from the Battle of Long Tan observe a day of commemoration. This day has, since the 1980s, come to be recognised also as Vietnam Veterans Day. It is a day when everyday Australians acknowledge all who served in that conflict and their families.

Macquarie is home to two Royal Australian Air Force bases, Glenbrook and Richmond, and has a very strong ex-service community. I was privileged to attend the Vietnam Veterans and Associated Forces Memorial Day activities which were held in Springwood on 14 August. I acknowledge and congratulate all those who organised the day. An event like that takes many months—in fact, probably from one year to the next—to organise. It is attended not just by residents of the Blue Mountains but by many ex-service organisations, members of the ex-service community and current serving personnel from across our region. It was particularly heartening to see the people from different generations—young children from local schools and many from volunteer organisations—who came to acknowledge the service of our men and women. We also had present with us on that day the Governor of New South Wales, Marie Bashir, who is indeed well loved by those in the service and ex-service communities and in the seat of Macquarie.

Another group I particularly acknowledge is the Children and Grandchildren of Vietnam Veterans Network. I was honoured to be invited to the inaugural conference of the network during my time as shadow minister for veterans' affairs. The network is committed to supporting generations of not only families of Vietnam veterans but all military families by understanding and providing meaning through their shared experiences of living with parents affected by their time in the Vietnam conflict. Families are often forgotten. They indeed pay a price as well. The Vietnam Veterans' Family Study, due to be completed in 2012, hopefully will provide insights and solutions for how we assist those impacted by military service.

There are many vibrant service and ex-service organisations in Macquarie—the RSL, Legacy, the Vietnam Veterans Association and the War Widows Guild, to name a few. I acknowledge their daily and weekly service to both current and ex-service personnel and their ongoing practical support for all our veterans and their families. I would like for a moment to focus on the BEST program, the Building Excellence in Support and Training program, which offers grants to ex-service organisations, pensioners, welfare practitioners and advocates who provide advice and assistance to the veteran and defence communities. This has been an invaluable program. In my time as shadow minister I was honoured to be able to fight on behalf of veterans to ensure that the amount of funding for this program increased year by year. It is very disappointing that the 2011-12 budget has significantly reduced the amount of BEST program grants. The 2010-11 financial year saw around $6.7 million in payments. However, the Labor government has slashed this valued service significantly with less than $3.7 million available in the current budget. This will severely impact the capacity of ex-service organisations to respond to the needs of the community.

Sadly, it is through not only the reduced funding of the BEST program that this Labor government is letting our veterans down. The voting down of the Defence Force Retirement and Death Benefits Amendment (Fair Indexation) Bill 2010 by Labor clearly demonstrated where their priorities lie. It is a shameful betrayal of the men and women who serve and have served our nation in the Australian Defence Force. The decision by Labor to vote this down means that many in the veteran community will see their superannuation continue to lose purchasing power. This is at a time when further increases in the cost of living are impacting their quality of life. The coalition has been very clear on this issue; we believe that military service is unique in its nature and Australian service personnel both past and present, after giving so much for their nation, deserve to live out their lives with the knowledge that they have financial security. Labor made a commitment at the 2007 election to fix military superannuation. We are familiar with these false promises. Unlike Labor, the coalition has consulted widely and has listened carefully to the views put forward by veterans, the ex-service people, ex-service organisations and current ADF personnel. It is time that this Labor government did the same thing. I urge the Prime Minister to offer veterans the support they need and deserve by restoring adequate BEST funding and by supporting a reconsideration of the defence force retirement and death benefits bill. This would be a very practical way that the government could acknowledge that we remember and acknowledge the service of all our veterans.

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