Chris Hayes (Fowler, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I too rise to speak on the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center in the United States. It is very hard to grasp. It has been 10 years now since the events of September 11, the events that have changed our world forever. I remember this event very well. My son was an apprentice electrician at the time. He got up as he did every day and was having a cup of coffee before going to work at a bit after five in the morning. He came down and woke me up and told me that a plane had crashed. That was the extent of the report at that stage. We got up and as we watched we saw the second plane come in. I recall that that day I probably spent hours watching the events over there. It numbed not only the people of the United States but anyone who loved freedom to see what was occurring. As I said, it was a day I will never, ever forget.

We saw two of the best recognised buildings in the world attacked. We saw those buildings brought down. We made assumptions there and then about what the loss of life would be. It was extraordinarily high. We then saw the Pentagon, which is the heart of the world's greatest military, under attack and on fire. What we saw was a product of the real face of evil. Subsequent to that we also saw the resolve of people—all of those who support freedom, tolerance, inclusion and the democratic principles—to come together to fight such evil.

The commemorative ceremonies in New York last week were incredibly moving. Ten years on they are still inspirational. The way in which citizens of the United States have supported each other over that whole period—people were tragically killed and families were separated too early—is an example of what a strong society can do. That is something that should be admired.

The commemorative events, as we could see, allowed for loved ones or victims to tell their stories and ensured that children, some of whom never got a chance to meet their parents, understand what really happened. It is really inspirational to see members of the community, 10 years on, continuing to support one another emotionally, physically and spiritually, ensuring that the memory of such a catastrophic event has actually served to strengthen the resolve of a society and the bonds that keep it together. Rather than break it, we have seen that the events have strengthened the resolve.

Even out of a tragedy as great as this there have arisen stories of the great spirit and heroism of men and women. In circumstances of disaster, particularly this tragedy, people give us great hope and faith in the resilience and spirit of mankind who face moral and physical danger and challenge. In the case of 9-11 there was an abundance of stories, particularly from firefighters and police officers. I had the opportunity, when I visited the United States 18 months ago, to visit the memorial to those who had lost their lives there. I spent time with the firefighters as well as the police. When I visited the World Trade Center commemorative office—I am not sure of the actual title—the guide who took us through had lost his son Jonathon. Unlike many others, this guide was fortunate enough to recover the body of his son. He knew that his son had died a hero. That story in particular stuck with me because my wife Bernadette was with me at the time and our youngest boy is called Jonathon.

Those of us who witnessed that September 11 attack on our televisions screens will never forget the horror of it. I can only imagine what it would have been like for those New Yorkers who were there. They got up to go to work on a day which was no different to any other day and then had this impact on their lives in such an extraordinary way. Hitherto it would have been seen as unbelievable that that could occur in the United States.

For many of us, let's face it, America is not a country that is foreign. It is a country that many of us travel to. New York is one of my favourite cities around the globe. It is certainly a city, as the song says, that never sleeps. I think that applies to people right around the globe. The extent of this horror, the indiscriminate killing, did not affect only citizens of the United States; most people saw this as an attack on our way of life.

There were 10 Australians amongst the thousands who died. That is something that we also have regard to. Our thoughts should go to the families of those 10 Australians who lost their lives. Among them was Yvonne Kennedy, a widow with two sons, from Westmead, in the electorate next to mine. She had retired from the Red Cross after 25 years of service and was on her retirement holiday. Those of us in the Labor Party certainly remember Andrew Knox, an industrial officer who worked for my former union, the Australian Workers Union, in Adelaide. He was working on the 103rd floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center. For Leanne Whiteside of Melbourne, it was her second day on the job working for an insurance company. Alberto Dominguez was a retired Qantas baggage handler. He had worked for Qantas for 21 years and was a very prominent member of the Spanish community. Leslie Thomas from the New South Wales Central Coast was working in New York as an options trader for Cantor Fitzgerald, a company that, unbelievably, lost 700 people that day. They sound like figures now, but, putting that in context of humanity, that is probably one of the worst assaults on freedom-loving people around the globe. As I said, whilst the attack may have occurred in the United States, it vibrated significantly amongst all people who hold freedom true to their hearts. It reminds us of how interconnected we all are. As I said, New York is a very vibrant city. It is one of the most multicultural cities in the world and it is certainly one of the most generous when it comes to welcoming people.

As has been reiterated many times over the past few days—in fact, over the last 10 years since 9-11—it really changed the course of our history. That is the case not only for the United States but for all its allies and all countries who believe in freedom, tolerance and inclusion and adhere to democratic principles. Clearly, we are one of those. Since then, our police and intelligence services have been far better equipped, informed and prepared to go about their task in preventing our community from the prospect of terrorist attack. Our communications and cooperation with intelligence agencies of all allied nations have been strengthened significantly over this period. A number of pieces of legislation, both in this government and in the former government, have been passed unanimously to ensure that our national security forces and underpinning laws are such that they equip the people that we rely upon to protect our nation with the necessary tools and regulatory support to do their business—that is, protect our communities. We need to ensure that we are in step with all the technological advancements, particularly in the areas of communication and transport, so that we can guard against the potential of more violence in our communities.

Returning to the anniversary of September 11, 10 years has passed and the sense of loss and grief certainly still remains in the hearts of all those who lost loved ones. We should continue to express our condolences and offer our support to our great ally, our great friend, the United States. This reinforces our commitment to our mutual aims and mutual objectives.

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