Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

11 September 2001 was, without doubt, a day that changed the world. Although terrorism itself was not a new phenomenon, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the crashed plane in Pennsylvania, have come to symbolise what is terrorism. It is easy to see why—the sight of two of the most iconic towers in the Western world burning, knowing that they were full of innocent citizens, strikes fear and sadness into the hearts of those who see that image. It frightens us. It causes terror and, at the end of the day, that is the sole aim of terrorists.

Before September 11, we lived in a world in which a Boeing 747 was not a missile; a train was transport, not a potential high-speed weapon; an unaccompanied backpack was simply thought to be carelessly left behind by a distracted traveller; and a nightclub was not thought to be an ideal place for a strategically planned inferno. These are thoughts that will now forever be at the back of our minds, thoughts that constantly creep into our conscience. That is how September 11 truly changed the world we knew. For the first time, the attacks in which innocent people were dying were delivered straight into our living rooms in real time. The world stopped. Everyone remembers what they were doing and where they were when they watched these life-changing events unfold.

These attacks moved terms like 'terrorism', 'insurgency' and 'al-Qaeda' out of the realm of foreign policy and into our everyday vocabulary. It made the world seem like a much smaller place. World issues that were once only the problems of faraway lands were now right on our doorsteps. In that way, it shattered some of the West's remaining innocence; it made us question whether we were safe in our own homes. The attacks themselves were not just physical but a carefully planned message to strengthen their impact—'You are no longer safe.' On this day, 11 September 2001, 9-11, the Twin Towers—the symbol of world trade and modernity in the centre of one of the great cities of the world—were destroyed. Australia did not stand idly by when the time came to defend the values that were attacked that day. We understood that this was not just an attack on America but an attack on a way of life, a way of life that we too live by. This was even further apparent one year after the September 11 attacks, with the Bali bombings of 2002. We have been steadfast in our resolve and it is easy to see why President Obama wrote a particular letter of thanks to Australia on this 10th anniversary, one of only three written to nations around the world. In part, it read that Australia's support was shown immediately in the 'heartfelt words of support and sympathy on that day' by former Prime Minister John Howard, who was in Washington at the time.

A generation has grown up in the 10 years since September 11. Those who were children struggling to understand in 2001 have been through high school and university in the age of terror. They still travel, still embrace the world's opportunities, but they do so while family members are justifiably more anxious about their safety. Before 2001, a terrorist attack would have been the last worry on a parent's mind as their child travelled to New York, London, Madrid or Bali. Since 2001 that has changed. It has changed because of the lives that were lost: 3,559 souls in the September 11 attacks alone, including 10 Australians—lives changed forever, lives never forgotten. We have heard their stories. At the end they rang their loved ones. In their last moments, no petty grievance mattered, no material wealth brought joy. All they wanted to do was say 'I love you' one last time.

This year, on the 10th anniversary of the attacks, we saw the world come together to remember. We came together to remember those who fell. We came together to remember the New York firefighters and police officers who risked their lives to save others, and to remember the city and the nation which were shocked to the core by these attacks. We came together to stand beside them to show them that they are not alone. We believe in the values that were attacked that day: freedom, faith and unity, living a life of opportunity and reward, a life in which we maintain hope, living a life free of fear.

It is timely to recognise our courageous service men and women who are today still putting their lives on the line in Afghanistan to continue the battle against terrorism and to protect those values for us all. It is timely to remember the 192 of our country men and women who have been injured, and the 29 who have paid the ultimate price with their lives. This is why we continue to show that terrorism has not won. It may have changed our lives forever but we have all shown that our resolve is stronger, that we are resilient, because we have faith in freedom and because we remember those that we love.

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