Peter Slipper (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I normally do not rise in the chamber to read statistics from a newspaper. I am indebted to the Parliamentary Library for forwarding some statistics included in the 11 September 2011 edition of the UK newspaper the Daily Telegraph. The article in the Telegraph provides a detailed description of what happened on September 11 and includes some information which is quite chilling:

Ten Australians died in the attacks: Alberto Dominguez, Yvonne Kennedy, Craig Neil Gibson, Steve Tompsett, Elisa Ferraina, Lesley N. Thomas, Leanne Whiteside, Peter Gyulavary, Andrew Knox and, from Queensland, Kevin Dennis. Kevin Dennis was originally from the Gold Coast and had become a US based stockbroker with Cantor Fitzgerald. He was working on the 101st floor of the World Trade Center's north tower.

Many honourable members have said that they remember, as I do, exactly what they were doing when they heard the news of this appalling tragedy. The uncle of a former staff member of mine was a colonel in the Defence Intelligence Agency of the United States. When the plane struck the Pentagon, his uncle was attending his retirement party in the Pentagon. Happily for him, the plane struck a different part of the Pentagon and his uncle was quite safe.

All of us as Australians, in partnership with people who think correctly around the world, could not help but be stunned by the attacks on the United States on 11 September 2001. Ten years on we are still surprised that these horrendous attacks were carried out not for any obvious or sensible purpose but out of a general hatred for Western values. The attacks were an attack on freedom, hope, respect, love of our fellow men and women and the rule of law. I found it astounding that anyone of any religion could carry out such a barbaric series of acts that had a complete lack of respect for human life.

What is positive is that the ideals held dear by nations such as Australia and the United States have remained and grown stronger over the past decade.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 11:30 to 11:56

As I was commencing to say when I was rudely interrupted by the series of divisions in the main chamber, I believe that President George W Bush showed great leadership during that period, and I have to say that I was enormously moved to see President Obama and former President Bush and their spouses together helping to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the attack on the United States. There is no doubt that there were plenty of tears around the world, but what is important is what we do from this time forward—and, indeed, what we have done during the period since September 11.

I think it is vital to recognise that the war against terror is a war that we cannot afford to lose. I do not see this as being any sort of religious war; I believe that right-thinking people of good values, regardless of their religion, would have been appalled by the senseless acts of terror we saw during the attacks on America during September 2001. The sight of terrified New Yorkers running to escape the carnage, showing their panic, their confusion, and the human horror of that terrible event will never leave us. The attacks on the two towers in New York have become the symbol of that day, but that day also saw planes crash into the Pentagon, as I mentioned earlier, in Arlington, Virginia, and a fourth plane crash into a field in Pennsylvania.

The perpetrators of this appalling act of criminality had to appreciate and must appreciate that their act of terror from the very outset would be met with resilience and determination and that their attempts to rob people of their lives, their way of life and their values would be met by the world, which would not be prepared to succumb. The terrorist attacks were a public relations disaster for the terrorists, and I think the world has since then galvanised towards making sure that our planet is a safer place.

In Australia we are singularly fortunate because we are a peace-loving nation and, generally, we respect the rights of others. We sometimes may disagree with the views of our fellow citizens, but we support, in the majority, the ideal that we are free to think what we want, and we also believe that others have the right to have different beliefs. We believe in freedom. We support a stable society. We care for others in times of need. While we might have different views on a whole range of subjects, including politics, there is more that at binds us together than separates us. The ideals of Australia have not crumbled or fallen. They have never, ever looked as though they were precarious. We and the rest of the Western world have grown taller. All people from democratic countries, including Australians, should carry the resolve and belief that we will prevail against the horror we saw on that day and the horror that has been attempted on a number of occasions since. I am particularly pleased to have the opportunity to associate myself with the sentiments of all other honourable members who have spoken during this very moving and very important opportunity for us to place on the record how we feel about the terrible events of September 11 and how we feel the world should move forward to prevent similar occurrences in the future.

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