Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for School Education, Early Childhood and Youth) Share this | Hansard source

On indulgence, I rise to speak on Australia's greatest maritime tragedy, an event that is still not widely recognised in our nation. But, following the commemoration of its 70th anniversary at the Australian War Memorial in July this year, and with the dedication of a special memorial sculpture by the sculptor James Parrett located close to the 'Weary' Dunlop statue, we now have at last a significant focus point to commemorate and recognise the tragic loss that took place 70 years ago.

My connection with the sinking of the Montevideo Maru goes to the fact that my grandfather was on board that vessel. I share with many families a great sense of relief that we are now able to have a place here in the national capital where the sacrifice of those who perished on board can be both recognised and reflected upon.

It is probably worth noting that the parliament has previously recorded its condolences and acknowledgement of this event. That was 2010, if my memory serves me correctly. I want to pay tribute to my colleague Alan Griffiths, the then Minister for Veterans' Affairs, for his participation in ensuring that we started to acknowledge this event. However, it is the case that for an event of this scale, where more people lost their lives than in the Vietnam War, it is due recognition. I very much hope that greater attention will be given to the anniversaries in years to come.

It is worth while reflecting on why we know so little of this event, given the magnitude of the disaster. Let us first reprise what actually happened to the Montevideo Maru. It was a Japanese merchant vessel commissioned by the Japanese defence forces to evacuate the remaining members of the Lark Force who were defending the island of New Britain from the Japanese invasion that took place in January 1942. As well there were civilian internees, including my grandfather, who was a cocoa planter from the island. Former opposition leader Kim Beazley's uncle was on the vessel, I believe. He was a missionary and a number of missionaries were evacuated along with other civilians. The number of people on board the vessel is significant. There were some 1,535 who perished, about 1,000 of those being members of the Lark Force, and the others were civilians.

As the Montevideo Maru was steaming towards the Philippines, the island of Luzon, an American submarine which had been trailing it for some time, given that it had no markings and believing it to be a part of the Japanese war effort, made the decision to aim four torpedoes at it. Those four torpedoes were launched and within a relatively short period of time, from what we know, the ship sank and all those who were internees or prisoners of war perished. A small number of Japanese seamen did escape from the vessel, but every Australian on board died.

It is worth while remembering that the Japanese had launched their attack on Pearl Harbor only months before, and so the war in the Pacific was well underway. Once the Japanese had determined to invade the island of New Britain, as they were pushing south towards Australia, there was a really small force of Australians, the Lark Force, who were there to deal with the Japanese advance. There were about 1,500 with very few aircraft to counter the superior forces of the Japanese and the defence of Rabaul itself was considered to be futile. The commander of the time declared every man for himself as Rabaul fell.

I am the patron of the Montevideo Maru and Rabaul Society, succeeding my colleague Kim Beazley in that role. I was really pleased to be at a commemoration dinner that took place earlier this year, before we went to the War Memorial. Lieutenant General David Morrison spoke at the event, where he too reflected on the lack of preparedness of Australian troops. He was candid about this lack of the preparedness, saying it was 'a stuff-up'. Indeed it was; it was a monumental stuff up, yet again testimony to the futility of war when appropriate planning and considerations are not given to those young men—and now young women—who make those ultimate sacrifices. Once the decision was made to evacuate Rabaul, people were loaded on to the Montevideo Maru and it was destined for Hainan, as it turned out, but it was sunk en route by the American submarine USS Sturgeon.

How is it that I am standing in the Australian parliament in 2012 and, I would hazard a guess, still very few Australians, certainly young Australians, know about this event and about its magnitude? I think part of the answer is that at the time it was in the midst of an extremely difficult period of conflict and war, communications were scratchy at the best of times and, regrettably, families had very little idea about who was on the boat and who in fact had perished.

It is the case that both the Menzies government and the Chifley government at the time, from the brief historical analysis that has been done, seemed to have underplayed the significance of the incident. There were calls for inquiries; they went unheeded. As it were, it was only through the efforts over time of a small number of families who had succeeded those who had lost their lives that we ended up with a memorial in the Australian parliament and the parliament not only passing the resolution but also this condolence motion, which was moved by the Leader of the Opposition and seconded by the Prime Minister.

I certainly want to put on record my profound appreciation for the enduring efforts of those who have worked both to enable us to have a better recognition and understanding of this event and its magnitude and also who have championed the erection of a commemoration and for that commemoration, which was done by the Governor-General on the 70th anniversary on Sunday, 1 July, to take place. Many of those people are now elderly, and I think it was a very, very moving day but a very good day in that we were able to provide the opportunity—as we had through some support that the government and other sponsors had given—for people who had fought with great forbearance for so long to have this point of reflection and respect for their families.

To the Rabaul and Montevideo Maru Society; to the past president Keith Jackson; to Don Hook; to current president Phil Ainsworth, who is now handing over those reins to Andrea Williams, whose efforts were untiring; to the vice president of the society, again a former colleague, Kerry Sibraa, a senator in this parliament some years ago—and it is through his company that he is associated with Jackson Wells and many others: I want to put on the record my appreciation for their support.

We see in our national character, as we reflect on these difficult, turbulent and tragic events, something that enables us to understand ourselves a little better and perhaps reflect on what previous generations did for us. We have the spirit of Gallipoli, and that now infuses us as a nation and makes us capable of reflection across a number of dimensions. We saw stoic endurance during the war in places like Kokoda. In the aftermath of Vietnam we are seeing what those consequences can be on the mental capacities of people who go through it.

These things are embedded in our national psyche in many different ways, but it is fitting, 70 years on, that we remember and honour those souls who were on the Montevideo Maru, who lost their lives a long, long way from home and whose memory and whose sacrifice the nation can now acknowledge and cherish.

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