Kelly O'Dwyer (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The day 18 August is a solemn day for this nation. It is a day when we pause to remember those who fought and died in the Vietnam War. Up until recently, the Vietnam War was the longest major conflict in which Australian troops were involved, although this has recently been overtaken by our commitment in Afghanistan. This is not a record we take any pleasure in, as no person in Australia wants to go war; however, unfortunately, there are times where we must stand up in our national interest and do what is right even if it is not what is desirable. We pay tribute today in this chamber to those that fought so hard and gave so much so that we can live in peace and freedom. I take the opportunity to honour all of those who have laid down their lives in service of our country and pay tribute to the families who have sacrificed so much.

The initial contribution from Australia to the Vietnam War was just 30 military advisers. But as the task grew, so did Australia's commitment, ultimately culminating in 60,000 troops being deployed. Of these, over 500 died and over 3,000 were wounded.

The date of 18 August was chosen to commemorate the Battle of Long Tan, which took place in 1966, in which 108 Australian and New Zealand troops managed to overcome the odds and defeat over 2,000 Viet Cong soldiers on a rubber plantation just outside the village of Long Tan.

The battle was marred by torrential rain and monsoon-like conditions. When the guns finally fell silent and both sides counted their losses, it became apparent that 18 Australians and over 245 Vietnamese had lost their lives. The Battle of Long Tan saw the largest loss of Australian life in a single operation.

Three years after the Battle of Long Tan, a cross was raised on the site of the conflict and the day was marked as Long Tan Day until ultimately, in 1987, the then government of the day renamed it Vietnam Veterans Day, to honour all those who died in the war.

The Vietnam War was a particularly brutal one for so many reasons, the main one being that it was the last time Australia practised compulsory conscription. It was also brutal because of the nature of the conflict, often fought in the most extreme conditions, deep in the rainforest and largely guerrilla in nature. It was also brutal because many soldiers who returned to civilian life found it particularly difficult, through no fault of their own, to integrate back into the community.

I join with a number of speakers, who have already mentioned this in the chamber, in saying that the way in which we treated our returned soldiers who served our country in the Vietnam War was a national disgrace. It is a lesson for all of us: in no way will this shame ever be repeated. We must not ignore, nor underestimate, the work and the service that those men and women gave to our country, just as we also recognise the continued work and service that so many of our RSLs around the nation do.

In my electorate of Higgins I am very fortunate to have a number of very impressive and very active RSLs—the Prahran RSL, headed up by Rod Coote, with secretary, Noel Sanderson; the East Malvern RSL, with president Ken Johnson and secretary Terry Panton; Toorak RSL, with president Peter Stokes and secretary Harry Moyle; and the Oakleigh-Carnegie RSL, with president Hugh Gordon.

I am particularly attached to all of my RSLs, but I am a member of two in particular, having been a member for a period of the Melbourne University Regiment. The two RSLs that I am very involved in are the Prahran RSL, of which I am a patron, and the East Malvern RSL. I want to pay particular tribute to Rod Coote, who is the president of the Prahran RSL, and also secretary Noel Sanderson. That RSL went through some very difficult times. Both of these men served in the Vietnam War and they took it upon themselves to revive that RSL and to preserve its great history. They have done that in the most splendid and magnificent fashion. It has now become a focal point for our local community of Prahran. I want to pay tribute to them not only for the very hard work that they were involved in in engaging with the community but also for the very significant welfare work that they do for so many of our returned veterans.

The volunteer nature of Australians is what binds us as a society and, as I said before, our RSLs play a very significant part in being the glue that binds our neighbourhoods into communities. We must always protect and nurture this wonderful Australian tradition so that it is always encouraged and respected.

Again, I would like to take the opportunity to pay tribute to those who laid down their life in the Battle of Long Tan on 18 August and to all of those who served our nation in the Vietnam War and for the sacrifices that their family members made for us so that we may live in peace in this country.

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