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

I rise with great sadness to speak on this condolence motion. At the outset I would like to associate myself with the very eloquent words of the minister who spoke just before me. We all in this place join together in honouring the memory and the sacrifice of five very brave Australians who lost their lives defending our freedoms and our rights that we take for granted every day, on the single worst day for casualties that we have seen since the Vietnam War. Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic, Sapper James Martin, Private Robert Poate, Lance Corporal Mervyn McDonald and Private Nathanael Galagher are our latest victims of this tragedy that is war and today I speak in particular of Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic, Sapper James Martin and Private Robert Poate.

What makes this tragedy so hard to digest is that these three soldiers were killed by the very person that they were trying to help. They were all shot by a rogue Afghan soldier whilst unwinding with beer after a long day of service. This cowardly internal attack is particularly disturbing because the enemy was walking within. I want to say a few words about each of these brave soldiers.

Lance Corporal Stjepan Milosevic, or 'Rick' as his mates used to refer to him, was a highly decorated soldier who received many awards: the Australian Active Service Medal with Clasps IRAQ 2003 and ICAT, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Australian Defence Medal, NATO Non Article 5 Medal with Clasp ISAF, the Army Combat Badge and the Return from Active Service Badge. At Kapooka he was deemed the most outstanding soldier. A soldier to the end, Rick was on his second deployment to the Middle East. He is survived by his partner, Kelly; their daughters, Sarah and Kate; his mother, Heather; his brother, Milan; and his sister, Danica.

Sapper James Martin was born in Perth in 1991 and joined the armed forces in 2011. Sapper Martin was on his first operational mission as part of the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment Task Group. He was known to be highly intelligent, and Sapper Martin was extremely well regarded by his peers. He was destined for even greater things in the armed forces. Sapper Martin received the following awards: the Australian Active Service Medal with Clasp ICAT, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Australian Defence Medal, NATO Non Article 5 Medal with Clasp ISAF and the Army Combat Badge. He is survived by his mother, Suzanne Thomas; his younger brother, Angus; his sister, Holly; and his grandparents, Lucille and Ralph Thomas.

Private Robert Poate was also a member of the 3rd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment Task Group. Private Poate was highly regarded for his leadership potential, having just completed a promotion course for the rank of corporal. Private Poate has also been awarded many honours and awards: the Australian Active Service Medal with Clasp ICAT, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Australian Defence Medal, the NATO Non Article 5 Medal with Clasp ISAF and the Infantry Combat Badge. Private Poate is survived by his parents, Hugh and Janny, and his sister, Nicola.

We thank these brave men for their service and their sacrifice. We honour their memory today. We grieve with their families, their friends and their comrades, whose lives have been changed forever.

These brave young men have paid the ultimate price for their loyalty and patriotism. In this country, we are forever grateful for their service in defending our values. It is particularly poignant, especially the day after the anniversary of September 11 and almost 10 years since the Bali bombing, that we would be standing in this place and honouring these men. My words are simply not eloquent enough. I need to refer to some words by Rudyard Kipling that struck me, where he said:

All we have of freedom—all we use or know—

This our fathers bought for us, long and long ago.

We owe them a great debt for their sacrifice. May they rest in peace and lest we forget.

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