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

A decade has now passed since Islamic killers brought terror to our doorstep. Of the 202 people who died in the horrific terrorist attacks on the Indonesian island of Bali, 88 were Australians. A further 240 people were injured. Today, on behalf of the people of Ryan, I take this opportunity to put on record our condolences as well as our support for the families and friends who were affected by the terrible events which occurred on 12 October 2002.

The events that happened on the evening of 12 October 2002 will forever remain in the hearts and minds of all Australians. That evening three bombs were detonated on the peaceful island of Bali—two in the tourist district of Kuta and another outside the United States Consulate in Denpasar. It was 11.05 pm on 12 October 2002 when a suicide bomber inside Paddy's Pub detonated an explosive device in his backpack, causing many patrons to flee into the street. Twenty seconds later, a second and much more powerful car bomb hidden inside a van was detonated by a suicide bomber outside the Sari Club, opposite Paddy's Pub. Shortly before the two Kuta bombs exploded, a comparatively small bomb was thought to have been detonated outside the United States consulate in Denpasar, injuring one person and causing minimal property damage. The local hospital was not prepared to deal with the scale of the disaster and was overwhelmed with the number of victims, particularly burns victims. Many of the injured were evacuated to Darwin and Perth for specialist burns treatment.

I, like many other Australians, learned of the tragic events in Bali with the memory of the terrorist attacks of September 11 still fresh in my mind. In many ways, what happened in Bali that night was beyond 'terrorism'. What happened was barbaric, a mass killing without justification—a deliberate and premeditated attack on people caught off guard and unsuspecting while relaxing on holidays at a tourist destination. It was a terrible reminder that terrorism can strike anyone, anywhere, at any time. Australia was no longer immune to terrorism. We lost our innocence that night.

Today we think of the families and the friends of the victims of that terrible night—our thoughts and sympathies will always be with them. For those who survived the bombing, the painful memories are remembered by all of us. We can be justifiably proud of the acts of selflessness and bravery demonstrated by the survivors who helped their friends and did what they could to help the injured. We acknowledge those who contributed so much in the aftermath of the tragedy—the doctors, the health professionals, the police, the government officials and the local residents of Bali. Let us never forget their tireless work.

I also pay tribute to my fellow volunteers who staffed the 24/7 inquiry hotline for Red Cross at Police Headquarters in Brisbane. As the hours turned into days, it became so much more difficult to encourage callers not to give up hope for their loved ones from whom they had not heard. I will forever remember the call from a young wife some three days after the bombing. She had seen her husband off to Hong Kong the week before on a business trip. On hearing reports of the terrorist attack her first reaction was one of relief—that her husband would be safe. Only later did she find out that he had joined a group of friends and gone to Bali for the weekend.

On behalf of the people of Ryan, I once again extend my condolences to all of those affected by the events 12 October 2002 in Bali.

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