Patrick Secker (Barker, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and may I congratulate you on your exultation for this honoured job that you have had. It is the first time I have actually had the opportunity to be speaking when you have been in the chair.

The 11th of November 1998, one of the Remembrance Days we are talking about, was very special for me, because on that day I had the honour of seconding the Address-in-Reply to the Governor-General in my maiden speech to parliament—we had only been sworn in the day before. The former member for Blair, Cameron Thompson, moved that debate before 11 am and, appropriately, the former member for Cowan, Graham Edwards, a Vietnam veteran who lost his legs in action, was given the honour of speaking after the one minute silence. I thought that was very appropriate and I had the privilege to follow Graham Edwards in that speech on that day.

Remembrance Day is a time to pause and reflect on the significant sacrifices made by those men and women who have served Australia in past conflicts. It is a time to honour those who have fallen and to acknowledge that our country is the vibrant democracy it is today as a result of men and women who were prepared to sacrifice everything in order to serve in our armed forces and defend our country on the battlefield.

Recently we learnt of the very sad and tragic death of Corporal Scott James Smith. Corporal Smith was born in the Barossa Valley in my electorate of Barker. He joined the Army in 2006, was a member of the Special Operations Task Group and was from the Special Operations Engineer Regiment based at Holsworthy Barracks in New South Wales—they are affectionately known as 'sappers'. I take this opportunity to once again extend my deepest sympathy to the family and friends of Corporal Smith. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and his fellow soldiers who served alongside him in Afghanistan.

So let us recognise the contributions of our servicemen and women and let us also remember the contributions made by many Indigenous servicemen and women, and that is what this motion seeks to do. It highlights their involvement and ensures that their contributions are fully acknowledged and recognised, because in the past this has not been the case. This motion is also about uncovering the hidden histories of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ex-service men and women, ensuring that their legacy is no longer a silent one.

It is important that we recognise the contributions of servicemen and servicewomen, Indigenous and non-Indigenous. Some years ago, when I served on the Joint Standing Committee on Native Title, I personally saw on their islands many of their memorials for Torres Strait Islanders who had served in conflicts, which is when I first became aware of their valiant efforts.

As Australians, we have a lot to be thankful for. So much is owed to the good work of our military personnel, from World War I, when, of course, November 11 originated, and World War II to Vietnam, Korea and, more recently, Afghanistan and Iraq. Australia has stood up for freedom and democracy and our military personnel have done, and continue to do, what needs to be done to ensure that Australia and its interests are protected from external threats. Australia is also a country that punches above its weight when it comes to our contribution to defending these principles, and that is worth noting as well. That is a reflection of the commitment, dedication and professionalism of our serving forces. Part of honouring our servicemen and servicewomen involves expressing our gratitude for their service and, on behalf of my electorate of Barker, I say thank you. There are many ways that we can say thank you. We should remember what we have been silent about with our Indigenous servicemen and we say thank you by remembering their stories, we say thank you by maintaining war memorials and we say thank you by ensuring that when our veterans return we see that they are treated with respect and given every support that a nation should provide.

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