Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Hansard source

It is with a deep sense of regret and sadness that I stand here today to offer my condolences for the death of Corporal Cameron Baird of the 2nd Commando Regiment, who was killed on Saturday night while serving with the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan.

Corporal Baird, as we have heard, was a very professional and very dedicated soldier. He was experienced, having served in the army for over 11 years. He was involved in overseas deployments on many occasions: five times to Afghanistan, previously to Iraq in Operation Bastille, and also in Operation Tanager to Timor-Leste. He was a man of great experience. He had and demonstrated exceptional skills and the leadership required to command soldiers in one of our most elite fighting units.

Corporal Baird had clearly proven himself in combat on many occasions. In November in 2007, on one of his five deployments to Afghanistan, we know that he was awarded the Medal for Gallantry. Whilst we have heard what the commendation for his medal said, it is worth noting that he won this medal during the close-quarter battle with insurgents that resulted in the tragic death of Private Luke Worsley.

All of our service men and women in Afghanistan demonstrate courage that is very hard for most of us here to imagine or understand. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that, except for those people who have served in Afghanistan, it is totally beyond our comprehension. Many may have visited, like me, but to really understand the battle space, to understand the sacrifice and to understand the hardship, I think you would have to have worn that uniform the way in which so many proud Australian have worn it and continue to do so. How hard it is to comprehend the bravery one must demonstrate in these circumstances to be awarded the Medal for Gallantry. In a country where fierce and countless actions have occurred, only a very few of our bravest soldiers have demonstrated the extreme courage and professionalism needed to be awarded this prestigious medal. Corporal Baird was one of these very few.

Australia has lost a hero. His comrades will feel that loss. To his unit, regiment and every member of the ADF, I want to extend my deepest sympathies today. To his family and friends, I would say that, while nothing can lessen the horrible grief you must feel, Cameron was a remarkable Australian and a remarkable soldier. We will always remember his sacrifice.

Last Thursday and Friday, I had the immense honour to visit our forces in Dubai and Afghanistan. I visited the Special Operations Task Group last Friday and saw first-hand the incredible work being undertaken by this unit. I had a long briefing with Lieutenant Colonel 'J', who is a commanding officer of the Special Operations Task Group. I met soldiers from 2nd Commando, the same unit that Corporal Baird was from. Being able to talk to these soldiers and officers, to see what they were doing and to gauge the success of their mission, was indeed a privilege. The most obvious thing that struck me was the confidence, enthusiasm and professionalism that every member of the task group demonstrated. There was confidence in their skills and confidence in their leadership in the Special Operations Task Group and, indeed, across the ADF. They had a confidence in their professionalism and in their ability to do the job.

These soldiers have been constantly working in terribly harsh conditions with an intensity that few can appreciate. During last week, the temperatures were in the 40s. While out on operations, with these extreme temperatures and the hardships that go with that, they carry incredible loads and do incredible things. They do it cheerfully and they do it with a spirit that is so incredible it is nothing short of heroic. It made me then, has made me since and will make me in the future a very proud Australian to have met these wonderful men and women and to observe what they do for us in Afghanistan.

We need to remember the very important role that the ADF is performing, an important role in Afghanistan that is making a real difference to the lives of the Afghan people. They have helped train and mentor the Afghan security forces, both police and the army. These Afghan forces are now responsible for the security in Uruzgan province. This is really no mean feat and it has taken years of hard dedicated struggle and work to achieve it. On Friday I was told on several occasions just how successful the training has been and how the Afghan security forces are now able to consistently defeat insurgents on their own. They have this great capacity which has been learnt and mentored by Australian Defence Force personnel.

Our special operations task group continues to work closely with the provincial response company and with great success. Together they continue to disrupt the insurgency and narcotics networks. This very dangerous work is helping Afghanistan to be a safer and more stable country, no longer a safe haven for terrorists. It is trite for us to stand here and make observations because it is really difficult to actually communicate the message to the Australian community and the world community about what magnificent work these men and women are doing and have done. Despite the enduring nature of the struggle, they are prevailing.

When we finally depart Uruzgan province, we will be able to do so with great confidence that we have done our job well but we can never forget—and will never forget—that now, as of today, this mission has come at a terrible cost and 40 Australian soldiers have made the ultimate sacrifice. Many more have been wounded or have suffered life changing injuries. But they willingly sacrificed their lives for us, for Australia, and we as a nation can never forget it and must never forget it.

I just wanted to make mention of those people who on the battlefield are the first responders to those who might be wounded or otherwise injured, the combat first aiders and the combat medics, people whose actions have clearly saved the lives of many. They are well trained, they are very capable, they are very professional, they are very dedicated and they are very calm under extreme pressure. I have heard this now on more than one occasion. The people in the role 2 medical facility at Tarin Kot—surgeons, doctors and nurses, the other medics, the allied health professionals—are all people whose actions have gone to save lives. The role 3 hospital at Kandahar and ultimately Landstuhl in Germany are for those injuries and wounds have been so traumatic that they have had to be evacuated out of theatre.

We should not underestimate and cannot overstate the contribution these wonderful people make to Australia's serving men and women and to the serving men and women of other nations. It is not just the role they play in maintaining our serving men and women in theatre but, most importantly, the way they intervene to save the lives of those out in the field on operations. Their very early stage interventions—make no mistake—keep people alive

Our thoughts and deep sympathies go out to Cameron's parents, his brother and his partner. Our thoughts also go to his mates at the 2nd Commando Regiment, particularly to those he served with in Afghanistan. For the remainder of the year, until Australian forces complete their mission in Uruzgan province, our troops will continue to confront danger. It is a dangerous place. It is still a war zone. Whilst we might be leaving, it is not a place for the faint-hearted; it is a place for dedicated soldiers, sailors and air men and women—those who make up our team in Uruzgan and elsewhere in Afghanistan. We wish them, first and foremost, a safe return home and to continue their efforts in the finest traditions of the ADF.

I have said this in the past, and indeed I made reference to it earlier in this contribution: I stand in awe of these men and women. When you eyeball these young people in theatre, you see how keen they are to do the job they are being required to do. You see their inventiveness, their larrikinism, their camaraderie, their humour and their ability, of which we can have no doubt. They have shown great leadership on the battlefield—from very brave soldiers such as this wonderful man, Corporal Baird, through to the most senior personnel. We can have great faith in the work they do for us. We need to appreciate, on a daily basis, that they are out there potentially sacrificing their lives for us at our command. We do ourselves and the nation a disservice if we do not continually remind ourselves of that fact.

Corporal Cameron Stewart Baird, Killed in Action, 22 June 2013. Lest we forget.

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