Alan Griffin (Bruce, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I join with others to talk a little about the 100th anniversary of the landings at Gallipoli, the establishment of the Anzac tradition and the nature of how we as a nation have been seeking to commemorate those events of a century ago.

As a former Minister for Veterans Affairs, I had the privilege to represent the Australian parliament and also the Australian government on two occasions at the dawn service at Gallipoli on Anzac Day. For those who have had that opportunity it is a rare opportunity, an opportunity of a lifetime. For anyone who is considering at some stage making the pilgrimage to Gallipoli, I would certainly encourage you to do so.

It is a confronting place which highlights very much the trials and tribulations of all those who fought there 100 years ago. It is a daunting place in terms of the courage, sacrifice and carnage that took place there 100 years ago. It is also a strangely eerie place because as you look around those hills and valleys you know that the land is sown with the blood and the bodies of many, many thousands of young men, predominantly, who fought and died in that place.

They were men from nations all over the world because this was part of a world war—many, many Turks, who died defending their homeland, Australians, New Zealanders, Sri Lankans, French, English, Newfoundland, you name it. I would like to emphasise that, although this was a location where Australia was seen to come of age as a nation and the Anzac tradition was born, it is a place of significance for many countries, where soldiers of many nations fought and died.

I remember being there in 2010 when we made an announcement as a government with respect to setting up the processes for the commemoration of the Centenary of Anzac. I had discussions with, for example, former Prime Minister the Rt Hon. Malcolm Fraser, who recently departed, about what we should be trying to ensure we do. Of course the important thing was to ensure that we increased public awareness. He also took the view, and I agreed with him, that it was very much about education and understanding, that it ought not be about glorifying war but it ought be about understanding the courage and sacrifice of what took place there and why we should always see war as at times a necessary action but also as a last resort. It was very interesting talking to him about that, in terms of what we should seek to achieve through this process.

I think it is also about diversity. As other speakers mentioned—and I know the member for Hasluck spoke yesterday about this—Indigenous Australians were part of those forces in World War I and, frankly, in every conflict that Australia has fought. It is something which Indigenous Australians should be very proud of, what their people were able to do as part of a nation that, frankly—let's be honest—has not often been particularly embracing of their issues or of their needs. In fact, for many of them often it was actually a fight to be able to get to the fight in the first place. But then it was a fight well fought.

Migrants: this country has been based on migration, really, since European settlement. The circumstances are that when you go back to those first Anzacs, you can pick a nation and you will find people who either arrived directly from there or who were directly descended from people who were from there. People from all over the world were part of the Australian Imperial Force at that time and right the way through World War I.

When we look back at that Anzac tradition, I suppose some of us think of the 'bronzed Aussie'. Well, I do not think it is a bronzed Aussie; I think it is a whole range of different colours and circumstances. When we look at the qualities that come through from them, they are qualities that we all would like to identify with. We would like to identify—and we want to identify—with that sense of courage in the face of adversity. We want to, and can, see ourselves as a nation being proud and willing to fight for what is right. We see it as being a tradition which encompasses mateship and care and compassion for others in times of adversity. I think those are all qualities that are important. They are important in terms of how we see ourselves but also how we wish others to see us. It is important that we remember that those are the qualities that are that Anzac tradition.

And as we look through World War I, let's not forget the Western Front. Let's not forget the many thousands who died in the fields of Flanders and in northern France, because so many more died there than actually died at Gallipoli. Let's not forget that from a military perspective that tradition was the earliest stage of establishing what has been a proud tradition ever since—through World War II, through Korea and through Vietnam. The problem you always get into, Mr Deputy Speaker, is that once you start naming conflicts in the environment of veterans' affair—as I have learned!—is that if you miss any out at all you will in fact at least receive emails, and quite often suffer considerable conversations about why you have missed any particular conflict. So I have named many, but not named all. I will not name all; I do that intentionally. I do it intentionally to say this: everyone who puts on a uniform and who has served their country, regardless of the circumstances and the location, has done so in that tradition—that Anzac tradition—of which they are all rightly proud.

It is important that we remember the courage, the sacrifice and the suffering. It is important that we remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. It is also very important that we remember those who came back grievously wounded, whether that be of the soul or of the body. It is also very important that we remember the suffering that occurs through war, whether it be the grief of loss or injury, then visits upon the families and friends of those who come back. Whether they be the war widows or the children of veterans, the fact is that those who have been through conflicts and suffered from conflicts are often not actually at the conflict. They suffer in the years that go on from there, and we should always remember that.

As others have said, we should not glorify war, but we should understand that there are times when it is necessary. We should understand that when it is necessary we should, as the Anzacs did, go forth and do what must be done. But we also need to understand that there are implications as you go on in the subsequent years. And so the support that we provide to veterans and to veterans' families is central to honouring that Anzac tradition.

I think that everyone who has been involved, whether they be the Department of Veterans' Affairs, various governments, ministers et cetera—the various committees that have been set up across electorates around the country—have done a very good job in that commemorative role. But I think that the most important part of the commemorative role is about educating the young about the sacrifice of those who came before them; about what those ideals mean in concrete forms with respect to the way that we should live our lives and the way in which we should conduct ourselves as a country; and that we should ensure that we honour those who gave so much in the years ahead by how we actually live to those ideals. We must remember that when the marching stops and the band ceases to play, the battle still goes on for those who have returned. It can often be difficult to deal with them—and I know that as a former Minister the Veterans' Affairs—but we should always try our best to understand them, try our best to ensure they get the assistance that they genuinely need and, through that process, honour that tradition—the tradition that dates back to that time when those young men came ashore 100 years ago.

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