Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) celebrates:

(a) 16 September as the anniversary of the 1963 Malaysian federation; and

(b) the long term friendship that exists between governments and people of Australia and Malaysia; and

(2) acknowledges:

(a) the 23 Australian servicemen who died and 8 who were wounded during the Indonesian-Malaysian confrontation and the establishment of the state of Malaysia;

(b) that our security partnership, including defence cooperation and our joint participation in the Five Power Defence Arrangements, remains a key component of our bilateral relationship; and

(c) the efforts of the Australian Government to further strengthen ties between our two countries through stronger trade links and other initiatives such as the New Colombo Plan.

This week it is the 42nd Anniversary of the establishment of the Federation of Malaysia. This important day was 16 September 1963. Although this date is about the origins and success of the people of Malaysia—and I congratulate them for this important day on Wednesday—I raise this as a motion here in the Australian parliament because of our nation's role in the events at the time.

The Federation of Malaysia does actually have specific significance for our nation, because the survival of the Federation of Malaysia was a cause worth fighting for and, in some cases, a cause that Australians died for. I speak of a little known war, the conflict known as the confrontation or konfrontasi. This was when the Australian Navy, Army and Air Force joined with Malaysian and Commonwealth forces to oppose Indonesian-sponsored insurgents on Borneo, but also in the sea between Borneo and on the Malaysian peninsula.

It was in January 1963 that President Sukarno coined the term konfrontasi, when he said that Indonesia would confront Malaysia over the inclusion of Sabah and Sarawak as part of the Malaysian Federation, which would formally begin on 16 September 1963. By late 1962, Indonesia had increasingly become opposed to a Malaysia that included parts of the island of Borneo. Indonesia was already training insurgents to cross into Sabah and Sarawak and attempting to stop the federation planned for August. The Australian government saw this as a tricky situation. Indonesia was clearly an important neighbour but, through our involvement in the South East Asian Treaty Organisation and our obligations to a fellow Commonwealth member, Australia was involved. It was in January 1963 that Australian Navy ships were deployed off the north coast of Borneo. By September 1963, Indonesian-trained insurgents were crossing into Sabah and Sarawak.

Following the experiences of World War II, when Japanese forces attacked the Australian mainland, the need for 'forward defence' was a government policy. Indeed, our policy of forward defence saw us embrace ANZUS as an insurance policy in 1951. But it has increasingly been viewed that it was through the 1954 SEATO treaty, including the requirement to contribute a standing force, that saw Australia place troops in Malaya. As part of the Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve, our soldiers, sailors and airmen became involved in the confrontation. Our contribution from 1964 saw 3RAR oppose Indonesian raids onto the Malaya Peninsula and then the deployment of troops on Borneo, all whilst the Air Force was active in the region and the Australian Navy was involved in restricting the opportunities for insurgents to move to the Malay Peninsula by sea. Other Australian units included the Special Air Service, a troop of signallers, artillery and engineers.

With the deployment of first 3RAR then 4RAR and the SAS onto Borneo itself, by 1965 the Australian and Commonwealth forces had begun to follow the Indonesian insurgents back across the border to gather information. By July 1965 special forces and infantry were crossing the border to ambush insurgents before they crossed over into Malaysian territory. In an increasingly hostile environment with aggressive Commonwealth military activity the insurgents struggled with any form of offensive capability, and then with the rise of Suharto the Indonesian interest and focus declined and by August 1966 a peace treaty had been finalised.

We should remember that 23 Australians were killed during the confrontation, seven of them on operations, and eight were wounded. It is right that we should remember their sacrifice on this day. A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to speak to some veterans of the confrontation. They were in the Royal Australian Navy and, as they described to me, they were told they were sailing for the waters off north Borneo, but they did not know why. Not long after they arrived on station they opened fire, but they did not know who they were firing on or why. It is interesting to hear of that situation as it puts things in context. As we know, the role Australian servicemen played was not publically known for many years and this was not acknowledged by the government until relatively recently.

It is true that the relationship between our countries was founded on our joint efforts to preserve peace and the integrity of South-East Asia, including through conflicts such as the confrontation. Our security partnership, including defence cooperation and our participation in the Five Power Defence Arrangements, has in the last two years been supplemented through the efforts of government to further strengthen ties between our countries through stronger trade links and other initiatives such as the New Colombo Plan. The relationship may have originated in the most challenging of times, but it has been enhanced and strengthened through wide and effective cooperation.

Once again, my congratulations to the nation of Malaysia for 16 September and my enduring thanks and acknowledgement to those Australians who fought for the cause and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. They served with honour and courage. Lest we forget.

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