Tim Watts (Gellibrand, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

( I ask leave of the House to amend notice No. 7, private members' business, in the terms circulated to honourable members.

Leave granted.

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises that 18 August is Vietnam Veterans Day; 

(2) notes that: 

(a) prior to 1987, Vietnam Veterans Day was referred to as Long Tan Day; 

(b) 2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, a battle that took place on 18 August 1966; and 

(c) at the Battle of Long Tan: 

(i) less than 120 soldiers from Delta Company faced over 2,000 soldiers; 

(ii) 18 Australian soldiers lost their lives during battle, with 25 more injured; and 

(iii) over 245 Vietnamese soldiers also lost their lives; 

(3) further notes that: 

(a) approximately 60,000 Australians served in Vietnam; and 

(b) upon their return to Australia, many Vietnam Veterans struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder and a disregard from an Australian public unsupportive of the Vietnam War; 

(4) acknowledges: 

(a) the soldiers who fought alongside Australians;  

(b) the hundreds of thousands of Vietnamese soldiers and civilians that lost their lives during the Vietnam War; 

(c) the sacrifices of the Vietnamese are rarely mentioned in Australia’s collective stories of the Vietnam War; and 

(d) that Vietnam Veterans deserve the respect and recognition of all Australian Society; and 

(5) recognises the: 

(a) bravery and heroism of the soldiers of Delta Company that fought at Long Tan; and 

(b) sacrifices made by Australian and former Republic of Vietnam soldiers that fought alongside each other during the Vietnam War.”

On 18 August this year, as every year, Australians commemorated Vietnam Veterans Day. This year's commemoration had particular significance, however, as it marked the anniversary of the battle for which Vietnam Veterans Day was selected and for which the day was formerly known: the Battle of Long Tan. Long Tan is a battle that is already etched in Australian military and cultural history. The story of the deeds of Delta Company 6 RAR in the Long Tan rubber plantation are now well known. Amidst torrents of rain and as bullets and artillery poured down on an isolated Australian infantry company in the Long Tan rubber plantation, many of the soldiers that were caught there that day thought it would be their last. Wave after wave of Vietcong forces drove themselves at these young men until, after hours of fighting, the battle concluded. As assistance arrived to bury the dead, there was the realisation that fewer than 120 soldiers from Delta Company had defeated as many as 2,500 Vietcong.

News of this battle became an international news story, and whilst we celebrated the heroics of these brave young men, as we know, for many of them, the real battle was yet to come. Upon returning to Australia, returning soldiers found themselves without a warm welcome or the recognition they deserve. They found themselves facing new foes: fighting against mental illnesses, such as PTSD, and, to our ongoing national shame, they were also fighting a hostile public—terrible names, name-calling, being spat on, and rejection from ex-service clubs all characterized the experience of these returning soldiers. For those of us who were not there at the time, such as me, it seems incomprehensible. For the returned Australian servicemen, it must have been equally incomprehensible, but also deeply personally affecting.

In time, we began to recognise the sacrifice that these servicemen made. We remember the bravery of the soldiers from Delta Company who were outnumbered on that day. We remember their bravery, just as we remember the bravery of the 161st Battery of the Royal New Zealand Artillery, whose deadly accuracy fended off the oncoming threat in Long Tan.

We even remember the bravery of our former foe and acknowledge their pain and sacrifices, as they do ours. But what the pages of time have not justly reflected is the contribution of Vietnamese allies, who, along with thousands of civilians, bravely aided the ADF personnel throughout the war. When Saigon fell, in 1975, we did what we could to repay their efforts by opening our hearts and our borders to those that were fleeing persecution. Regardless of one's views on the war, what is undeniable is that this has been an Australian immigration success story, and one that is no more apparent than in my home electorate of Gellibrand. Walking down the main street in Footscray, where I live and where my electorate office is based, it is apparent that the Vietnamese community has successfully established itself here, with restaurants and other small businesses all adding to the multicultural success story that is my home community.

We realise the vibrancy of the Australian Vietnamese community through their festivals, which we celebrate jointly, such as the Tet or Moon Lantern festivals, and so on. We enjoy the Vietnamese contribution to Australia through their most famous sons and daughters, such as the former Young Australian of the Year Khoa Do and his equally talented brother Ahn. And, finally, we continue to benefit from their connection to home as greater opportunities for trade and investment are realised in this emerging powerhouse. It is these contributions to our great society that continue to promote the benefits of multiculturalism and make Australia the vibrant place that it is today.

So, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, I ask that we not only consider the bravery of our defence personnel, but also the bravery of the Vietnamese who served with Australian forces in the Vietnam war, and their contribution, as well as that of the broader Vietnamese community in Australia. Like Australian returned servicemen, those who fought alongside Australians in the Vietnam War have struggled for recognition. Those who remained in Vietnam frequently faced very difficult circumstances indeed.

Those who were offered a second life in Australia faced different challenges. Like Australian returned servicemen, the recognition of these allies in Australia has evolved over time. The personal sacrifices and service of these men are being increasingly recognised, and Australian-Vietnamese servicemen are now a feature of Anzac Day ceremonies in electorates like mine with significant Australian Vietnamese communities, not as a political statement, but as a recognition and commemoration of the personal sacrifices of service made by these men.

So, today, I want to add my recognition of their service in this place. So much of what we do as members of parliament in this place is about recognition and acknowledgement. Representatives of the community saying in the people's chamber, 'We see what it is that has happened, and that this is a part of our community, and that it matters and it has meaning.' This is what I say today to all the people who served in the Vietnam War who live in my community today. We see it, we recognise it and we acknowledge it.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Rob Mitchell): Is the motion seconded?

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