Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I acknowledge the Prime Minister's remarks. I would like to associate the opposition with the anniversary of the Coral Sea battle 75 years ago. 1942 is a year of significant anniversaries for us, now, 75 years on. Singapore had fallen. Australian troops were captured in Rabaul and on the islands there. Australian troops were hurriedly being sent to defend Port Moresby. Darwin had been bombed. It was a very grim time. Indeed, our troops in Timor had been stranded, and we should acknowledge and remember the sacrifice of the Timorese people who supported our troops there.

The Battle of the Coral Sea was the first occasion where the Japanese navy was defeated at sea. There is no doubt that the Japanese imperial forces planned to envelop Papua New Guinea, with the possibility then of invading the Australian homeland. It was the first time in our history up to that point—and, indeed, ever since—that Australia itself was threatened.

I had the opportunity to commemorate Anzac Day at Bomana, which holds 3,000 Australian graves. It is one of the largest Commonwealth war graves of Australian soldiers. At that fight on the Kokoda Trail, in the Coral Sea and in the skies over Port Moresby, Australia stood up and defended not only against the Japanese imperial forces but, for the first time, our homeland.

The Prime Minister is right to acknowledge the importance of the American alliance. It was the Americans who supplied the Kittyhawks which the famous 75 Squadron fought with over the skies of Port Moresby. But, for me, when I meet people who question the American alliance, there is one fact which speaks now, 75 years on, and helps explain why the American-Australian alliance is so important. One hundred and eighty-eight Japanese planes bombed Darwin in the first raid in 1942. More bombs were dropped on Darwin than were dropped on Pearl Harbor. Ten planes went up into the air to fight this armada of Japanese bombers. Nine crashed. In the case of four of them, the pilots were killed. But, for me, what sums up the importance of the American alliance and the ongoing relevance is that every plane was an American plane. American pilots went up against overwhelming odds in defence of this country, and from that day on, I believe, an alliance which was strong was made irrevocable.

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