Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Senior Constable Brett Forte grew up not far from the Sunshine Coast in the Moreton Bay region. He served for three years just south of my electorate in Caboolture. This year, he gave his life bravely in seeking to keep Queenslanders safe from a dangerous criminal. His death has affected many in my community and throughout Australia. It is a reminder to all of us to honour the service of our police officers and their sacrifices made on our behalf.

I want to speak today about how we might honour that sacrifice by supporting those officers who continue to live with the personal consequences of their work. Mercifully, the number of police officers who are killed in the line of duty is small, though every death is a tragedy. However, hundreds of police officers retire from their service having experienced and seen some of the worst that humanity is capable of. Many of our police officers see the effects of serious violence and encounter domestic abuse. Many are assaulted themselves or suffer threats and attempts at intimidation. Many speak to the victims of terrible sexual crimes and come face to face with their suffering. For a minority, working on child sex offences, antiterrorism or organised crime, the psychological consequences of their experiences is hard to fathom. We must honour and remember those police officers who have died protecting the public, but we must also remember their fellow officers who go on living with the impact of their service. In recent weeks, one senior officer has helped remind us of this important duty.

Commander Grant Edwards is an exceptionally strong person in every sense of the word. He has trained police in Afghanistan, supervised airport security for world leaders, managed all Australia's policing in the Americas and in 1999 was named Australia's Strongest Man. There are few people who can say that they have single-handedly moved a 200-tonne locomotive with their bare hands, but Commander Edwards can. I note he recently moved a C-130 aircraft as well.

Commander Edwards is an exceptionally strong person, but in recent weeks he has revealed that his strength was no protection from the onset of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The consequences of his exposure to images of serious child sexual exploitation and his experiences in Afghanistan left Commander Edwards struggling with his mental health and suicidal thoughts. He now receives treatment and continues to be a valuable leader in the AFP. On behalf of all members, I thank him for his bravery in speaking out about this important issue. I've spoken in this place and elsewhere about the urgent need to support the returning veterans of our Australian Defence Force—in particular, with dealing with the psychological impact of their experiences in theatre. In my own electorate of Fisher I hope to play a part in the creation at the Thompson institute of a treatment and research program into PTSD for our returned servicemen.

The government should be commended for its unprecedented focus on this area. We've committed $37.9 million to extend funded treatment for all mental health conditions to all serving and former members of the ADF through the white health card and Veterans and Veterans Families Counselling Service. The government has also provided funding to continue suicide prevention training for members of the ex-service community.

National Police Remembrance Day reminds us, however, that there are others also serving our community who may benefit from similar help. When we remember Senior Constable Forte, we must also remember the officers who were by his side when he was shot and who sought to provide him with first aid and CPR. We must remember both those who have given their lives and those who are living with the consequences of their service. I congratulate the government on the action we have taken to date to improve veterans' mental health and I for one will continue to push for more on this important issue, but I wish to encourage the Minister for Justice also to look, in collaboration with his COAG colleagues, at what more we might do to support our current emergency service workers, because it is they who are our first line of defence on the home front.

See this speech in context