Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) recognises:

(a) 14 September 2017 marks the 70th anniversary of Australia' s involvement in international peacekeeping; and

(b) the important and unique role peacekeepers and peacemakers provide in the transition from conflict to peace;

(2) notes that:

(a) over 70,000 Australians have been involved in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations since 1947; and

(b) Australia has had peacekeepers in the field with the United Nations continuously for over 50 years, through which:

(i) peacekeeping has involved members of Australian Defence Force, civilians and Australian police;

(ii) since 1964, Australian police have served in Cyprus and places as widely separated as Cambodia, Haiti, Mozambique, Bougainville and Timor; and

(iii) peacekeepers are often at the centre of dangerous conflicts and are exposed to the impacts of war;

(3) recognises those who are on peacekeeping missions at the moment, as we assist the United Nations with its mission in the Republic of South Sudan and looks forward to their safe return;

(4) congratulates all those who have worked hard to deliver the new Australian Peacekeeping Memorial Project on Anzac Parade; and

(5) remembers and pays tribute to all those who have served Australia in peacekeeping operations, those who have been wounded and the 14 Australians who lost their lives whilst on peacekeeping operations.

This motion recognises Australia's 70 years of involvement in peacekeeping. Australia has a long and proud history when it comes to our peacekeeping efforts around the world. This is especially the case given Australia's involvement started in Indonesia in 1947 as the very first group of UN military observers anywhere in the world and the first in the field. In the early years, Australia's involvement in peacekeeping was generally as unarmed military observers, promoting peace in areas of conflict. This unique role has developed over the years to include multinational military-based interventions into areas of conflict. While not always able to end such conflicts, our peacekeepers and peacemakers are often responsible for minimising the effects of conflict and building bridges between communities.

Australia's role in peacekeeping has seen the involvement of ADF personnel, Australian police and civilians. The size and scope of Australia's peacekeeping operations have developed over the years, with over 70,000 Australians involved in peacekeeping and humanitarian operations since 1947. For the past 50 years, Australia has had peacekeepers in the field with the United Nations. This has included operations in Cyprus, Cambodia, Haiti, Mozambique, Bougainville, Timor and many more. Involving themselves in the middle of dangerous conflict zones, our peacekeepers have worked tirelessly to improve conditions for communities that find themselves impacted by war and conflict. The efforts and self-sacrifice of our peacekeepers go a long way in providing greater comfort and stability for those men, women and children in these regions who often feel helpless in the environment which surrounds them. Whether it is providing talks between communities, greater stability, humanitarian aid or medical assistance to the men, women and children on the ground, Australia's peacekeeping efforts have provided greater peace to these previously embattled regions.

Peacekeeping missions present a wide variety of stresses, and I think it is important that we note that they also have short- and long-term effects on the health, and in particular the mental health, of those involved. Missions may involve experiences not unlike combat deployments, with personnel encountering numerous stressful and potentially traumatic events such as delivering humanitarian aid in volatile environments and coming under fire while witnessing atrocities. It was Australia's involvement in Rwanda in 1997 which highlighted the dangers in which our peacekeepers often find themselves. In their efforts to provide stability to a region in the midst of civil war, atrocities beyond imagination resulted in a genocide in which an estimated 800,000 to one million Rwandans were killed in just a hundred days. Stories of the atrocities committed are disturbing to hear. To think our peacekeepers lived and worked through such difficult times reminds us that not only are those who live in that country deeply affected, but those trying to bring peace, stability and harmony to the world can also be affected. These dangers were mimicked again in Timor, where a multinational operation was led by Major General Peter Cosgrove. It was known as INTERFET, the International Force for East Timor, and was organised under UNAMET, the United Nations Mission in East Timor. This operation was closer to home and saw Australia contribute 5,500 personnel to help those families who had been displaced from their homes or forced to leave under the threat of violence.

Australia's efforts in providing greater peace around the world have not come without sacrifice. It's important that we recognise those who have lost their lives whilst on peacekeeping missions; it has been revealed that the number of Australians who have died while peacekeeping is now 16. We must also think of those who have not been the same since and who have come back with injuries, whether they be physical or mental. We remember the men and women who have worked towards a peaceful nation. I would also like to recognise those who have worked very hard to create the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial, which was unveiled on Anzac Parade in Canberra. This was a long-term project and I would like to congratulate the Australian Peacekeeping Memorial Project for their tireless work. This is an important element to our contribution. Lest we forget.

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