Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I support the motion put forward by the member for Fowler regarding how, on National Police Remembrance Day, we honour officers who have lost their lives in service. The Queensland Police Service Roll of Honour includes officers who have been killed as a consequence of the actions of an offender or who died while attempting to save lives. There are currently 32 entries on the Queensland Roll of Honour, spanning 150 years of service. Sadly, the most recent entry is Senior Constable Brett Forte, who was shot and killed near Toowoomba just last year. I acknowledge the service and bravery of all 32 Queensland police officers on the Queensland Police Service Roll of Honour.

I would also like to acknowledge today each and every Queensland police officer who, every day, knowingly walks in harm's way to make us safer. Policing is a high-risk job. Almost every year an officer is killed somewhere in Australia, and many others are assaulted or suffer work-related illnesses. It is high stress. Beyondblue ran a specific program for police and emergency services in an effort to address this reality. Not only do police and emergency service personnel routinely face life and death challenges, but they also witness the worst of humankind.

Beyondblue says that police and emergency personnel who retire or leave the job have higher rates of anxiety, depression and, sadly, suicide. Although they are not formally recognised on the service roll of honour, more officers have died as a result of suicide than those killed in the line of duty. The villains pursuing them were no less real, their bravery in the face of death no less courageous and the reason they were stolen from their families no less the result of crimes they witnessed and criminals they confronted.

I'd like to particularly acknowledge today a family member of my chief of staff, Michelle Howe. Her cousin Detective Senior Constable Russell Sheehan ended his life in 2015 after serving more than 32 years in the Queensland Police Service. Russell was from a large Brisbane police family; his father, uncles and grandfather all served in the Queensland Police Service. He was brought up with a stoicism that was almost a way of life in those families; selflessly just getting on with the job and being there for everyone else.

But, like many, Russell's service to the Queensland police included many experiences that could not be unseen, unheard or unfelt. Russell Sheehan spent four years of his service in the police Child Protection Unit. A letter from one victim of child abuse sent to Russell's family tells of the compassion and strength Russell demonstrated when this victim revealed for the first time the terrible abuse he had endured. He said that Russell saved his life at that time.

Emotional and physical stress were ever present in Russell Sheehan's job. Russell was the first responder to the Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel fire back in 2000, in which 15 people lost their lives. And while on a solo patrol, Russ encountered a man brandishing a lighter who threw petrol over him. He received the Commissioner's Certificate for Bravery for that incident. We can watch physical scars heal but, tragically, the invisible scars continue, festering and unseen. There is an urgent need to improve the health, safety and wellbeing of the police. Service unions, including the Queensland Police Union, together have recognised this and are taking action with the Our People Matter Strategy.

There are many families who have generations of service like the Sheehan family. Many go into the service proudly, to follow in their parents' footsteps. One such police officer on the south side of Brisbane is Senior Sergeant Murray Crone. He entered the force at 19 and, coincidentally, his first placement as a young police constable was with Russell Sheehan. Murray has told me that he could never understand why his mum was so worried about him being a copper. He said that to him it was the best job ever—great people, fun and exciting. But after a few years in the service, Murray had a different perspective. An academy squad mate was shot through the chest and killed at Wynnum. He was in his early 20s. In the same year, another colleague was killed in a crash while pursuing a stolen vehicle in the suburb of Fortitude Valley. After 32 years service, sadly, Murray has lost count of the number of funerals he has attended—all of them good men and women taken too early and well before their time, including those who have, tragically, taken their own lives. Murray says that the sound of bagpipes now make the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

Being a police officer is no ordinary job; it takes lives and leaves families heartbroken. So on National Police Remembrance Day this year, let's pause; let's remember all the brave police who've been taken from their families—those for which the sun set too early:

We will remember.

We will remember.

Hasten the dawn.

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