Vince Connelly (Stirling, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Let me start with a quote from first century theologian and philosopher Saint Augustine, who said this:

We do not seek peace in order to be at war, but we go to war that we may have peace. Be peaceful, therefore, in warring, so that you may vanquish those whom you war against, and bring them to the prosperity of peace.

I have always been firmly of the mind that the strong should help the weak, that those who are prosperous should help those who are poor. In fact, we have a moral obligation to support those for whom violence and poverty is a daily norm. As a young Australian Army officer I had the wonderful opportunity to serve as a platoon commander in East Timor. Here, Australia led the United Nations effort to end the bloodshed and so enable the birth of a new sovereign state, Timor-Leste. Later, as a captain and second in command of the online Australian infantry company, I had the opportunity to be one of the first on the deployment to the Solomon Islands, where we conducted cordon and search operations, collected criminals and thousands of weapons, and restored peace to our Pacific neighbour.

For more than 70 years Australian peacekeepers have played, and continue to play, an important role in advancing peace around the globe. An estimated 65,000 servicemen and women have been involved in 50 peacekeeping operations worldwide since 1947. And since 1964, along with members of the ADF, members of Australia's police service have joined peacekeeping operations internationally. On 14 September each year, National Peacekeeper and Peacemaker Day, we honour the courage and professionalism of Australian servicemen, servicewomen and police.

While the first Australian peacekeepers worked as unarmed military observers, over time the nature of peacekeeping operations has evolved to include the management of more complex and volatile environments. These have ranged from operations as military observers, providing logistical support and monitoring ceasefires, to landmine clearance operations, and also supporting democratic elections and providing policing support and humanitarian aid.

Australian peacekeepers have often served in hostile and volatile environments, including operations in Kashmir, Cyprus, the Middle East, East Timor, Cambodia, Rwanda and Bougainville. This year also marked, as we heard earlier, the 20th anniversary of the INTERFET mission, the peacemaking task force that went to Timor-Leste to address the humanitarian and security crisis in 1999-2000. At the time, the INTERFET mission was the largest single Australian deployment since the Second World War. To mark this important time in our history, veterans who put boots on the ground between 1999 and 2000 in Timor-Leste participated in a commemorative ceremony at the Palacio do Governo, which was followed by an official parade of remembrance to the Dili Convention Centre. INTERFET commander and former Governor-General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove, was one of those who attended. His role crossed between the lines of soldier and diplomat, and under great pressure he made decisions that have helped to shape history. His leadership during INTERFET was highly and widely respected and is a testament to all that he has achieved since, moving on to become Chief of Army, Chief of the Defence Force and, of course, Governor-General of Australia.

Tragically 16 Australians have died serving as peacekeepers, and their names are listed on the walls at the Australian War Memorial. It's also important to remember today those deployed in peacekeeping operations right now around the world, including in South Sudan, the Middle East and Cyprus. The international community is no doubt also thankful for the valuable service of our peacekeepers. As we look ahead, we should recognise that next month we commemorate Remembrance Day. This is the day we all acknowledge the almost two million Australians who have served and still serve in the defence of our nation. I encourage everyone to get along to their local Remembrance Day ceremony and pause for a moment's silence. Lest we forget.

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