Tim Wilson (Goldstein, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Today we acknowledge, recognise and commemorate the event of 20 September 2019, the 20th anniversary of the deployment of the International Force East Timor, INTERFET, the peacekeeping task force that came to Timor-Leste to address the humanitarian and security crisis from 1999 to 2000. It followed six days after National Peacekeeper and Peacemaker Day, 14 September 2019.

These days are important and must be remembered as part of our national calendar, because they speak not just to the legacy and the memory of our peacekeepers but to the character and the objectives of this country itself. Australia has always sought to be a peaceful nation and to bring, as part of a community of nations, stability and peace for humanity. For more than 70 years, Australian peacekeepers have played—and they continue to play—a critical role in Australia and beyond our shores to assist that effort. We've had an estimated 65,000 service men and women who've been involved in over 50 peacekeeping operations worldwide since 1947. Behind each one of those peacekeepers have been human stories and an ambition for the type of world that we want to be. Since 1964, along with members of the ADF, members of Australia's police services have also served in peacekeeping operations around the world, aiding and assisting those in situations of need and conflict to bring about the ambitions of peace that we seek.

Tragically we've had peacekeepers often operating in very hostile environments, and 16 have been killed in pursuit of their mission. Their memories, their names, their legacy and their contribution to our great nation and the world are recognised at the Australian War Memorial. Our peacekeepers haven't just stayed in safety or ease; they've seen the realisation of what they want to give to the world in often hostile and volatile environments, including operations in Kashmir, Cyprus, the Middle East, East Timor, Cambodia, Rwanda and Bougainville. We must always acknowledge their sacrifice, because, when you think about the strength and resilience of our great country, it comes not from ease or from circumstances that we often would wish for ourselves but on the backs and the might and the sacrifice of those who make a greater contribution. That's why the acknowledgement of our peacekeepers—particularly this year, the 20th anniversary of the INTERFET mission—is so critical.

Just on our borders and beyond our shores, a new nation faced serious threats and a humanitarian and security crisis. Every country in those situations faces choices. Yes, they also face a choice about the impact it might have on themselves, but they also face a choice about what they can do to strengthen the bonds between a country and its internal resilience, and to show their humanity and humanitarianism for our allies. That's why we engaged to support peacekeeping operations, 5,500 of them, who were deployed in 1999. The legacy of their contribution continues today in the success of the ongoing journey of the country of Timor-Leste. But we must never forget that there are people who stood tall but also fell. When we come to Remembrance Day, it's time to remember their legacy and their contribution as part of the ongoing story of our great nation. Lest we forget.

See this speech in context