Gavin Pearce (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The award that is the Victoria Cross is our pre-eminent award for valour. It is the highest award in the Australian honours and awards system and recognises:

… persons who, in the presence of the enemy, perform acts of the most conspicuous gallantry, or daring or pre-eminent acts of valour or self-sacrifice or display extreme devotion to duty …

That is clearly written in the procedure for awarding such an award, and I would urge all in this place to take note of procedure and the protocols that surround this sacred award. From somebody who has served more than half their life defending the nation, we look at this through a different lens. We're the ones who have had the rifle in our hands and we understand full well what the VC means. This is not a chook raffle and it shouldn't be denigrated to this place. It is not this place's role. It is indeed written in the protocol for awarding the Victoria Cross, and I would urge all to return to that.

The second thing that I would like to make very clear is the fact that I have always, along with my state colleagues, advocated for higher recognition for seaman Edward 'Teddy' Sheean. This was a young bloke who on 1 December 1942 had a way out. Contrary to some reports, he was not injured at the time that he was at the lifeboat station. This young bloke made the conscious decision to leave the sanctity and the safety of those lifeboats, return to a 20-millimetre antiaircraft weapon and shoot down a number of enemy aircraft, saving a number of his friends and his mates on that ship. He made a conscious decision to leave safety and return to danger just like so many of our young service men and women do.

I applaud the Prime Minister and cabinet's decision to have this looked at for a final time. We have conflicting reports. In fact, the first report, the Valour report of 2013, recommends that no Victoria Cross or any other valour award be awarded to Teddy Sheean. It recommends further to that that the ships HMAS Perth, Rankin, Sheean, Waller and Yarra be perpetuated in the Royal Australian Navy after their present named ships are decommissioned. This report was differed with by the final report and, as a consequence, cabinet was faced with conflicting reports.

In my opinion, the Prime Minister has taken the right decision in the formulation of the final expert panel, which will be chaired by former Minister for Defence and Director of the Australian War Memorial the Hon. Dr Brendan Nelson AO. It will also comprise former Solicitor-General Mr David Bennett AC, QC; former Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Dr Peter Shergold AC; and senior curator and historian at the New South Wales Anzac Memorial, Mr Brad Manera. The panel will report to the Prime Minister with its findings by 31 July this year, and I look forward to those recommendations.

There is no doubt that the actions of Ordinary Seaman Edward 'Teddy' Sheean are worthy of such an award. However, it's not my place to say that; it is the findings of the tribunal. Ultimately, the Minister for Defence makes that recommendation to the Prime Minister and cabinet, and then the sovereign approves that award, which is awarded through decree by the Governor-General of Australia.

It is not this place's job to determine the merits nor the procedure. It is not this place's job to kick this around like a football or like a can down the road. It is this place's job to implore respect and honour for not only the award but the individual involved. The historic and extraordinary selfless actions of Ordinary Seaman Edward 'Teddy' Sheean cannot be denied. As an ex-serviceman, I welcome the degree of rigorous examination that this panel will no doubt give. There is not one person in this space— (Time expired)

See this speech in context