Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

on indulgence—I associate Labor with the words of the Minister representing the Minister for Defence. This has been an extraordinary year in which our sense of what defines a hero might have changed, and, in terms of our health workers, they have worn a different uniform. But, as the minister has said, those who have worn our nation's uniform have, in their thousands, been providing assistance to Australians in so many different ways. From the bushfires last summer through the COVID-19 crisis, in nursing homes, in the factory in Shepparton making surgical masks, on border controls, on phones doing case tracing, they have been doing it all. As a nation, we are grateful to our Defence Force as always, but, this year in particular, we owe them a debt of gratitude for a different role that they've played but a role which is just as significant.

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