Julian Simmonds (Ryan, Liberal National Party) Share this | Hansard source

[by video link] It's a great pleasure to bring this motion to the House and to speak on it this evening. I would have desperately loved to have been there with you, but such is COVID life these days. I particularly want to thank all my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for the encouraging words that they've had to say about our cadets around the country. It's one of the many issues that bring us together across the aisle—our admiration for our ADF Cadets and their vital service to our country.

Service, courage, respect, integrity and excellence are the values of ADF Cadets, underpinning their mission to lead and serve our local communities. Australian Army Cadets are, of course, a community youth based development organisation that focuses on preserving customs, traditions and values of the Australian Army. But it's so much more than that. As you've heard from previous speakers, it's the opportunity to provide, to instil, young Australian cadets with the values that we all need to foster our next generation of leaders.

My electorate of Ryan, as many of you have heard me say ad nauseam, has a very proud military presence. We are home of the 7th Brigade at the Gallipoli Barracks and we're home to many current and former service men and women, many of whom are former cadets themselves. In May this year I had the privilege of joining Assistant Minister Hastie to launch the Brookfield cadet unit in my electorate of Ryan. This is a brand new unit that's been made possible thanks to the support of the Morrison government, which committed $100,000 to get the unit underway.

I am pleased to update the House that construction of this new facility is due to commence early in the new year. Assistant Minister Hastie, as we all know, is a distinguished ex-serviceman himself, but many may not know that he is also a very proud ex-cadet. He credits the cadets with many of his own values and skills that he learnt and that he is now applying in his everyday life in the parliament today. It inspired him to go on to join the ADF and serve his country with distinction. Like me, he views the cadets as an important institution, in our country, that builds young hearts and minds with service not just for their community but for Australia more broadly.

As a local member I am very pleased to support the cadet unit and I am a strong supporter of this new unit. I have advocated passionately for funding to get this brand new unit off the ground and to provide it as an opportunity for local youth in the Brookfield area. It will be headquartered at Brookfield and has already gathered tremendous support from the local community. Before I talk further on that, I want to pay homage to 129 Army Cadet Unit—also based in my electorate of Ryan—at the Gallipoli Barracks in Enoggera. It has, currently, 144 serving cadets, which just goes to show the need and desire of our youth out there to be part of this important program.

Despite the difficulties 129 Army Cadet Unit have had—as we've all had during these COVID times—they've still managed to conduct regular parades and weekend activities, like their obstacle courses and the like. I want to pay tribute to them and the volunteers for their resilience during these trying circumstances of the COVID pandemic. Given that they have 144 currently serving cadets, there's obviously a strong interest for this new unit. I am delighted that we the federal government could come onboard to help support it.

It's led by a fantastic team out of the Kenmore-Moggill RSL sub-branch, including it's president, Lieutenant Colonel Rick Maher, and the sub-branch treasurer and former officer of the royal engineers of the British army Richard Ponsonby, and Leonie Smit. They have all been instrumental in bringing this initiative to the fore. Rick and Richard, as I said, are both ex-servicemen who are devoted to giving back to the future of our country's Defence Force through the Brookfield cadet unit. They already have more than 40 cadets who have registered a very keen interest to join as soon as possible, with the unit up and running early next year. So I know the support that the Morrison government has provided to enable this unit to occur is going to a very good place.

It is my hope that the local unit, like all cadet units, will foster strong young leaders who are motivated by a selfless desire to serve their local community and, in particular, to serve their country. Our community at Brookfield and the electorate of Ryan will be better off for their efforts. Congratulations to everybody involved in the Army cadets.

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