Meryl Swanson (Paterson, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the member for Stirling's motion, which recognises the benefits of a career in the Australian Defence Force; the importance of recruiting the best and the brightest to serve our country; and the sacrifice—sometimes the ultimate sacrifice—made by those who do serve and have served our country.

RAAF Base Williamtown is in my electorate of Paterson. I've visited it many times over the last nearly six years since I was elected and, indeed, I lived on the base for the ADF parliamentary program for a week, and last week the shadow minister for defence, Brendan O'Connor, came to visit and inspect the Williamtown RAAF base. I've also had the honour of visiting my local defence cadet squadron, the Maitland squadron, and I've been really impressed when I've been invited to inspect the parade and seen the skill of the fine young people that enrol and enlist in cadets.

The ADF Cadets program is a wonderful personal development program for our young people, and there are more than 28,000 cadets Australia-wide across Navy, Air Force and Army units. In undertaking challenging and disciplined activities and programs in the cadets, these young people develop the capacity to contribute to society as individuals, as members of a team and, importantly, as leaders. They also develop a spirit of civic participation, and they develop the character that comes from service, which is really vital in today's world. Importantly, cadets also fosters an interest in defence careers, and it is vital that we do attract our best and brightest to a career in defence.

On the world stage, when we are moving to shore up our defence capabilities, I want to highlight some of the things that stand in steep contrast to the wonderful work and leadership of our best and brightest young cadets, and they are, most sadly, our Prime Minister's diplomatic failures, particularly and most recently with the French. Young people often get into trouble for breaking up with someone, or leaving a job, via text. How about one of the most important diplomatic messages being sent by text? That was certainly clumsy. It was certainly costly. But, most importantly, to many Australians it was incredibly deceitful, coming from a prime minister. He further embarrassed the nation in Glasgow.

Then there's China—another relationship the government must work hard to repair. In our region, we face the most difficult strategic circumstances since the end of World War II. Our region is being reshaped, in large part by the strategic competition between the US and China. We have a role to play in that reshaping, one that requires diplomacy and strategy far beyond the bungling of our present Prime Minister. We need to work with the US, the UK and our regional partners to demonstrate that we are serious about regional stability, and that is not just about military power but also about economic power and the health of our region, including the timely access to vaccines and the charting of a course out of this pandemic.

At home, the Royal Commission into Defence and Veterans Suicide is about to get underway. After dragging its heels for two years, the Morrison government finally agreed in July to hold this royal commission. The very need for a royal commission is an admission that, as a nation, we are letting down our defence personnel and our veterans. Labor has long campaigned for this royal commission, and it is vital that the commissioners hear from the people who are central to this issue: serving personnel, veterans and, really importantly, their families, who've lived it all. Alarmingly, rates of suicide among veterans are higher than among the general population. Among male veterans, who make up the vast majority, the rate is 22 per cent higher. Among female veterans, who are in a minority, the rate is a staggering 127 per cent higher.

While the royal commission is long overdue and welcome, the government should not wait for it to conclude to make these long overdue reforms.

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