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

I rise in strong support of the member for Stirling's motion and acknowledge his distinguished service to this nation in uniform before entering the parliament. Serving in our country's Defence Force is a selfless act, and we ought to acknowledge those among us who have dedicated themselves and continue to dedicate themselves to our nation as part of the ADF, whether that be through full-time service or in the local reserves.

My electorate of Ryan has a strong military presence, as I've spoken about often in this place. It's home to the Australian Army's Gallipoli Barracks at Enoggera, and there are many families across Australia that relocate to the Ryan electorate as a result of being posted to the Gallipoli Barracks during their years of service, which can be a difficult move for many. It's quite a sought-after posting, I have to say, because you don't get too many large Army barracks centrally located in a major city, and many choose to remain there with their families. As so many defence families would attest, it is a great place to live, work and raise a family, and I'm humbled as I hear many stories from defence families who feel so welcome in our community.

Australia has a proud military heritage and it continues to attract the best and brightest among us, as it should, to serve the nation and contribute to the rich military history that we share with our region. Our unique defence pathways continue to attract young men and women from across Australia who want to go above and beyond in serving our nation. The Morrison government will continue to back our defence pathways and encourage young Australians to get involved. Recently, the Morrison government committed $11.5 million to upgrade the Enoggera Health Centre within the Gallipoli Barracks in my electorate of Ryan. This will develop the existing facilities and provide service men and women with the care that they need. It is these kinds of practical upgrades that support our defence men and women and ensure they are prepared to defend our nation.

I also want to acknowledge, as did the contributor before me in this debate, the Australian Defence Force Cadets and the pivotal role they play in developing our young men and women and encouraging them to join the ADF. Earlier in the year I had the privilege of being joined by Assistant Minister Hastie, who is, of course, a former member of the Defence Force, to launch the Brookfield cadet unit in the electorate. There has been strong interest from my local community in developing another cadet unit. There's already one located at the Enoggera Barracks, but it has a significant number of young people on the waiting list. The Morrison government's commitment of $100,000 a year to start the new Brookfield cadet unit will mean more local families on the other side of the electorate will have an opportunity to join the cadets. The cadets, of course, play a vital role in teaching young people leadership and resilience, skills that are useful and important not only in the ADF but in life.

Being home to the Gallipoli Barracks and to a number of military families, my electorate of Ryan also has many veterans support groups and RSLs located within it. These play a vital role in supporting local veterans and their families.

Many of us in this House would understand the difficulties of being away from family and friends for prolonged periods of time, and it is much the same for our veterans—albeit worse if you're on operations. Whether they are posted overseas or across Australia, members of our ADF are often away from their families for extended periods of time. The other night I was speaking to a senior naval officer, who mentioned that their two years of shore leave had been cut short. They had had one year of shore leave, and now they're back out on operations. It's a story that's repeated many times across the ADF. As their skills are in demand, they're sent out again away from their families to serve our nation. But they do it with great fortitude.

I want to particularly pay tribute to the Picabeen Community Association in Mitchelton, who last year were awarded nearly $270,000, as part of the Morrison government's Family Support Funding Program, to help with their targeted programs in engaging with the local defence community and their families. It's a wonderful program that I'd like to see more funding go towards, and I'll continue to advocate for them.

Recently the Gaythorne RSL was awarded over $45,000 to upgrade their facility and further enhance the valuable role they have in the local community, serving as advocates to support our veterans.

The BEST grants have also enabled the Moggill Historical Society in my electorate to publish their very own book, bringing to life stories of Moggill's World War II heroes. I had the privilege contributing to the forward of the book, and I wish the Moggill Historical Society the best of luck with its publication.

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