Phillip Thompson (Herbert, Liberal National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that on 16 August 2021 soldiers from the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, along with other military attachments, were deployed to Afghanistan to rescue Australian passport holders and those who supported our nation throughout the war on terror;

(2) acknowledges

(a) the brave soldiers who put themselves in harm's way to rescue more than 4,100 people from the chaos;

(b) that when the Taliban took back Kabul, the soldiers returned to the belly of the beast to evacuate thousands of civilian men, women and children; and

(c) that the Afghan people may have lost their city and country, but our Australian Defence Force heeded the call to ensure that they did not lose their lives;

(3) honours the brave, selfless actions of those deployed; and

(4) calls on the Government to honour the 1st Battalion Royal Australian Regiment with the appropriate battle honours to highlight the unique operation that was conducted in the most hazardous, chaotic and challenging circumstances.

Today I honour the brave contingent of Australian Defence Force personnel for the evacuation operation conducted in Kabul. This was no ordinary deployment. In the face of extreme danger, brave soldiers from 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, along with other military attachments, put themselves in harm's way to rescue others. Despite the images of chaos that were beamed around the world—pictures of men, women and children clinging to aircraft, trying to escape the Taliban—and the ever-present threat of a terrorist attack, our men and women answered the call to serve, without question. The selfless actions of those deployed enabled the rescue of more than 4,100 people—Australian citizens and refugees—from a life of oppression at the hands of an illegitimate government. While the Afghan people may have lost their city and country, our ADF ensured that they did not lose their lives.

Today I call on the government to honour 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, and military attachments with the appropriate battle honours to highlight the unique operation that was conducted in the most hazardous, chaotic and challenging circumstances.

I asked those brave soldiers to share some stories from on the ground. They are real and they are raw. They demonstrate why 1RAR deserves a commendation—battle honours. Here is a recollection from one member:

Being the first platoon in country, we had little to no idea what the situation was to look like on the ground despite orders given in as high detail as possible, but we'd all seen the mayhem on the news.

Once in country we learned immediately that it was the wild west with sounds of constant gunshots either being warning shots around the entrance points to the airport or contacts happening locally. My shifts at the North Gate were the most memorable. Looking out upon terrified suffering, helpless men, women and children, surrounded by gunfire, razor wire, Taliban, Death, newly made corpses, and the complete feeling of helplessness became common place.

On one of my section's shifts I had noticed a man standing in a crowd of crouched civilians waving at the gate's general direction, roughly 40 to 50 metres from the entrance point and where I was standing.

He was dressed in black body armour, had a heavily modified AK and no recognisable patches. It became obvious he was Taliban.

Almost as soon as I'd worked out who he was, he unloaded a burst point blank into the crowd he was standing over, hitting at least 3 men with rounds, one of those 3 men receiving a round directly to his head.

As there was an enormous crowd of people between me and him, there was little I could do and I was helpless to act.

These were the horrors our brave men and women faced. But in amongst the horrors were stories of success. Another member states:

As we were working on Abbey gate I remember pulling a family up from the canal. They were covered in whatever mess was in the water.

The mother and 3 girls were completely dehydrated, barely able to stand by themselves. When I checked their paperwork and accepted they were good to go, I walked them up from the gate to our Australian checkpoint about 300 metres away.

Carrying their bags and a child in each arm, while the third held my hand and kept kissing it saying 'thank you' over and over again, will be something I will remember for the rest of my life.

Another story states:

Myself and another guy found this girl, about 8 or 9, wandering around very close to the Taliban-run checkpoint down the side of the canal.

Once we asked where she was going, she replied in the most purely Australian accent that her and her mother were Australian and she needed help getting there.

She told us her mother was back at home so she had to phone her and tell her to make her way to the gate.

After several hours of waiting, the little girl was being so polite and patient, as she waited for her Mum.

Fast-forward, her mum made it to the gate, and we pulled her out about 12 hours later. I hope they are living their best life in Australia.

These are the acts of extremely brave men and women. These things happen on the battlefield, and more than 4,100 people out there owe their lives to the Australian Defence Force on this deployment. It is only fitting that we recognise their contribution and give them the recognition they deserve. For the brave men and women who deployed into the belly of the beast, there was no rule of law. We saw a country fall. There was no quick reaction force and no support close by such as was afforded to me and others when we were in combat in Afghanistan. These people didn't have that. They literally were standing side by side with the Australian flag on their shoulders, with a nation behind them, with no support. And I believe we should pay them the recognition they deserve. I commend this motion to the House.

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