Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I can assure the previous speaker, the member for Cowper, that when we say 'Lest we forget' we do mean it, and I think this government, in pushing for a royal commission into defence and veteran suicide, showed it—that we won't forget those who have died by suicide, by talking to everyone that's involved and by having a royal commission so that that great tragedy does not occur and those who served our nation in times of conflict do not pass away.

This Remembrance Day and every Remembrance Day, we not only commemorate the lives that were lost in World War I; we honour the 103,000 Australians who have lost their lives in wars and other conflicts, and peacekeeping operations, and also, like three veterans just last week, those who sometimes lose the battle within, usually connected in some way, shape or form to their service. We remember them all.

More than 300,000 Australians served overseas in World War I. More than 60,000 died, including my pop's uncle in France. We remember those who came home with injuries, like my maternal great-grandfather, Thomas Wood, who was gassed on the Somme, emigrated to Australia and suffered from his injuries for the rest of his life. So I remember them. I remember those who fought in the battle for Australia. I remember those who fought in Vietnam, like my father. I remember those who fought in peacekeeping operations. We remember all those who have served our nation. Of course, we remember those that didn't come back and those that are buried in foreign fields.

Following the First World War, many veterans were separated from their families and, for a variety of reasons, some took up the offer of a soldier settler's farm, while others may have chosen to live an isolated life, as my great-grandfather did. When these veterans passed away, some may have been buried without a funeral or a permanent headstone, and that's why this program recognises those veterans of the First World War who returned home with the memories and scars of their service and passed away with their final place of rest unmarked. Official commemoration in the form of a graveside memorial managed by the Office of Australian War Graves was provided to more than 30,000 of these service personnel from World War I whose deaths were accepted as directly related to their war service. The remaining 240,000 First World War veterans were buried privately, and some are at rest in unmarked graves.

So, yes, when we say, 'Lest we forget,' at the end of the Ode, we mean it: we will remember them. These were people who had names and loved ones and who did not receive the acknowledgement for their service that they deserve, and this grants program will help recognise these veterans by providing funding for individuals or for non-commercial, not-for-profit or community groups planning to arrange a graveside memorial. For successful applicants, the government will contribute $450 for an individual marker for each individual First World War grave—the same value as in the pilot program that has been run.

In the time remaining, I want to reflect on the words of the Vietnam Veterans Association. I visited the Veterans Australia NT men and women yesterday morning in the rural area of Darwin. The minister, who's here in the chamber with us, joined us to commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day in August. They have a saying, 'Honour the dead'—which we will do with this program, be assured—'but fight like hell for the living.' And we have throughout our nation. For those who have served and are battling still, we will recognise them, we will provide them with the services that they need and we will save those lives.

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