Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Hansard source

I want to join with the Prime Minister and congratulate him on his fine words in honouring an incredible Australian—Ernie Walker. Anybody who achieves 106 years has a remarkable story to tell. He died peacefully with his wife by his side, but that, of course, is a long, long way from where he spent many formative years alongside those who suffered at the hands of the Germans and those adversaries in the Second World War.

There are many stories that can be recounted about different periods of our military history, but the Rats of Tobruk is one of the most significant: those Australian soldiers who survived what, at the time, was an incredible siege in the Libyan port in 1941—eight months of daily bombings and tank attacks from German and Italian forces. But, as we know, they dug in, and they fought in a way that would make our country, the Commonwealth and the Allied forces incredibly proud of what they were able to achieve. To stop the Germans from recapturing that port was a very significant point of military history.

I want to offer, on behalf of the coalition, our condolences to Mr Walker's family and, of course, as the Prime Minister pointed out, to the members of the Five Dock RSL, who will be feeling his loss acutely today. The camaraderie that exists, as we know, at RSLs around the country is sincere and genuine and borne of the camaraderie that's developed over generations. Australia, as has been pointed out even in question time today, was well served in times of peace and war by the wonderful men and women of the Australian Defence Force. We pay tribute again not just to Mr Walker today but to all of those who have worn and who currently wear the uniform of the Australian Defence Force. May he rest in peace.

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