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

Thanks, Deputy Speaker, and I'd like to congratulate you for being selected to join the Speaker's panel. May all members of the House listen to your rulings and learn from your wisdom.

I join other members this morning in acknowledging that the Order of Australia is the highest national honour awarded to Australian citizens for their astounding contribution to our nation. Of course, there is a military division in the Order of Australia as well. Since the order was established by Her Majesty the late Queen Elizabeth II in 1975, there have been 40,000 recipients of awards in the Order of Australia.

I am proud to be a member of the Order, receiving the Order of Australia medal on Australia Day 2006 for volunteer work for Timor-Leste. It was very humbling, and I continue to work for our nation in a variety of roles to honour membership of the Order and to serve Australians.

Today we celebrate the 1,047 Australia Day 2023 award recipients. I congratulate all of those recipients, and I'd particularly like to acknowledge all Australians who were nominated and awarded. One of those recipients is Timmy Duggan, who launched Hoops 4 Health in 2002. For over 20 years Timmy has been assisting young Territorians and other young Australians, and he's used basketball as a vehicle for connection and change. Timmy is also the first National Basketball League, NBL, player from the NT. He has used his passion for sports to build resilience in our young kids, including at our youth detention centre in Darwin, the Don Dale Youth Detention Centre. In fact, it was Timmy who first invited me to join him to go into Don Dale to spend time with young Territory kids, and he has done powerful work to help them get on the right track.

Take the remarkable story of Maureen Langdon, who was recognised for her services to nursing. Maureen was the first full-time female ambulance officer in Australia. She worked in the Territory for 48 years, including for the Northern Territory St John Ambulance service.

I also want to congratulate my friend Henry Gray for his services to education, which included teaching in Groote Eylandt, Nhulunbuy and Darwin. Henry said to me that he gave up a possible inheritance of a family farm to enter teachers college, and he was a mature age student in 1968. He found educating young Australians and young Territorians to be such a fulfilling career. Let me say to you, Henry, that you acquitted your responsibilities with integrity. You made such a difference to those that you educated, and you kept a smile on your heart. Well done, mate.

I acknowledge Berverley McCormack for her services to remote nursing in Central Australia, since 2006, as well as Dr Sadhana Mahajani who helped establish Darwin's first community health centre, in 1974, and kept on working out of a demountable after Cyclone Tracy ripped through our city. I heard her interviewed on radio recently. It was a truly inspiring story. Another Territorian to receive the Order of Australia is Superintendent Peter Malley, who worked in NT Police, including in Darwin, and currently in Palmerston, for 20 years. Pete has also been recognised for his service with an Australian Police Medal. Well done.

Finally, I want to pay tribute to Sue McCallum for her amazing service to veterans over decades. Sue was posted, in Darwin, as a radio operator in the Navy. She comes from a family of veterans, across the generations, and she's been spending her time, over the last decades, helping veterans to navigate the compensation system with the Department of Veterans' Affairs. She has been volunteering for Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia NT, Veterans Australia NT and Mates4mates. Sue said she was overwhelmed to receive an Order of Australia. She felt like she had not done so much, and that's so true of many humble people receiving these awards. But, as a long-term member of Veterans Australia NT, I know how much you have done, Sue. Well done. It's truly important and selfless work.

I welcome the valuable work of the NT committee for the order and encourage people to nominate exceptional Australians.

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