Keith Wolahan (Menzies, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

That was a wonderful contribution from the member for Hawke. I particularly liked his reminder that at that particular time of day the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne does shine brightly on the word 'love'. That should never be forgotten when we remember with love and affection.

The Veterans' Affairs Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2023 is not controversial at all. I won't be using my full time either—just fair warning for my friends. It's important we stand here on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. Not long ago in the Members Hall there was a bipartisan, multiparty and independent gathering of members from the House and senators. It's a credit to the Australian people and the people they send here that now we fairly accept that we can honour and look after our veterans and still have all of the debates about the merits of wars. I think there was a time when Australia wasn't very good at doing that. Full credit to Simon Crean, who, at the time, had a different view on the Iraq war—and hindsight has been kind to that view. At that time it wasn't a popular or easy thing to do, but he still showed up to farewell the troops and sailors who were deploying. I think that was an admirable statement by him, when he said we can separate those two things.

When I was watching the Prime Minister hand out those medallions to the Vietnam veterans, I looked around and it wasn't a particular party that was represented there; it was all of us; there were members of the Greens and Independents; and that was a really nice thing. I think we've come a long way as a nation.

Today, 29 March, is the 50th anniversary of the US withdrawal from Vietnam. Who can forget that image of the Chinook helicopter on the top of the US Embassy in Vietnam? It's an iconic picture, which, sadly, was also replicated at the end of the Afghanistan War; they were very similar images. There's no easy way to end a conflict like that. The Prime Minister quite rightly read out the numbers of Australian servicemen and women who went to Vietnam and were killed, and those who were left with many scars from that war. We also have another anniversary this year, the 70th anniversary of the end of the Korean War. It's a particularly important year for us in acknowledging those events.

But I'll come back to the Vietnam War. It changed so many lives, including that of a young man called Trung Luu, who got on a boat as a refugee from Vietnam and took that perilous journey with his family to come to Australia, Victoria and Melbourne. For me, as a Liberal, but also as a Victorian and an Australian, it was with a sense of pride that I saw him deliver his first speech as a member of the Legislative Council in the Victorian parliament. That says so much about our nation—that someone could get on a boat in Vietnam as a refugee, and then stand there proudly representing our country. And that wasn't the only time he has represented us. He was a longstanding, multi-decade member of the Victorian police force and a member of the Army Reserve as well. He has served this country so many times, and we thank him for his service. I'm sure he'll have a wonderful contribution to make in the Victorian parliament.

I'd also like to acknowledge the work of the RSLs in my electorate: the Box Hill RSL, Templestowe RSL, Doncaster RSL and Warrandyte RSL. RSLs are important organisations not just for the members who go there and socialise but also for their connection to our community. We rely on the RSLs to do the Remembrance Day services, the Anzac Day services and the catafalque parties, and to write to members of the House and senators to get them to come and give speeches, which we all appreciate and take very seriously. There are individuals in my electorate, and, in particular, I think of the Vietnam veterans like Bob Slater and Paul Beraldo. The member for Solomon's father is a Vietnam veteran and lives in my electorate. I love chatting with him. We have friendly banter, and he chest pokes me about why I'm in my party and not his, and I return the favour.

There's nothing controversial about this bill. It fixes up some things that we can all agree on, and that happens from time to time. But these are often useful occasions to acknowledge the people who have come before us and sacrificed—not just them but their families—and we do appreciate it in this place. It has multipartisan support, and this nation has come a long way in making that distinction.

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