Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

Constable Anthony Woods was simply doing his job, trying to help keep our community safe, and what happened to him was an absolute tragedy. I'd like to offer my sincere condolences to Constable Woods's family, his friends, his fellow officers at the Belmont Police Station, the wider police family—because that's what it is—and his footy mates, the Winnacott Eagles. I know what this will mean to them, and I know what he would have meant to them.

To Emily, his wife: Emily, I am so sorry that you've lost your much-loved husband. I'm sure when you kissed him goodbye that morning you never for one moment thought it would be the last day of him being on duty as a police officer. His life was cut so short. He was just 28 years of age. As I said, Constable Woods was simply doing his job, carrying out his duty as a police officer in protecting and serving his community, on 8 June.

Given the nature of the incident, can I also offer my deep sympathy to his fellow officers, in particular, his partner, who was present at the time, and the additional officers who assisted in recovering Constable Woods, who was trapped beneath the vehicle following the incident.

I believe that they will not need to close their eyes to be able to see what they saw at that time. I think it will live with them forever.

This is still very raw for many of us in WA. So many of us were shocked and absolutely saddened when we heard of Constable Woods's injuries. Following the incident, and despite the critical nature of his injuries, many people were just hoping and praying for Constable Woods's recovery. However, he passed away three days later.

I want to also offer my condolences to my South West District Superintendent Geoff Stewart and all of the officers in our South West who are doing similar work to what our officers do right around Australia every single day. That is, the work that Constable Woods was engaged in.

There are 7,000 WA police officers and police officers right around Australia who are out there day in and day out, doing their best to help keep us safe. They face those similar critical situations on a daily basis. In my opinion, from what we're seeing now, the threat and risk to those people is increasing. Every time they approach a vehicle or attend a call-out, they are at risk. The heightened nature of this comes as a result of what we're seeing on a daily basis. Some of the shocking crimes we're seeing committed are even directly against police themselves. As recently as January, even on the Forrest Highway in the South West, a police car was rammed head-on while a police officer was simply attempting to pull over a car. We read almost daily about shocking crimes and incidents that police attend as first responders.

I want to thank the families, as well, of our police officers—those like Emily. I want to thank them for supporting their loved ones in the work they do to help keep us safe. They certainly need the support of their family all of the time.

Can I also commend the work of Police Legacy and note how heart-wrenching it will be on National Police Remembrance Day on 29 September this year that Constable Woods will be the 88th WA police officer to lose his life while serving our community. But he will never be forgotten by his family, by his friends and by his fellow police officers. This is the ode that was written by WA police chaplain Barry May that's read at our Police Remembrance Day. I'd like to add this today, entirely for Constable Woods at this time:

As the sun surely sets: dawn will see it arise, for service, above self, demands its own prize. You have fought the good fight: life's race has been run, and peace, your reward, for eternity begun. And we that are left, shall never forget, rest in peace friend and colleague, for the sun has now set. We will remember. We will remember. Hasten the dawn.

See this speech in context