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

I want to associate myself with the words of the shadow minister and commend the military for doing what they always do so well. I pay that respect in the way that he relayed from Jack's funeral. I join with him and so many other members in this place in expressing my heartfelt condolences to the entire Fitzgibbon family for the loss of their only son and brother and for the loss of Cass's partner. I also express my condolences to all the mates of Lance Corporal Jack Patrick Fitzgibbon.

Last Wednesday, the House came together offering comfort and love to our mate Joel, to his wonderful wife Dianne, to Caitlin, Grace and Maxine and to Jack's partner, Cass. I acknowledge all the tributes in this place today and over the last week or so. It was wonderful to meet Jack's sisters, to hug Joel and Dianne, to meet Cass and to pass on my family's love and deep condolences. He was most loved. It's so obvious to everyone, but he was an excellent special forces operator. When he joined the ADF in 2014, through mutual friends, I know that he was just getting after it. He served in the 2nd Commando Regiment. He was a proud special forces operator within that command and saw operational deployment to Papua New Guinea. He was awarded the Defence Medal and the Australian Operational Service Medal for counterterrorism.

Belonging to that special forces family, and due to his own characteristic modesty, we'll never really know all the details of his service and everything he achieved during his service, but his mates do. His mates know what he achieved, as do his troop commanders and his company commanders. They all know what he achieved, and the great name Fitzgibbon will live on in their ranks, honoured by a grateful nation and supported by a whole community of ADF members, soldiers and veterans.

We know from Joel and from the members of the unit that he was a very experienced parachutist, which is one of the most dangerous things that is done in special forces, as the member for Canning relayed in his contribution last week. So he was a highly skilled soldier, courageous and dedicated to his mates, to his unit and to his nation. As so many of his family members and mates have said, he was incredibly humble and not boasting about being in the special forces, always playing down his own incredible accomplishments and not seeking promotion, when he was obviously so deserving of it. But, as so many of our men and women in uniform do, he put his mates and the unit first. He was a soldier's soldier, not someone that's looking up to please the boss but someone that's looking out for their mates, in the best of our country's military tradition.

He was a pride of the ADF and of our nation. At that packed service at St Joseph's Catholic Church in Cessnock last Monday—as a member relayed well—his mates remembered him, did him honour, and reflected on his infectious sense of humour and his laughter but also on him being as tough as nails and his loyalty, both to his country and to the Army. His commanding officer, his CO, said that Jack's example would inspire generations of soldiers to come. As the family, the Fitzgibbons, themselves said in a statement:

Serving in the special forces was Jack's dream job and we take some comfort from the fact that he died serving his nation in a uniform of the ADF.

To Joel and the entire family: know that this entire House, this entire place, shares in your grief. None of us can ever lighten your grief, but we are all here to support you in any way we possibly can. Although I didn't know Jack personally, I knew of him through mutual friends and people in the special forces. I can tell you that this loss was significant, a great loss, and it was felt like a shockwave by the members who wear the uniform.

All the soldiers and special operators accept that there's a high risk to their own personal safety in doing what they do. They not only do it willingly; they do it gladly and they do it proudly. There is no higher honour than to serve your country in uniform and to defend the security of all Australians, of the men and women of Australia, whether that be in overseas service or during exercises, during training like Jack was undertaking. It's critical that everyone in this place understands that the ADF trains like it's going to have to fight so there's always a degree of risk. The ADF does as much as it possibly can to lessen that degree of risk.

I pay my respects to all Australian soldiers who have lost their lives in training accidents. I have been a military parachutist. It's pretty scary, and there's that element of danger always. So I want to pay tribute to those who have been killed or injured in accidents, including the four aviators in Exercise Talisman Sabre last year. I send my and my family's love—and I think this whole chamber's love—to the Fitzgibbon family and to all of Jack's friends and comrades.

We will remember him. Lest we forget.

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