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

I'm a fourth-generation veteran and I'm a fierce advocate for our Australian Defence Force personnel and their families. I'm proud to be working with the ministers for defence, veterans, and northern Australia as a special envoy. A quick around-the-grounds: when it comes to the Army, it was a privilege to recently join our hardworking ADF recruiting team as they enlisted three Aboriginal Australians into the Army on the Australia Day public holiday. Thanks to all our public servants who are dutifully working on public holidays. The Air Force: thanks to the Spartan crew of No. 35 Squadron, who flew the Prime Minister, the infrastructure minister and me into Lake Nash Station, a cattle station in the Northern Territory, over Christmas. When it comes to the Navy, I was privileged to witness the commissioning of four Cape class patrol vessels at HMAS Coonawarra in Darwin. They are the backbone of our border protection. It was great to visit the future of the Australian Defence Force in the form of our cadets: the 71st Army cadet unit in Larrakeyah Barracks in my electorate. These children and young adults are the future of the Australian Defence Force. And finally, but certainly not least, there are the families. I look forward to meeting the newest Territory ADF families this weekend as we run the Welcome to Darwin event at the convention centre.

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