Alan Griffin (Bruce, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on this day to take note of the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan. Firstly, I would like to make a general comment on the Vietnam War commemorations that will be occurring all over Australia in the next few days. These commemorations often invoke mixed feelings for the veterans of this conflict. Apart from the tragic circumstances that surround participants in any conflict, veterans of the Vietnam War were also poorly received upon their arrival back in Australia. I would like to apologise to the Vietnam veterans who were subjected to this treatment. It was wrong then, it is wrong now and it will always be wrong to have serving men and women of this nation treated in that manner. While the politics of any war may be questioned, the bravery, dedication and commitment of the young men and women who served their country should never be.

I would also like to say that the debt owed to our veterans for the treatment that they received goes beyond those who opposed the war to those who expressed support in words at the time but who have often since provided only words in support. As the Leader of the Opposition said earlier today, quoting from a letter from the member for Cowan:

... many good Australians opposed that war and not all who opposed that war took it out on the troops.

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Equally it should be said that not all who supported the war supported the troops ...

In my view, any apology warrants the involvement of not only those who were unfairly critical of our troops but also those who have often paid lip-service to the needs of our troops since then.

In talking about the Battle of Long Tan today, I recognise the huge contribution that all Vietnam veterans made to the war effort. Bravery, dedication, commitment and sacrifice were in no way restricted to those who served at Long Tan, and I therefore thank all those who served their country during that war. Although Long Tan adds dramatically to the symbolism of Vietnam Veterans Day, it is a day for all Vietnam veterans, wherever they served and whatever their contribution.

The Battle of Long Tan has become part of the Anzac legend and the Australian psyche. It was a battle against all odds, fought by young Australians against a much larger and more experienced force. It was a battle in which mateship and courage under fire were defining characteristics. It was on the afternoon of 18 August 1966 that Delta Company 6RAR encountered an enemy force and for three hours, in the pouring rain, amid the mud, trees and mist in the Long Tan rubber plantation in Phuoc Tuy Province, South Vietnam, Delta Company fought for their lives, holding off a force of some 2,500 Vietnamese, including members of the NVA and of the Vietcong.

Most of the Australians were young national servicemen, led by a few regulars. They were new to the theatre of operations and had experienced only light and fleeting contact with enemy forces. Many of the Vietnamese, on the other hand, had fought battles in the region and knew the area thoroughly. They were only one half of a force advancing to attack the newly established Australian base at Nui Dat, only five kilometres away. Fierce fighting ensued as the Australians tried desperately to repel the numerically superior enemy force. Helicopter crews flew through the rain at very low altitude to resupply Delta Company. Artillery back at Nui Dat provided coverage which undoubtedly saved the lives of many of the soldiers in Delta Company.

Over the course of those three hours at the Long Tan rubber plantation, the Australians would see many acts of bravery. The young men steadfastly held their ground and defended it as wave after wave of the enemy attacked. With nothing more than the trees of the rubber plantation and a low-lying mist generated by the rain for cover, Delta Company 6RAR held out long enough for reinforcements to arrive, turning the battle around and forcing the enemy to retreat. Sadly, 18 Australian lives were lost that day: 17 from D Company and one from the 1st APC Squadron; 24 soldiers were wounded. On the other side, the Vietnamese forces suffered the loss of at least 245 men and had over 500 wounded. There is no doubt that the actions, bravery, dedication and commitment of the Australians on that day discouraged further attacks on Nui Dat.

I would like to take this chance to repeat Labor’s longstanding policy and support for an inquiry into the Long Tan bravery awards fiasco, and I would welcome a bipartisan approach from the government. The member for Cowan has spoken on this issue on a number of occasions. It has been subject to quite a deal of debate and discussion and I will not go into the detail, but I would like to note comments made by the Prime Minister in his statement to the House today on this issue. The Prime Minister said:

The difficulty faced by any government in reopening a particular set of recommendations, having regard to changes that might have been made on the original recommendations, is that as one sense of grievance might be addressed so many others are opened up.

I ask: when has this ever been a reason to not correct a wrong or an injustice? When is it okay to say, ‘We will not reopen this because it is too hard, it is too difficult and it might cause us problems in the future’? This is a completely unacceptable attitude that is completely out of touch with everyday Australians. If we took the Prime Minister’s advice never to take on anything that is too difficult, nothing would ever be achieved. It is about time the Prime Minister and the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs said that they are willing to act on this issue.

The ongoing suffering of many veterans and their families remains an issue for our government and our community. There is no doubt that more needs to be done with respect to the concerns of the families of Vietnam veterans and the circumstances they have had to deal with over the last 40 years in the aftermath of that war.

I commend to the House the bravery, dedication and commitment of all our Vietnam veterans. I thank them for their own and their families’ sacrifices and I look forward to catching up with many of them at the various commemorative services over the next few days. I commend them to the House.