Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the House record its deep regret at the deaths in late 2007 of Sergeant Matthew Locke, Trooper David Pearce and Private Luke Worsley while on combat operations in Afghanistan and place on record its appreciation of their service to their country and tender its profound sympathy to their families in their bereavement.

We extend our condolences to Sergeant Locke’s wife, Leigh-Ann, and his son, Keegan; to Trooper David Pearce’s wife, Nicole, and their two children, Stephanie and Hannah; and to Private Worsley’s mother and father, Marjorie and John. I also want to offer my sympathy to the extended family and friends of these brave Australian soldiers, including to their fellow soldiers, who also feel their loss keenly.

Like the Leader of the Opposition, I have had the pleasure and privilege of meeting many of our men and women in uniform, and it is always a remarkable time that you have with them when they are on deployment. I had the pleasure and privilege of meeting our troops serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, when I visited those countries just before Christmas. On that visit, as always, I was impressed by their courage, their commitment and their professionalism and by the way they uphold the great traditions of the Australian military. These three soldiers who gave their lives were part of that tradition—and that tradition is as important today as it ever has been.

More than 3,500 Australian troops are currently deployed in front-line operations around the world, from Afghanistan to the Solomon Islands. They are making valuable contributions to humanitarian operations, peacekeeping, border protection and nation building. They are working on regional missions and UN operations and under bilateral arrangements. The tragic events—very tragic events—in East Timor yesterday underscore the dangerous conditions in which our forces are often required to serve. Those events have also reminded us of how Australia’s defence forces are recognised for their role in bringing security and stability to various regions, as the East Timorese government has requested the deployment of extra personnel to assist in the challenges which it now faces. The government has agreed to that request and we are aware that we are sending Australian troops and police into a tense and volatile situation. We know that they will do a thoroughly professional job and we hope that they will return home safely.

Our troops on active service overseas should never be far from any of our minds. All of us in this place should be proud of their work. We should not forget the dangers they face. Even when they are not in the newspapers, they are out on operations that are never ever recorded; each day that they are out there, they are facing life-threatening situations—and they do it with extraordinary courage and professionalism.

These three soldiers—Sergeant Locke, Trooper Pearce and Private Worsley—died while serving their country, and this parliament and the government owes them a debt of gratitude, a debt that we are aware we can never fully repay to their families. These men made significant contributions while serving with the Australian Army, which they loved, and they made significant contributions to securing peace in Afghanistan to try to allow that country to rebuild. They did so in a very difficult and a very dangerous—an increasingly dangerous—operating environment. Other brave Australians soldiers continue their crucial work.

These were valued members of their regiments. Their commanders and fellow soldiers describe them as loyal, courageous and dedicated. They will be remembered, as we in this place should remember and reflect on the fact that our troops abroad, particularly those in Afghanistan, are facing increasingly difficult and dangerous times ahead—and I fear greatly the prospect of further losses. On behalf of the Australian government and all members of the House, I offer our prayers, our thoughts and our support to the families and friends of Sergeant Locke, Trooper Pearce and Private Worsley, brave soldiers all.

Brendan Nelson (Bradfield, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I obviously join very strongly in support of this motion of condolence for Trooper David Pearce, who is survived by his wife, Nicki, and daughters, Stephanie and Hannah; Special Forces Sergeant Matthew Locke—or ‘Maddie’ Locke, as he was called—who is survived by his wife, Leigh, and son, Keegan; and Special Forces Commando Luke Worsley, who is survived by his parents, John and Marjorie. I had the honour, I suppose, of being the Minister for Defence in sending each of them off to Afghanistan. I say this to the member for Hunter: I think it is fair to say that no person goes into being the Minister for Defence without leaving it as a different person, having a different outlook on things.

Unlike the others whom we are honouring today, these three men gave their lives in our name. When I sent them off, as I did the others, I would have said to them: you are going in our name; you are wearing our uniform; you have the Army rising sun on one shoulder and you have the Australian flag on the other; but you do so to remind us that there are some truths by which we live as Australians that are worth fighting to defend and, in particular, to see that we shine a light into dark corners of the world where people cannot begin to even imagine the freedoms that we enjoy in our own country, which too often are taken for granted by so many Australians and which have been given us by more than 100,000 Australians who gave their lives, in our name, in other parts of the world.

Each of these men died in Afghanistan, as the Prime Minister just reminded us. Poppy Pearce was in his 40s. He joined the Army late in life. He was a member of 2/14 Cavalry and he was in an ASLAV when it was hit by an improvised explosive device. It is noteworthy that before he left he spoke to his family—as soldiers do, by the way—about the prospect of being killed. He said to his family, ‘If I’m going to die, I’d rather die doing something worth while than getting run over by a bus.’ At his funeral in Brisbane, which was attended by the Prime Minister and the former Prime Minister, John Howard, his brother Edward Pearce said that his death should not be in vain. He said: ‘Let this harden our will to prevail. Let us not lose sight of his mates who are still there.’

These three men who gave their lives for us, literally, were at the very sharp end of something that our generation is engaged in: fighting resurgent totalitarianism, which is in the form of Islamic extremism. These men on our behalf were fighting people who have hijacked the good name of Islam to build a violent political utopia. We will honour these men and their deaths, and we will also honour their families, if we make absolutely certain that we are nothing less than determined to prevail in this. We thank all of them. We thank those with whom they served. We thank their commanding officers. We particularly thank them for reminding us of who we are and the things that are really important in life.

Joel Fitzgibbon (Hunter, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition for their very appropriate and sincere comments. I did not know Trooper David Pearce, Sergeant Matthew Lockwood or Private Luke Worsley, but having attended their funerals, where I spoke with their loved ones—their partners, their families, their ADF colleagues and their friends—I feel like I knew all of them very, very well. That may sound a little strange, as strange as it was to me when I found myself crying for people I had just met and for soldiers I had never met. Such is the power of who they were, what they were and what they gave for their country.

When you have the privilege of becoming the Minister for Defence or, for that matter, the shadow minister for defence, you gain a clearer insight into the courage, skill, dedication and commitment of our Defence Force personnel. At the funerals of Poppy Pearce, Matty Locke and Luke Worsley, I met many people who have a better appreciation of those attributes than possibly any one of us here—mums, dads, wives, partners, sons, daughters and, of course, mates. It was those people who made me feel like I knew the three heroes the House is paying tribute to tonight. Through emotional conversation, eulogies and jokes, they painted a picture of their loved ones that left us in no doubt they were true Australians with wonderful caring and a tough outlook on life.

Trooper David Pearce was serving with the Reconstruction Task Force in Oruzgan province when he was fatally wounded on 8 October 2007. Trooper Pearce previously served in the Solomon Islands with the 9th Battalion of the Royal Queensland Regiment between 2005 and 2006. On the day we lost him, he was the driver for a patrol returning from reconnaissance when his ASLAV was attacked with an improvised explosive device. The security element to which he belonged was protecting our engineers undertaking important reconstruction work in Oruzgan province.

Sergeant Matthew Locke was serving with the Special Air Service Regiment in Oruzgan province in southern Afghanistan when he was fatally wounded on 25 October 2007. With complete disregard for his own safety, Sergeant Locke braved heavy enemy fire to neutralise the Taliban advancing on the Australian position. In doing so, he saved the lives of his mates. Matty Locke had extensive operational experience in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2006, his courage was recognised with a Medal for Gallantry—one of Australia’s highest military honours.

Private Luke Worsley was a commander. He was serving with the Special Operations Task Group, again in Oruzgan province in southern Afghanistan, when he was fatally wounded on 23 November 2007. It was his second tour of duty in Afghanistan. He had also served with distinction in East Timor. Private Worsley was fatally wounded by small arms fire while participating in a planned attack by our forces against Taliban leaders and their supporters—again, in Oruzgan province. He was, I might add, the first man through the door.

I join the Prime Minister in expressing my deepest sympathy to the families and friends of Sergeant Locke, Trooper Pearce and Private Worsley. I also extend sympathy to the wider defence family, who feel these things very closely and over 3,000 of whom continue to serve their nation in operations around the world. Further, I take this opportunity to record the government’s sincere appreciation for the continuing professionalism and dedication demonstrated by the Australian Defence Force in the service of a grateful nation.

Tonight, we think of all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of our nation. We also think of those who have suffered injury, including those who have been permanently incapacitated. The most recent of those was Sergeant Michael Lyddiard. Michael lost his right eye and his lower right arm while trying to protect his mate while dealing with an explosive device. I sincerely admire his courage, his strength of character and the good humour he has shown in his public appearances since that accident. We salute all those who serve and all those who have served. We thank all those who supported them, in particular those who paid a heavy price by giving up one whom they loved so much. As Australians, we love our sporting heroes. We admire them for their skill, their speed, their strength and, indeed, their courage. I think we could all find more time to think about all those in uniform who share those same attributes but for whom the stakes are much higher.

Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister Assisting the Shadow Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I rise today in support of this motion of condolence, it is important that we pause to reflect on the contribution of those brave, patriotic, professional soldiers—namely, Trooper David Pearce, Special Forces Sergeant Matthew Locke and Special Forces Commando Luke Worsley. These men were Australia’s finest, and they made the ultimate sacrifice in the pursuit of freedom, democracy and security for the people of Afghanistan. Our Australian Defence Force personnel play a key role in fighting terrorism at its source as a part of the NATO led International Security Assistance Force. Around 970 Australians play a key, pivotal role in supporting the democratically elected Afghan government in their struggle against the Taliban extremists.

Australian soldiers are internationally respected. They are proudly ranked amongst the very best in the world. But the price paid by these fine Australians and indeed their families is very high and incomprehensible to many of us. Trooper David ‘Poppy’ Pearce was serving with the Reconstruction Task Force when he died on 8 October 2007. A son of Liverpool in New South Wales, he started his career in the Australian Army late in life, as a 36-year-old, when he joined the reserves in 2002. Three years later it became his life when he joined the Regular Army after serving in the Solomon Islands, hence the name ‘Poppy’ Pearce. Trooper Pearce served with the 9th Battalion of the Royal Queensland Regiment in the Solomon Islands in 2005-06 before being posted to the 2/14 Light Horse Regiment in October 2006. The tragic incident occurred when Trooper David Pearce was driving an ASLAV returning from an engineer reconnaissance task six kilometres from the base in Afghanistan.

There were tributes from his colleagues. One, from Lieutenant Colonel David Wainwright, the Commanding Officer of the Reconstruction Task Force, said in part:

David’s dedication and commitment to our mission in southern Afghanistan was typical of his willingness to help others. Words will never go close to express his efforts, his legacy will endure and he will never be forgotten.

Lieutenant Gavin Vague, the Troop Leader, said:

You could not find any other individual who adequately sums up the legacy of the Australian soldier. A brave, motivated, hardworking and loyal soldier. A true character that could bring a smile to the men during the hardest of times.

Special Forces Sergeant Matthew Locke, also known as ‘Locky’ or ‘Grub’, was killed on patrol on 25 October by small arms fire from Taliban extremists and is the first Australian soldier to be killed by direct enemy gunfire since the start of this war on terrorism. Sergeant Locke was involved in Operation SPIN GHAR, which directly supported an International Security Assistance Force and Afghan national security forces operation to target and clear Taliban extremists from the area around Tarin Kowt, in the Oruzgan province.

Sergeant Locke joined the Army in 1991 and was a high achiever. During his 16-year military career—10 years of which he spent in the elite Special Air Service Regiment—Sergeant Locke completed active service in a number of operational theatres as well as being awarded the Medal for Gallantry last year for his gallantry in hazardous circumstances.

A professional, dedicated, decorated soldier, during his service in the Australian Defence Force, Matthew was awarded the Medal for Gallantry, the Australian Active Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Australian Defence Medal, the United Nations Medal with the United Nations Transitional Authority East Timor Ribbon, the Iraq Clasp to the Australian Active Service Medal, the International Coalition Against Terrorism Clasp to the Australian Active Service Medal, the Infantry Combat Badge and the Returned from Active Service Badge.

To understand the bravery of Sergeant Locke, I will read an extract from the Medal for Gallantry citation:

In one such incident the Anti-Coalition Militia attempted to outflank the Observation Post and Sergeant Locke without regard for his own personal safety, led a two man team to locate and successfully neutralise the Anti-Coalition Militia in order to regain the initiative and protect his patrol from being overrun.

…         …         …

Whilst deliberately exposing himself to intense rifle and machine gun fire from the Anti-Coalition Militia, he again neutralised the lead assaulting elements whilst suppressing other Militia until the arrival of offensive air support. Whilst still under sustained fire, Sergeant Locke then directed indirect fire to effectively neutralise another Anti-Coalition Militia advance on his patrol’s position. The courageous and gallant actions of Sergeant Locke were instrumental in regaining the initiative from the Anti-Coalition Militia and allowing the successful exfiltration of the patrol on foot prior to first light the next day.

Sergeant Locke’s actions of gallantry whilst under enemy fire in extremely hazardous circumstances, displayed courage of the highest order and is in keeping with the finest traditions of Special Operations Command-Australia, the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force.

To his wife, Leigh, and 12-year-old son, Keegan, we owe a great deal of gratitude.

Private Luke Worsley was killed by small arms fire while participating in a planned attack by our forces against Taliban leaders. Private Worsley enlisted in the Australian Regular Army in October 2001. He served in East Timor as part of Operation CITADEL and had previous service in Afghanistan with Delta Commando Company Group. This was Private Worsley’s second tour of Afghanistan. He qualified as a commando in 2004. Those that speak highly of him include Lieutenant Colonel Mark Smethurst, who said in part:

Luke’s actions upon entering the room, warning of the enemy threat, almost certainly saved the lives of other members of his team.

The tributes that were paid at the funeral of Luke were in a dimension that most people could not understand.

Luke was also a very dedicated and decorated hero. For his service in East Timor and Afghanistan, Luke was awarded the Australian Defence Medal; the Australian Active Service Medal, with clasp ‘East Timor’; the United Nations medal, with the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor ribbon; the International Coalition Against Terrorism clasp; the Afghanistan Campaign Medal; the Infantry Combat Badge; and the Return From Active Service Badge. Luke was also awarded the Unit Citation for Gallantry for his service with the Special Operations Task Group in 2006.

These fine men have become part of Australia’s history. Perhaps what best sums up the contribution and fears of our serving men is a poem that was read at Luke Worsley’s funeral service. I would like to read it into Hansard. It is called The Final Inspection:

The soldier stood and faced God,

Which must always come to pass,

He hoped his shoes were shining,

Just as brightly as his brass.

‘Step forward now, you soldier,

How shall I deal with you? Have you always turned the other cheek?

To My Church have you been true?’

The soldier squared his shoulders and

said, ‘No, Lord, I guess I ain’t,

Because those of us who carry guns,

Can’t always be a saint.

I’ve had to work most Sundays,

And at times my talk was tough,

And sometimes I’ve been violent,

Because the world is awfully rough.

I know I don’t deserve a place among the people here,

They never wanted me around,

Except to calm their fears.

If you’ve a place for me here, Lord,

It needn’t be so grand,

I’ve never expected or had too much,

But if you don’t, I’ll understand.’

There was a silence all around the throne,

Where the saints had often trod,

As the soldier waited quietly,

for the judgment of his God.

‘Step forward now, you soldier,

You’ve borne your burdens well,

Walk peacefully on Heaven’s streets,

You’ve done your time in Hell.’

The Liberal Party support this condolence motion because Australian soldiers are the finest that have ever been seen.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! As a mark of respect, I invite honourable members to rise in their places.

Honourable members having risen in their places—

I thank the House.

Debate (on motion by Mr Albanese) adjourned.