Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Benjamin Disraeli said:

The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example.

Signaller Sean McCarthy is indeed a great example to all Australians. It is with a sense of pride, mixed with great sadness, that I rise to honour this fallen warrior, the sixth to die serving our country in Afghanistan since 2002. I pass on my sympathy and support to his family—his parents, David and Mary, and his sisters, Leigh and Clare—whom I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking to in the unfortunate circumstance of Sean’s funeral on the Gold Coast on 18 July this year. Sean is the second warrior from my electorate of Fadden to fall in Afghanistan and be buried; he is the second to have had the Australian flag draped over his coffin.

Sean was born in New Zealand, but we proudly call him our own. He was a student at Trinity Lutheran College in Ashmore, where he graduated in 2000. At school, he represented Trinity on the sports field as a member of the 2/15 rugby team and Trinity water polo team, in addition to serving on the student representative council. He is remembered by the school as a reliable and trustworthy young man with a great sense of personal integrity and maturity, which was apparent to all who interacted with him. Staff recall Sean as being quick-witted and having a great sense of humour while remaining courteous and considerate towards others. It is no wonder that, in looking at his funeral as a testimony to his popularity, many from his school turned out with stories and anecdotes from their time with Sean. Indeed, one of his very early primary school teachers turned out to speak glowingly of Sean as a young man. Sean was clearly popular with his peers at school and with his colleagues and compatriots in the Army. He was disciplined, focused and a great example of the modern digger, the modern ANZAC—the professional Australian soldier.

Sean enlisted in the Australian Defence Force on 10 July 2001. He was posted to the 7th Signals Regiment on 14 July 2003 and went into the Special Air Service Regiment on 15 January 2007. He was an active member of the regiment until his tragic death on 8 July this year. Sean was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. He was not married. He was 25 years old. Sean’s operational experience included Special Operations Task Force 5 in Afghanistan in 2007, Operation Astute in East Timor in 2008 and redeployment to Afghanistan in 2008. Having served for only seven years with three operational deployments, Sean never shirked his responsibility and his duty to move into the operational theatre and to defend Australia’s interests. Sean was awarded a Special Operations Command Australia commendation. In speaking to Sean’s CO in the Special Air Service Regiment, I was told that when Sean was given the commendation he simply shrugged his shoulders and got on with the job. There was no great public ceremony and there were no great words—he simply accepted it as a matter of doing his duty. He received the Australian Defence Medal for service, the International Coalition against Terrorism Clasp, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the NATO Medal and the Return of Active Service Badge.

Signaller Sean McCarthy’s sacrifice was not in vain. He is a beacon of inspiration to other peacekeepers to provide a better future for the people they serve—in Sean’s case, those of Afghanistan. He stands tall as a man who believed that all people, wherever they may live, should have the opportunity to live in a better world, one free from violence, intimidation and repression. Though it can only ever be of small comfort to his family, Sean sacrificed his life serving and doing what he loved: taking care of, serving and representing his country. George Orwell once wrote:

We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.

Sean was such a man—a committed, dedicated soldier who fought for you and me and for us as a nation to keep us safe. On Remembrance Day this year, Sean’s name will be etched onto the War Memorial Roll of Honour to join those of the other five great Australian military heroes who have given their lives during the Afghanistan campaign. His sacrifice will never be forgotten.

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

I thank the member for Fadden and all those members who will be here this morning to pay tribute to Signaller Sean McCarthy and to thank him for his service to his country. I am often asked: what is the most difficult part of the job of Defence minister? Despite the many and diverse challenges of the portfolio, the answer is without challenge: news of the loss of one of our people in a theatre of war. That is without doubt the toughest part of the job. It is tough for a number of reasons. It is tough because it is the loss of a person in the prime of his life—fit, active and highly skilled, with so much to offer. It is tough because it is the loss of a person who is leaving people behind—mums, dads, brothers, sisters, often wives or partners and children, and, of course, there are always mates. It is tough because we know that the person we have lost, unlike some in our society, was doing something really meaningful and worthwhile with his life, doing something for others—indeed, doing something for his country. You cannot help but ask, despite the dangerous nature of the vocation: why is it that the good guys suffer such a fate? I did not know Signaller McCarthy, but I am sure that he was one of the good guys. He must have been, because he dedicated his life to the defence of his nation and its people, putting his own life on the line so that we collectively could be safe.

Sean was fatally wounded on 8 July while serving with the Special Operations Task Group in Afghanistan’s Oruzgan province, where more than 1,000 of our men and women in uniform are working and fighting to both provide hope for the Afghan people and make the world a safer place in which to live, work and travel. Signaller McCarthy was killed when the vehicle in which he was travelling was struck by an improvised explosive device. This is another aspect of the event which saddens me. Losing a soldier in a small arms firefight is tragic enough; but to lose him to a cowardly act—that is, the use of an IED—to me, somehow makes it even more tragic. Ironically, the increasing use of IEDs is somewhat a measure of the toughness and skill of people like Sean McCarthy. It is a statement of fact that the insurgents in Afghanistan do not like taking on our people head-to-head.

To Sean McCarthy’s father and mother, David and Mary, and his sisters, Leigh and Clare, I again extend my sympathy and thanks for his service. He was an outstanding soldier, displaying courage and professionalism in the most demanding of environments. The Chief of Army has told of Signaller McCarthy’s determination and the high standard of his work throughout his military career. In recognition of this, Signaller McCarthy was awarded a Special Operations Command Australia commendation on 20 June 2008 for his actions in Afghanistan in 2007 as part of Special Operations Task Group Rotation V. Sean was awarded this for his excellent application of battlefield craft in a complex, dangerous and confusing situation. He was highly regarded by his colleagues, and his sense of humour was well known amongst those who served in his regiment. I take this opportunity today to remember those who have also given their lives in Afghanistan in the name of their country: Lance Corporal Jason Marks, Sergeant Matthew Locke, Trooper David ‘Poppy’ Pearce, Private Luke Worsley and, of course, Sergeant Andrew Russell.

On behalf of the Australian government and, I am sure, all members of parliament, I offer our prayers and our support to Signaller McCarthy’s family and friends. I extend reassurance to them and their families—to all of those affected—that his sacrifices will not be forgotten, nor will the sacrifices of those who went before him. To all those who continue to serve under the Australian flag, I say that we do appreciate their work, we do appreciate their sacrifices, and we, the Australian government, will continue to provide, as best we can, all the capability, training and protection they need and deserve to do their job as effectively, efficiently and safely as possible.

Michael Johnson (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On behalf of the federal seat of Ryan, which I have the great pleasure and great honour of representing in the Australian parliament, I join with the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and colleagues in the Australian parliament in extending my personal condolences to the family of Sean McCarthy. As the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition together said so very eloquently in the parliament yesterday, and as the nation’s Minister for Defence has just alluded to, he was a remarkable man. As such, Sean McCarthy is honoured by all of us here in the parliament for his service to our country and for paying the ultimate price with his life. Signaller Sean McCarthy was a member of the elite SAS. He was one of those men who stood out amongst other men for his remarkable physical attributes and for his character, which is one of the features of those who are selected for this very elite group of men who wear the Australian uniform.

Signaller Sean McCarthy was only 25 years old. He was a man who loved rugby. He was a soldier who died wearing the Australian uniform and under the flag of our great country. He was killed when a bomb exploded near his vehicle while he was serving in Afghanistan. Personnel who served with Signaller McCarthy, who was also known as ‘Seano’, said that he was ‘a bloody good bloke’ and a very talented soldier. One of his Army mates, Aaron Pearce, said that Signaller McCarthy loved a joke, loved taking care of children and would never let a friend down. Never letting a friend down is a characteristic of Australians. It is perhaps an especially powerful characteristic of those who wear the uniform of our country and perhaps an even more powerful characteristic of those who wear the uniform of the SAS. Signaller McCarthy is the sixth Australian soldier to die in Afghanistan since 2002 and tragically, of course, the second this year. He joined the Army in 2001 and began serving in the SAS Regiment in January 2007. He served his first tour in Afghanistan later that year and was posted to East Timor earlier this year before being sent back to Afghanistan.

I want to let the people of Ryan know that I had the unique privilege of meeting the President of Afghanistan in May in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt, when I attended the World Economic Forum there. I asked Hamid Karzai what he would say about the death of any Australian to constituents who live in my electorate of Ryan, whose emotions might be so profound that they would question the presence of an Australian in uniform in his country. His remark to me was very simple and very profound. He said that Australians were doing great things in Afghanistan and that the people of Afghanistan just wanted what we in Australia had. I asked him what it was that we in Australia have that his people wanted. President Karzai said to me, ‘Our people want freedom to live in peace, just like the people that you represent, Michael.’ I was very touched by that and by the context and tone in which he put it. It was very simple, very eloquent, very compelling and very profound.

So I would say to the people of Ryan and the families, friends, neighbours and loved ones of Signaller Sean McCarthy, and indeed all those other Australians who have died in tragic circumstances and terrible circumstances wearing the Australian uniform in Afghanistan, in Iraq and in all other theatres of conflict around the world, that they are doing a very unique thing; they are doing something which I suspect very few in this place and very few in our country would have the capacity to do. I think it takes a very special person to sign up to the Army, Navy and Air Force of our country. As the son of a man who wore the uniform of the special forces of his country, and as the grandson of a man who fought the Japanese in World War II, I think that my father and my grandfather were special individuals as well. My grandfather paid the ultimate price. He was tortured by the Japanese. He is a man I never met. My mother tells me that he was an incredible person, an incredible individual, who served and fought for freedom in the context in which he did in the 20th century.

I make those remarks because I can only think that Signaller Sean McCarthy of the SAS must have been a very remarkable person. He was not someone I knew, but anyone who wears the uniform of the SAS must be a remarkable individual. On his previous tour in Afghanistan, Signaller McCarthy was recognised by the Special Operations commander for his courage, his focus and his professionalism. His mission was to try and do his bit to bring about peace and stability in that part of the world. He received a specific commendation for maintaining his presence of mind and an excellent soldier’s skills while in contact with the enemy.

Australia has obligations to be a very good global citizen by helping out our friends in times of need. As President Hamid Karzai said to me when I had that unique opportunity of meeting him not as a minister of the Crown, not as a senior member of this parliament but just as the federal member for Ryan, he wanted to pass on his thanks to the previous government, to the current government and to those who have enormous responsibility to make decisions that involve putting the lives of Australians at risk. The times demand that Australians step up to the plate, and we have done so with remarkable skill, remarkable professionalism and remarkable dignity but also with compassion. It seems to be a thread that runs through all who wear the uniform of our services that they also have that capacity to be compassionate no matter which theatre of conflict they find themselves in.

So, on behalf of the people of Ryan, I express my thanks to Sean McCarthy and my condolences to his family, friends and all those who knew and loved him.

I want to end my remarks by also saying that I have just had the opportunity of speaking to some grade 7 students from the Moggill State School. The occasion was their visit to the Australian War Memorial, where they had the unique opportunity and privilege to lay a wreath to honour those that came before them. It was a very special opportunity for me to see grade 7 students, who have marvellous lives ahead of them, get to really understand at this stage of their life that the Australian War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier are very profound places in this country. They were very touched by the red poppies all around them. So I say to them: thank you for making the trip from the western suburbs of Brisbane. Moggill State School has a tradition of sending grade 7 students to Canberra, to their nation’s capital, and it is a tradition which I very much support and encourage. I also encourage all other schools, not only those in my electorate of Ryan but also those throughout the country, to perhaps initiate that tradition. For those who have been to the Australian War Memorial, it is a place that is very touching. It is something that is very significant to me, as the son and grandson of two men who in different times and different theatres wore the uniform. I thank the school for the invitation that came my way to be part of that special ceremony and I thank the students for doing their bit to honour those who have served and made enormous sacrifices and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This condolence motion is very important for all of us. When a nation sends its young men and women overseas to help bring peace to the world, it does so with deep anxiety. When we do, we know that we are putting people at serious risk. But we also know that, as citizens of the world committed to achieving peace, we have to do what we can. This has been the course of Australian history since prior to the First World War. We have accepted our obligations as world citizens and we have not flinched at accepting our responsibilities. So, when someone like Sean McCarthy has his life taken, we grieve. We grieve because we asked him to put his life at risk. This, of course, is the tragedy of war and it is an enormous cost. It is why Australians for over 100 years now have paid their respects to the many thousands of young Australians who have also had their lives taken in the service of their nation.

Sean McCarthy has now joined those hallowed ranks, along with his comrades who have also fallen in Afghanistan: Lance Corporal Jason Marks, Sergeant Matthew Locke, Trooper David Pearce, Commando Luke Worsley and Sergeant Andrew Russell. We know, as others have said, that Sean was a career soldier with seven years of service. He was still young—25 years of age—with his whole life before him. Yet he enlisted to serve and did so with total commitment. After recruit training, he was posted to the 7th Signal Regiment and then in January 2010 to the Special Air Service Regiment—based in your home state, Mr Deputy Speaker Washer. After service in Timor-Leste, Sean was deployed to Afghanistan with the Special Operations Task Group. Here the responsibilities were to support the Australian Reconstruction Task Force, to help develop the Afghanistan security forces and to help reinforce the legitimacy of the Afghan government. These are huge responsibilities, undertaken, as we now know, in the most difficult of circumstances. But, as we expect of Australian service men and women when they depart our shores on these tasks, they are undertaken with total commitment and courage. Along with his mates, this was Sean McCarthy’s task on our behalf. He lost his life doing what we asked him to do. As we all know now, he did it so very well.

In addition to his service medals, in 2007 Sean received the Special Operations Command Australia commendation. This was awarded for his excellent application of battle craft in a complex, dangerous and confusing situation. This is testament to his skills as a soldier, to the excellence of his training and, most importantly, to his personal character, as shown by his unwavering commitment. As a nation, we mourn the loss of Signaller Sean McCarthy and I want to extend my condolences to his family. There can be nothing worse in life than losing a loved one, and we as a nation remain in the family’s debt.

I do want to make some closing remarks as a parent and as someone who has children under the age of 22. I know I share this with my colleague the minister and others in this place. The responsibilities I have as Minister for Defence Science and Personnel mean that I get to meet some fine young Australians who, at the early age of 17 or 18, are putting on the uniform of one of the services and committing themselves to the task of defending Australia’s interests. Frankly, I do not think that the nation understands that commitment well enough.

We owe these Australians—all of these people in uniform—a great deal more than we give them. I am finding it hard to choose the word which will aptly describe what it is that we must do. It is not just gratitude, because they are making a sacrifice. As the Prime Minister said, there is no greater honour than to wear that uniform. Sean McCarthy has done that for us. As we know, and as parents of previous generations know only too well, there can be nothing sadder for a parent than to have their son or daughter die before them. In this case, it was a young person who had made a commitment on behalf of this nation—bravely, courageously, with dedication and with great honour. I say again: my condolences to his family, his friends and, most of all, his comrades—his mates—with whom he fought.

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

The opposition joins with the government today in supporting this motion of condolence for the loss of Signaller Sean McCarthy in Afghanistan on 8 July 2008. Signaller McCarthy was conducting vehicle patrols with coalition forces when an improvised explosive device was detonated. He and two of his colleagues were seriously injured. Despite being evacuated and receiving medical attention, Signaller Sean McCarthy succumbed to his wounds. At 25 years of age, Signaller McCarthy had already given so much in service to his country—both in East Timor and now in a second tour of Afghanistan—which he gladly and readily performed. Sean McCarthy will be remembered as a courageous soldier and an all-round good bloke, highly respected by all those who served with him.

Signaller Sean McCarthy was described by his commanding officer at the funeral service as:

... a highly respected soldier who served with distinction in the Australian Army and with great pride as a member of an elite team, the Special Air Service Regiment. He died doing his duty in a high-risk environment; it was a soldier’s death. His loss, whilst tragic, was not in vain. He fought and died for the enduring values of freedom and justice.

Sean’s father, David, said of his son:

He was lucky enough to find a career that he loved and was very passionate about. I know he’s my son, but those guys are doing some things over there which make them real heroes.

Sean Patrick McCarthy was born on 5 January 1983 in Auckland, New Zealand. On 10 July 2001, at the age of 18, he enlisted in the Australian Defence Force. After the initial recruit training and completion of the mandatory courses, Sean was posted to the 7th Signal Regiment on 14 July 2003. Ten days after his 24th birthday Sean became one of our nation’s elite sons when he was posted to Special Air Service Regiment on 15 January 2007.

Throughout his short but active career with the regiment Sean proved that his posting was well deserved. He was deployed as part of the Special Operations Task Group in 2007 and Operation Astute in East Timor the following year. After these two missions he was redeployed to Afghanistan, which became his most recent and indeed last posting.

Sean was decorated several times in recognition of his service in East Timor and Afghanistan. He was awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with the International Coalition Against Terrorism Clasp, the Return from Active Service Badge, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Australian Defence Medal and the NATO International Security Assistance Force Medal. Sean also received the Special Operations Command—Australia commendation on 20 June 2008 for his actions in Afghanistan the previous year as part of Special Operations Task Group Rotation V. Sean was awarded this for his outstanding application of battle craft in a complex, dangerous and confusing situation that is becoming all too common for our soldiers serving overseas. This commendation stated, in part:

I commend you for excellent achievement in the application of battle craft beyond the standard expected whilst acting as a special operations electronic warfare operator during operation SLIPPER, Special Operations Task Group, Rotation V.

Despite being in contact with the enemy, you maintained your presence of mind and displayed excellent soldier skills. You showed courage and mission focus.

Your actions demonstrated excellent application of battle craft above your recognised training levels in a complex, dangerous and confusing situation. Your deeds have brought credit upon yourself, the Special Air Service Regiment and Special Operations Command.

Signaller McCarthy could be like so many other young men in our nation—enjoying a game of rugby, which I am told was one of his great passions; spending time with his mates; and looking forward to buying his first home. Time and again our service men and women give up these personal comforts in order to bring comfort and security to others less fortunate.

During Sean’s life he was well liked and loved by all those who met him and those who served with him. His fellow soldiers, who referred to Sean as ‘Seano’, describe him simply but accurately as being ‘a bloody good bloke’. A close Army mate, Aaron Pearce, told others of how the young signaller ‘loved a joke, loved taking care of children and would never let down a friend’. These words are an accurate description of the brave signaller’s life and personality and have been confirmed by many. And whilst, at only 25 years of age, he had a very short time in this world, he had many great accomplishments in both his military and personal lives that will live on forever in the memories of his family, friends and loved ones.

He was honoured by the Special Operations Task Group during a ramp ceremony in Oruzgan Province, southern Afghanistan, before his body was flown back to Australia to RAAF Base Amberley. On 17 July this year over 1,000 people, including friends, family and colleagues, came together for the service at the Gold Coast’s Sacred Heart Church. Mourners came to celebrate the life of SAS Signaller Sean McCarthy. Lieutenant General David Hurley, Vice Chief of the Defence Force; Lieutenant General Ken Gillespie, Chief of Army; and Major General Tim McOwan, Special Operations Commander Australia, paid their respects to one of their own. Sean’s casket was honoured by being carried by the Special Air Services Regiment honour guard and draped in the Australian national flag.

George Orwell once wrote:

We sleep safely in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would harm us.

Those rough men are now minus one more comrade tonight, yet they stand ready as always not only to defend the freedom and liberty of our country but, in the case of Sean McCarthy, to defend the freedom and liberty of those who we do not know but whose human rights we preserve. Sean McCarthy joins Andrew Russell, Luke Worsley, Matthew Locke, Trooper David ‘Poppy’ Pearce and Jason Marks, all of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice not only for their country but also for the people of Afghanistan in the hope that their country can have the opportunity to know peace.

To the men and women of the ADF: we share our prayers with you on this day. We thank you for your willingness to serve and wish you safety in your work—that you may return to your loved ones when the job is done. I pay tribute again to Signaller Sean McCarthy, his family, friends and loved ones. I know their grief is one we can never take away. I say to them that their grief is one which our nation shares today, as we send our condolences to them. I say to his parents, Dave and Mary, and his sisters, Clare and Leigh, that I know we cannot ease their pain but we acknowledge that the service Sean gave was above the call of his duty, and he has paid the greatest of prices. Australia is proud of him. He will not be forgotten, as those who have fallen before him will not be forgotten. I can assure them that, at the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember him.

Mal Washer (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand it is the wish of honourable members to signify at this stage their respect and sympathy by rising in their places.

Honourable members having stood in their places—

Ms Anna Burke (Chisholm, Deputy-Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Committee.

Bernie Ripoll (Oxley, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That further proceedings be conducted in the House.

Question agreed to.