Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence: last Sunday, 12 October, was the sixth anniversary of the Bali bombings. Within the electorate of Cowan is the Kingsley football club, a club that sadly lost players during an end-of-season trip to Bali. I would like to make some comments with respect to the Kingsley football club, and I will begin by uttering the statement ‘For the boys’. That will become relevant soon.

In 2002 the Kingsley Cats were in the E grade of the local competition. Having turned a number of less than glorious seasons around, both the league team and the reserve team made the grand final. Unfortunately, the league team did not quite get there on the day, but the reserves did. In the preparation and the lead-up to the grand final, towards the end of the season, many members of the club decided that they would go to Bali, an overseas trip to finish off the season. On 12 October they arrived in Bali.

I would like to read the names of all those present on the trip because they have not yet been noted in Hansard in the federal parliament: Ash Diver, ‘Bruiser’; Dean Gallagher, ‘Deano’; Jason Stokes, ‘Stokesy’; Damon Brimson, ‘Damo’; Duane Pearce, ‘Pearcey’; Jason Madden, ‘Madds’; Simon Quayle; Byron Hancock, ‘Byza’; Corey Paltridge and his work partner, Paul Adams; David Ross, ‘Baldy’; Brad McIlroy, ‘Macca’; Adam Nimmo; Phil Britton, ‘Britts’; Jonathon Wade, ‘Jono’; Anthony Stewart, ‘Big Stewie’; Kalan Zomer; Laurie Kerr; Brad Phillips, ‘Rooster’; and Ben Clohessy were all members of the Kingsley Football Club Bali end of season trip.

On the day they arrived in Bali they went straight to their hotel and relaxed for the rest of the day then went out to dinner. Then they decided they would hit the nightspots and they began with the Sari Club. As we know, Paddy’s Bar was the scene of the first explosion and very shortly thereafter the Sari Club itself was blown up in a terrible, vicious explosion. The result was that seven of the players from the club were killed: Dean Gallagher, Jason Stokes, Byron Hancock, Corey Paltridge, David Ross, Jonathon Wade and Anthony Stewart. Thirteen survived but two were pretty seriously wounded with severe burns and were airlifted back.

The 11 survivors that were left in Bali decided that they would stay and look for their seven missing team mates. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, there was no hope. They then decided they would refuse to fly home until they could go home as a team—they would return to Australia as a team. They could not come home due to the flight schedules, but that was fortunate because the noted and famous Perth businessman, Kerry Stokes, who previously had no affiliation with the club, provided his private aeroplane and flew them back.

On the return home the team mates committed to building a new clubroom as a memorial to their lost friends. On arrival back in Perth they announced the plan to the waiting crowd, families, friends and media. That commenced a wave of donations and pledges of support to see the clubrooms and a memorial built as a living, lasting memorial for the seven players who died. On Sunday, 20 October that year a candlelight vigil was held with the assistance of the City of Joondalup and conducted by Father Brian Morrison. Around 10,000 people filled the oval at Kingsley. As a result of that the number of generous donations of time, effort and money were made and the commencement of the clubrooms began.

When you look at Kingsley, this event, in many ways, has defined the suburb. Everybody knows about it and the club is the centre in some ways, or the heart, of Kingsley now. Fortunately, apart from those private people who made donations and put their effort into it, the club was also supported by the builder Dale Alcock, who coordinated and donated materials and volunteered labour, tradesmen and other expertise. The clubrooms were, in fact, constructed as an attachment to the existing building and a foyer and memorial hall were joined to that old building. The clubroom had the words ‘For the boys’ emblazoned on the memorial hall wall.

It is worth noting that, of the survivors, Ben Clohessy was awarded the Star of Courage for his bravery in helping to save people at the Sari Club. I am also informed by the club that this is the second time Ben has been given an award for bravery, having saved a woman at another time. It is also worth noting that on 7 October this year Ben became a father, and I congratulate him on that. That was a great day for him.

Afterwards there was always the potential that the club would fall over, would lay down and die as it struggled with the impact of what had happened, but that did not occur. People fought back and they united, and even those who were injured came back and played again the next year. Phil Britton fought back the agony of his burns and astounded everyone by coming back to play, and he was re-appointed club captain. Laurie Kerr also recovered from his burns and assisted the league coaching panel. And so on: other members of families of those who had died came to the club. In fact it was the sister-in-law of Jason Stokes who made the mosaic for the memorial hall floor in the clubrooms.

What happened at the Sari Club was a great tragedy: 202 people died, 88 of whom were Australians; among them were seven from the Kingsley Football Club. But from that adversity great work has been done. The club has risen from the ashes and fights through. Each year on the Sunday evening close to 12 October the club and the community of Kingsley unite to pay their respects to those members of the club. I also pay tribute to the seven who died and to the Kingsley Football Club, which survives and fights on.

Damian Hale (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence, I also rise to acknowledge the sixth anniversary of the bombing in Bali. As the member for Solomon, in the Northern Territory, I represent an area with an affiliation to these events, not only because of the close proximity of Bali to Darwin but because of the role that the Royal Darwin Hospital and emergency services and defence personnel played in assisting the victims of this horrible event. As the Prime Minister said on Monday in this place, ‘On 12 October 2002 tragedy shocked Australia. For those who lost loved ones, life will never be the same.’

The 2002 Bali bombing occurred on 12 October in the tourist district of Kuta, on the Indonesian island of Bali. It was the deadliest act of terrorism in the history of Indonesia, killing 202 people: 88 Australians who were among the 164 foreign nationals who died that day and 38 Indonesian citizens. A further 209 people were injured. The innocence of Australia was shattered on that fateful night. No longer do Australians feel that terrorism is someone else’s problem; no longer do we feel that these events happen somewhere else in the world. For me the Bali bombing brought it home: these people with their evil ideology can strike at any time and none of us is immune from it. Like many Australians I sat and watched the events unfold. Television report after report brought the horror of Bali into our living rooms. As the death toll rose I remember thinking, ‘Surely someone I know has not fallen victim to this terrible act.’ I heard, however, some days later that a guy whom I had played football against when I coached Temora in the Riverina Football League had lost his life. Shane Till, a schoolteacher who had been in Bali for a bit of a break after a teachers conference, was killed in the attacks. He was 32.

The attacks involved the detonation of three bombs: a backpack-mounted device carried by a suicide bomber and a large car bomb, both of which were detonated in or near popular nightclubs in Kuta; and a third much smaller device detonated outside the United States consulate in Denpasar, causing only minor damage. Various members of Jemaah Islamiah, a violent Islamic group, were convicted in relation to the bombings, including three individuals who were sentenced to death. A suicide bomber inside the nightclub, Paddy’s Bar, detonated a bomb in his backpack, causing many patrons, with or without injuries, to immediately flee into the street. Fifteen seconds later, a second and much more powerful car bomb hidden inside a van was detonated by another suicide bomber outside the Sari Club, located opposite Paddy’s Bar. This was a premeditated, extremely well-organized and malicious attack designed to cause maximum casualties. To highlight this fact, it was later discovered that the van was rigged for detonation by remote control in case the second bomber had a sudden change of heart. Damage to the densely populated residential and commercial district was immense, destroying neighbouring buildings and shattering windows several blocks away. The car bomb explosion left a one-meter deep crater in the ground.

The local Sanglah Hospital was ill-equipped to deal with the scale of the disaster and was overwhelmed with the number of injured, particularly burns victims. There were so many people injured by the explosion that some of the injured had to be placed in hotel pools near the explosion site to ease the pain of their burns. At very short notice, Darwin became the receiving centre for critically injured Australians and Indonesians. The first patients arrived at the Royal Darwin Hospital 26 hours after the blasts. The Royal Darwin Hospital assessed and resuscitated 61 patients, including 20 intensive care patients. RDH evacuated 48 patients to burns centres around Australia within 36 hours of the first patient arrivals at the hospital and 62 hours after the bomb blasts. Royal Darwin Hospital’s medical and nursing staff, whether trauma specialists or the many other professionals lending assistance, were stretched to the very limit. Everyone performed magnificently. In the midst of the Bali tragedy, the nation was justly proud of the efforts made in Darwin in that terrible week. Lives were saved that otherwise would have been lost. The post-Bali establishment of the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre at the RDH supports not only the Northern Territory but the rest of Australia. It also has a positive impact on the whole of South-East Asia. It puts Royal Darwin Hospital on the map as far as trauma and critical care are concerned.

As a former footballer and football coach, I related instantly with the story of Jason McCartney after the Bali bombings. The Bali bombings had coincided with end-of-season trips for many Australian football clubs, across codes and at all levels, and so had a disproportionate impact on the lives and families of footballers. As the member for Cowan mentioned in his contribution, the Kingsley Australian Rules Football Club in Western Australia lost seven members of their 2002 team, while the Forbes Rugby Union Club in rural New South Wales lost three team members. The accounts of courage and desperation of their surviving players in the period after the bombings became an enduring image of the human suffering exacted by the tragedy.

Former North Melbourne footballer Jason McCartney was holidaying in Bali at the time and, along with his team mate Mick Martin, he was in Paddy’s Bar when the first bomb went off. Jason was critically injured, with serious burns a large percentage of his body. He was evacuated to Darwin and then on to Melbourne, and it was touch and go for a while. Jason became the face of Bali, due to his profile as an AFL footballer and also due to the fact he would not get on a plane until people he believed were needing attention before him had been evacuated. Little did he know that his body was going into shock, and by the time he left Bali he was in a fight for his life.

Jason McCartney’s comeback match against Richmond in the 2003 AFL season was the culmination of eight months of rehabilitation, a process which was inspired by his determination to again take to the field for the Kangaroos in elite competition. When Jason McCartney took to the field in a fully protective body suit under his football jumper, his determination to play again became symbolic of the suffering and recovery of all of those who were affected by the bombings. It also held a special and immediate significance for the Australian Rules football fraternity. The match was attended by many of the survivors of the bombings, and the Kangaroos wore jumpers commemorating the 202 victims of the bombings and the 88 Australians who lost their lives.

Jason McCartney’s actions during the immediate aftermath of the bombings and his triumphant return from horrific injury epitomise the human spirit and are a fitting and lasting counter to those who would seek to diminish and demean it. Like many others on that night, Jason is a hero and so is his mate Mick. He survived Bali and made a triumphant return to play one game of AFL football. After the game, Jason retired. While Jason has moved on with his life with the help of his wife Nerissa and young son Lucas, along with the rest of his family, friends and the AFL, many victims of the Bali bombings continue to struggle with the terrible events of that day. Jason and I have become great mates and he assisted me with my teams when I was coaching in the Northern Territory in the past few years.

The family and friends of the Bali victims live their personal torment every day. The pain etched on their faces at the time of the anniversary each year is there for all to see. For many of us, 12 October comes and we reflect on the 202 people who lost their lives that day; however, we move on. But for the families who lost people in Bali it is, and will continue to be, very hard to move on. It is for them that we must never forget those people who died the day our nation’s innocence was lost.

There are also less public victims of the Bali bombing and they are the people of Bali themselves. They rely on the tourism industry in Bali and after the bombings their economy collapsed as for a long time people chose not to return to that beautiful island. They paid a heavy price for the actions of extreme Muslim fundamentalists on that day.

A further tragedy is that, whenever these extreme elements of Islam strike, all Muslims around the world feel the pain. I have a wonderful Muslim community in Solomon, and they feel the pain of the terrorists’ actions. They have just completed the holy month of Ramadan, and it was at this time that the terrorists attacked six years ago. The terrorists do not represent Islam. They do not represent Muslims around the world. They certainly do not represent the prophet Mohammed.

As we remember the victims of Bali, it is an appropriate time to remember our Defence Force men and women who continue to put their lives on the line in various deployments in our region and in other parts of the world, and the efforts of like-minded nations that are engaged in a war on terror to protect the freedoms that we often take for granted.

The Australian Strategic Policy Institute report says groups such as JI of Indonesia, responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed over 200 people, are still capable of launching major attacks. The report, which also examines Muslim radical movements in the Philippines and southern Thailand, warned policymakers against complacency after a successful police crackdown on JI in Indonesia in 2002. The group has now split between a fanatical hardcore, which still believes in violence, and a less extreme wing, but it could muster around 900 militants, including at least 15 ‘first generation leaders’.

Despite these changes, however, JI continues to represent a significant threat to both Australian and regional security interests—

the report said. It went on to say:

It is essential, therefore, that Australian and Southeast Asian governments remain vigilant in the face of evolving political developments in these areas and work conscientiously to make these ungoverned spaces less hospitable to terrorist exploitation.

Its release came two weeks after Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd pledged to boost security ties with Indonesia during his first state visit to Jakarta since taking office.

In fact, Australia’s largest ever multijurisdictional counterterrorism exercise, Mercury 08, has commenced this week. Mercury 08 is designed to enhance Australia’s capacity to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from multiple threats or acts of terrorism. Mercury 08 takes into account the current global and domestic security environment, and will robustly test whole-of-government decision making, information sharing, intelligence management, critical infrastructure protection and airport security. The new national counterterrorism alert level system announced earlier this month will also be tested during the course of the exercise. As Attorney-General Robert McClelland said on Tuesday this week:

Australia’s security arrangements are strong, but they can always be enhanced by comprehensive counterterrorism exercises such as Mercury 08. I want to thank everyone involved in the exercise. Their work will help make Australia safer.

It is the actions of government, actions such as Mercury 08, that will ensure that we are at the forefront when it comes to preventing these types of attacks occurring in Australia or in countries in our region. In conclusion, to the victims of the Bali bombings—202 lives, 88 of which were Australian—we mourn your loss. Six years on, we remember those who are still suffering due to the events of 12 October 2002. As a nation, Australia—with our allies—will continue to fight against evil elements of the global community so that we can continue to enjoy the freedoms that our democracy brings.

Steve Irons (Swan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence, today I rise to talk about the sixth anniversary of the Bali bombings and would like to recognise the contributions by the members for Cowan and Solomon. Today I will talk about the Bali bombings, which took the lives of 202 people in the district of Kuta in 2002. We as Australians, and as Western Australians, shared this tragedy with the people of Indonesia and the rest of the world. With the deaths of 88 Australians and the injuries to many others, the dark shadow of terrorism finally came to meet Australians face to face in the home of one of our nearest neighbours. In Bali, the holiday playground for many Australians, the peaceful, idyllic destination’s ambience was shattered forever with that terrorist act. It brought home to all Australians how cowardly terrorists use senseless and brutal acts as well as fear, violence and death as their tools to achieve their religious and fanatical beliefs.

This was a tragedy for the peace-loving Balinese, who welcome all Australians and many other world visitors to their beautiful island. They shared the pain and tragedy suffered by many Australians and others around the world who lost loved ones. The Balinese and Indonesians also shared our strength in overcoming its devastating toll. Now, six years after the tragic events, we recognise the distance our two countries have travelled not only in overcoming this tragedy but in building a world where extremists and terrorists do not dictate our existence. Out of this tragedy, we have strengthened the relationship between Australia and Indonesia, and we are closer now in 2008 than ever before. We have found new strength not only between our governments but also between our people and our cultures.

Australia has long been a friend and ally of Indonesia, our closest neighbour. At the closest point between the two countries, there is less distance between Australia and Indonesia then there is between Sydney and Canberra. By being so close we have been able to share in great opportunities for relationships to grow on so many levels. The close proximity of our two countries has also meant that the security and prosperity of Australia is intimately linked with the security and prosperity of Indonesia, and we as a nation are committed to growth and stability for their nation and the region.

We stood by Indonesia as they fought for their independence in 1948. Now, in 2008, and with Indonesia’s population nearly ten times that of Australia, we stand with them once again as they face a new set of challenges. We have helped strengthen the institutions and practices of democracy and we have helped to improve security and stability through support for counterterrorism work, conflict prevention and humanitarian assistance. We have helped increase the accessibility and quality of basic social services, particularly in education and health. The bombings have driven our government organisations closer than ever before. Our Federal Police now work in coordination with Indonesian authorities to stop drug trafficking, money laundering and people smuggling. We have developed stronger trade relations in areas including agriculture, mining and industry.

Western Australia in particular has established strong and profitable trading relationships with Indonesia which have largely weathered Indonesia’s economic woes. These strong relationships led to WA becoming one of the first states to establish a trade office in Indonesia. In 2002-03 Indonesia and Western Australia undertook bilateral trade totalling almost $2.2 billion. Western Australia imports more from Indonesia than it does from any other country. On a personal level, Australians are more aware now of the Indonesian culture as we continue to look at ways to better educate others on the lifestyles and cultural challenges that face Indonesian people. We have also developed a greater understanding of the Muslim faith and the challenges it presents.

As recognition of the magnitude of the effects of the bombings on the people of Indonesia, a team of Western Australians travelled to Bali in 2007 to build the Australia-Bali Memorial Eye Centre. The $7 million facility was funded by the Australian government and gifted to the Indonesian people to provide an eye clinic and day surgery in Indonesia. As we remember the tragic events that took place in the district of Kuta, in Bali, on 12 October 2002, we recognise how far our two countries have come and acknowledge how much we still have to offer one another as we try to live in a world where extremists do not dictate our existence.

In closing, I would like to mention the Kingsley Football club in Western Australia, which suffered through this tragedy; emotional relationships were built within that club that will last a lifetime. These are relationships that are stronger than the normal ones built through many seasons of playing football and winning grand finals together. These are relationships that have been built between members, families and the island of Bali, built on the foundation of tragedy, human suffering and loss of life. I would also like to mention Jason McCartney, who suffered tremendous injuries but recovered from those injuries to grace the AFL sporting field one more time. His courage and determination were an inspiration to all who have played the sport and to all Australians in all walks of life. He showed the spirit of the Anzacs, to fight against all odds to ensure that the terrorists of this world do not take away our freedoms or our lives and make us cower in submission, as they aim to do.

Australians on this sixth anniversary of the Bali bombings must make sure we never forget the loss of life, the pain from injuries suffered and the pain of personal grief suffered by families. We must draw energy and inspiration from this tragedy and from the recovery shown by people like Jason McCartney to ensure we maintain our lives and our lifestyles and our children’s future lifestyles. As a nation we will face future tragedies but will have learnt from the Bali bombings and we will never lose our spirit or forget this tragedy.

Chris Hayes (Werriwa, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence: Bali is a small tropical island, best known for its luxury holiday resorts, beaches, hundreds of Hindu temples sweeping across the coastline and dozens of volcanoes. It certainly has been a holiday destination for a lot of Australians. Bali has been one of the most popular tourist destinations for Australians for decades. Kuta is the epicentre of all that trade, particularly for those that have young sons; the surf at Kuta is renowned. Kuta is filled with hundreds of restaurants, hotels and gift shops, and almost every night tourists can be seen dancing and having a good time, enjoying themselves in Bali.

Bali had the image of a spiritual place, one of peace, one of tranquillity and certainly one of wonder, but just after 11 pm on 12 October 2002 terrorists took advantage of the island’s nature and its hospitality. Bali was no longer the peaceful place that it had been for thousands of Australians, nor was it the same place for the many thousands of Balinese. The first bomb, hidden in a backpack, exploded inside a popular tourist destination, Paddy’s bar in Kuta. Approximately 10 to 15 seconds later, a second, much more powerful car bomb was detonated. I understand that the bomb, concealed in a van, was about 1,000 kilograms and was remotely detonated in front of the Sari Club. The explosion left a one-metre-deep crater in the roadway and also blew out most of the windows in the town. A third bomb was detonated in the street immediately in front of the American consul in Bali. This bomb caused little damage and only a slight injury to one person, but what was significant about the bomb was that it was packed with human excrement; it was designed to cause maximum moral damage.

The attack, blamed on the militants Jemaah Islamiah, a network linked to al-Qaeda, claimed the lives of 202 people from 22 countries. Australia, which for years saw Bali as a safe haven, a holiday destination, had the most victims, with 88. A further 209 people were injured. The Bali bombings was one of the most horrific acts of terrorism that have come close to our shores. It was an act that some would refer to as Australia’s September 11, not only because of the large number of Australians attacked and killed but also because it was Australian citizens who were actually targeted.

This week marks the sixth anniversary of the Bali bombings, and the recollection of the events of that fateful evening is particularly sad. Earlier this week, the Prime Minister, together with the Leader of the Opposition, made statements on indulgence in the House and remembered those who were tragically killed and injured, their families and friends and those who contributed to the aftermath of the tragedy in a very practical way, including the doctors, the other health professionals, our police and the local residents of Bali. Those who have been touched by these bombings would know that the anniversary is more than symbolic. The hurt and the unbelievable sense of grief come flooding back, together with the anger and disbelief that such an insane act could be planned and carried out by people against fellow humans.

I have recently been reading a number of articles and essays in relation to the death penalty. I think most members in this House know that I have been making a case in relation to Scott Rush, who is currently on death row in Kerobokan Prison in Bali. One essay I came across, written by Brian Deegan, published in the Catholic Social Justice Series and entitled People, Politics and Principle, contributes to the discussion of the culture of life, and it is one that I would like to mention briefly. Brian Deegan is an Adelaide based lawyer who served as a magistrate for some 16 years. He was on the South Australian Youth Court from 1988 to 2004, was a member of the South Australian Police Tribunal and is the author of a book entitled Remembering Joshua.

Brian lost his son Josh in the Bali bombings. His son was 22 years old. From Brian’s essay, I have learnt that Josh headed to Bali with his team mates from the Sturt Football Club. They did this after winning a grand final against all the odds, I am told, so it was a major celebration for them. The very day they arrived to start their overseas end-of-year holiday and their celebration of the grand final was the day the terrorists struck. Josh had only recently achieved a Bachelor of Applied Science degree, and clearly he was an athlete. I will read an extract of what his father, Brian Deegan, has written. He said:

Convicted of murdering my son and hundreds more, Amrosi still awaits his fate. He has been defrocked, uncrowned, isolated and segregated. The demonic grin that once served its master well is thankfully gone; fear and his conscience are his constant companions.

The vision of my son’s murderer, seated uncomfortably on a harsh concrete floor in a room bare of conveniences he had once taken for granted, evokes little sympathy. But the prospect of him picking at grains of rice from his last meal is something I wish no part of.

I do not wish for the death of those convicted, for I oppose the death penalty under any circumstances. But due to my own shortcomings, while I have understood the murderers’ motives, I have yet to find forgiveness and therefore cannot pray for their lives.

I find that passage very moving. It is by a man who has lost his son, a person who is obviously a man of conviction.

Following what I could only say was an amazing investigation by the Indonesian police—and I know firsthand of the level of cooperation from the Australian Federal Police and other law enforcement agencies—the trial, and the denials throughout the trial, the perpetrators of this crime against humanity were eventually convicted. The bombers are Amrozi, his brother Mukhlas and Imam Samudra. The three have exhausted all their legal options and are due to be executed for their roles in the 2002 Bali terrorist attack. They have shown little regret. They are now looking forward to dying as martyrs. It was with profound regret that I read on Monday an article in the Sydney Morning Herald which quoted Abu Bakar Bashir as saying that the Bali bombers ‘are not terrorists; they are counterterrorists because their objective was to defend Muslims’. He said:

They will die as martyrs and if someone dies as a martyr he will get special treatment in the afterlife …

Therein we see perpetuated the myth that is being created here: that these people are in some way seeking martyrdom. These men seek to be revered in their community and, clearly, Bashir’s intention is that they be revered as martyrs for their actions and regarded as holy warriors. I feel they should be seen and remembered for the evil that they have set out to perpetrate against their community and against humanity generally. Let us not forget, either, those who assisted them, those who educated them and those who brainwashed people to think that such violence could in any way be countenanced by a loving god. I would prefer to see the people who are responsible for this heinous act rot in a Bali jail and be a constant reminder of the evil that they have perpetrated.

My thoughts and my prayers go to the families of all those affected by the Bali bombings. It is something that we should never forget. As the previous speaker, the member for Solomon, has indicated, we should make all efforts in terms of our counterterrorism to ensure that these heinous acts against Australians can never again become a reality.

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

On indulgence, I am speaking on this subject on behalf of the electorate I represent, Ryan in the western suburbs of Brisbane. I regret very much that I have to speak in the parliament on such a topic, but the reality is that the Bali bombings took place and all of us in this country and in the parliament must acknowledge that. Indeed, we must remember and, especially, must honour the lives of those 88 Australians who died so innocently. But we must also remember that there were some 200 others who were injured and many citizens from other countries who also lost their lives. On behalf of the people of Ryan I take this opportunity in the parliament of our country to put on the record their condolences, as well as their affection for the families that have been touched by the tragedy of the evening of 12 October 2002.

On 12 October 2002 three bombs went off on the Indonesian island of Bali. It was 11.05 pm on 12 October 2002 when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the nightclub in Kuta, killing and injuring many innocent people. Two of the three bombs that evening went off in or outside the popular tourist destinations of Paddy’s bar and the Sari nightclub. The bombs killed a total of 202 people, including 88 Australians. The bombings of that evening shocked and horrified the tranquil island of Bali—thought by many to be almost a paradise. It was a place known globally for its harmony, its pristine beaches and its very peaceful way of life. It sent shockwaves the length and breadth of our country because we have not known so close to our shores such a significant act of brutality and terrorism. We see ourselves as a place sheltered from these sorts of atrocities and brutal attacks on innocent lives that are made for reasons that we simply cannot comprehend. I think it is fair to say that the bombings jarred Australians out of any sense of complacency by proving that terrorism strikes with no regard for gender, race, religion or political belief.

The people killed on that occasion were simply holiday makers. They had done no wrong to anyone. They would have thought of themselves as visiting a place that was amongst the safest on our earth. Who of them would have thought, as they woke up on that day of 12 October 2002, that they would face tragedy? Their families would never have even contemplated such a thing. I think what happened was aptly summed up by a former senior police detective in Bali, Mr Pastika, who said the bombings turned ‘paradise into hell’. I think that visually sums up for so many of us the transition that took place that night. Australians no longer felt safe in the tourist destination of Bali, and we all know that in the months afterwards—perhaps in the many months afterwards—Bali as a place for Australians to visit was affected very negatively. It was seen to be a place tainted by terrorism. Against the backdrop of 12 October 2002 it was seen as a place where people’s lives would be very much at risk.

For us at home, this was seen against the terror of 9-11 in the United States. I think we might have wondered what was coming into the world we lived in. Were we going to be living through an era of terror and a phase in the world’s history that was incomprehensible to a peace-loving country such as ours? But it did prove that we in this country, a place of democracy and a place of stability and prosperity, were not immune from indiscriminate attack and that perhaps those who committed this barbaric act were also attacking us for what we believed in, for what we stood for, for the values that we subscribed to very strongly and very proudly. Our sense of security was shattered as we struggled to understand the new climate of terror that we were apparently entering.

The bombings linked this country with Asia in a way that has not been seen before. I believe we came to see that the lack of security in other parts of the region so close to our shores also affected our security. One of the good things to come out of that, if a good thing can come out of such a tragedy, is that it affected the relationship between Australia and Indonesia in a positive fashion because we mourned together as nations, as communities, as families and as individuals and there was a new-found, steely determination to bring the perpetrators of this atrocity to justice.

Of course it is now known that the militant Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah was officially linked to the bombings and 33 people involved have been sentenced—including the three main bombers, who have been sentenced to death. We now know that Jemaah Islamiah’s operational capacity has been seriously damaged by law enforcement efforts, but the organisation still exists and who knows what they might do to innocent lives in the future. We pray that nothing as terrible as what happened on 12 October 2002 will be repeated, but we must be vigilant and resolute to ensure that the security of communities, individuals and towns is protected.

On this anniversary, six years after that terrible occasion, I want to say very strongly that we must continue to remember the suffering of those individuals and communities—the innocent people killed, their families and friends who suffer and mourn, and the survivors, who will of course not only remember that occasion, which will be a scar on their minds forever, but also have an additional burden in that they will be remembering the loss of life of loved ones and of friends.

I had the opportunity to be in Bali last December. During my few days in Bali to attend an energy and environment conference, I took the opportunity to visit the memorial that has been placed outside the Sari Club, where many of the victims were killed. I also took two of my staff members, Julian Simmonds and Talena Elson, with me to that place of tragedy, and it was interesting to observe these young Australians’ emotions and sense of the tragedy. Although the three of us knew none of the victims personally or their families who were to suffer so terribly, in a remarkable way we felt they were Australians with whom we had a connection. I know that many of our fellow Australians have been to Bali since, and I suspect that all of them would have visited the memorial that has been built outside the Sari Club. For those who might go to Bali in the future, I strongly encourage them to do their bit to honour the lives that were lost.

It is interesting that in this country the pain of that occasion is still felt. It is the way that we Australians are—we remember such occasions. And we must always do so, because I think a mark of our character as a nation is how we get together to support each other directly where we perhaps know the families and the communitie, and how we can indirectly feel for them where we do not know them personally. We should never undervalue or underestimate the power of that feeling where we know others across the country feel for us. For those of us who have experienced personal tragedy in our life or in our families, I can say that we somehow know when others in our communities—in our suburbs, in our cities—sense that there is compassion and care for us.

At the national level, Australia and Indonesia, as I alluded to earlier, became partners in a new-found determination to bring justice, to ensure that the terrorists who changed the lives of so many people were held to account for their barbaric, indiscriminate and senseless act which destroyed lives. These people seek to destroy more than just lives; they seek to destroy a way of life. They seek to destroy our freedom—in our movements, in our thinking and in what we stand for. As Australians we must never shirk from the grave responsibility of standing up to those who would seek to destroy that characteristic in this country.

I want to give the people of Ryan a sense of what two Australians affected by that occasion think and how they have expressed their emotions. Ross McKeon, whose wife and daughter died in the blast and who was injured, made these observations on Sunday, on the sixth anniversary of the Bali bombings:

Six years on and I still feel the horror, I still see the visions, the images .. It’s something that is so ingrained in me … now so deep I hope that I can put it all away.

Hannah Singer lost her brother Tom as a result of injuries he sustained in the bomb blast. Hannah said:

I couldn’t understand and still don’t know now how human beings could kill each other for a thing that they call faith in God.

That is a very profound statement. For Australians it is something we just cannot comprehend. Never mind killing someone, taking another human life, but to do so in the name of God, for faith, is something Australians cannot appreciate. The response at the time by the Australian government, the government of John Howard, deserves commendation. More so, those who acted in the name of Australia—the Commonwealth agencies, the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Police Force, many state and territory agencies and private and non-governmental organisations such as St John’s and the Australian Red Cross—all played critical roles in the evacuation and in the investigation.

I want to again thank Qantas and recognise the role that it played in being the spirit of Australia. I would hope very much that this airline never loses that spirit, because it is something that makes it successful and is something that must always be a feature of that company.

I also want to note for the record and for the electorate of Ryan that I represent in the federal parliament and pay tribute to all the medical people who played a role in treating the victims of the bombings and those suffering at the Royal Darwin Hospital in particular. Having a brother who is a doctor, one of Australia’s finest young neurosurgeons, and a sister who is a doctor and hearing sometimes of their experiences in their professional working day treating suffering, I can only stand in awe of the talent and the skill of those Australians across the allied health professions at the Royal Darwin Hospital for what they did. We must thank them very sincerely for the way that they did their jobs professionally but beyond professionalism. It is really a mark of them and of the very best of our country.

In the months and years that have followed, we know that the government’s efforts to strengthen counterterrorism in Indonesia and the whole region have been reasonably effective and successful. Australia is currently implementing a $10 million four-year initiative to help Indonesia build its counterterrorism capacity and a $3 million fund has been established to foster capacity building links between Australian and Indonesian government departments relating to travel security. Indonesia is a very significant country in the world. It is the world’s largest Muslim democracy and its proximity to our country must put it front and centre in our foreign policy as well. We have taken a leading role in increasing regional cooperation against terrorism, including organising meetings of key experts, regional conferences to talk about the critical issues that face Indonesia and therefore face us in confronting terrorism, issues such as the financing of terrorism and money laundering. Those are not insignificant gestures; they are very substantial mechanisms to deal with this issue.

I end my remarks by saying, on my own behalf as a citizen of this country and on behalf of the Ryan electorate that I represent, to those who suffered terribly on that evening of 12 October 2002, that we will not forget you, that we must honour you and we must do all we can to ensure that greater security is reached for individual Australians, for individual Indonesians and for all those in our part of the world. We must do all we can to ensure that our way of life and the values that we believe in remain protected and that they endure for the generations to come, and that all those who would wish us ill and would wish to condemn our way of life by taking innocent lives do not succeed. They must not succeed. I take this opportunity in the Australian parliament as the member for Ryan to put that on the record for the people I represent, who I know, speaking to them in the days and weeks and indeed even in the years afterwards, still remain absolutely shocked by what happened that night. In one sense six years might be a little while ago but in another sense it is as if it were yesterday.

Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On indulgence: in a statement to the Western Australian parliament exactly six years ago, on 15 October 2002, the then WA Premier, Dr Geoff Gallop, noted that on the night of Saturday, 12 October 2002 a cowardly bomb attack shattered the tranquillity of a favourite holiday destination for many generations of Australians. These Australians experienced the horrors of war in what was expected and assumed to be a peaceful holiday destination.

I offer my deepest condolences to the families of the 202 people, including 88 Australians, who died as a result of the bombings and to the many who were injured. I also note the devastating effect this event had on the peaceful people of Bali. In addition, I wish to express heartfelt thanks to the staff at the Royal Perth Hospital and other hospitals who worked so hard to ensure a decent quality of life for those injured by the Bali bombings.

At the time the bombings occurred, I was working with the United Nations in Gaza. Unlike Bali, Gaza was not a peaceful holiday destination and bomb attacks were not entirely unexpected. Nevertheless, the fact that it happened often did not make it easier. I also had close friends working for the UN in other conflict zones such as Iraq. On 19 August 2003, my good friend Jean-Selim Kanaan, to whom I dedicated my first speech in this place and one of a number of colleagues I had worked with in Kosovo, was killed in the terrorist bombing of the UN Canal Hotel headquarters in Baghdad. Jean-Selim had worked in war zones in Africa, the Balkans and the Middle East, he spoke seven languages, he had written a book called My war against indifference and his wife, Laura Dolci-Kanaan, had just given birth to their only child, Mattia-Selim—three weeks before Jean-Selim died, too young, at the age of 33. Rather than becoming disillusioned with the world, Laura continues to work for the UN and in particular for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. She is committed to raising Mattia-Selim with the values that his father stood for, including respect for human life and dignity.

In his speech to the WA parliament after the Bali bombings, Dr Gallop noted:

This will unsettle many people. It may even disillusion us, and affect our view of the wider world and the opportunities that the wider world offers. We will need to work together as a community to assist individuals and families cope with the consequences of this tragedy. … We will also have to renew our commitments to each other, despite the many differences that exist between us, be they racial, religious, philosophical, ideological or political. The time has come for us to renew our commitment to our common purpose as a society, a democratic society that respects the rights and interests of all of the individuals within it.

This is the spirit in which we must go on. Some people want to seek the bluntest and most direct form of justice for what happened in Bali. This is an understandable reaction to fear, hurt, anger and a deep sense of loss, but the death penalty is not the solution. It did not deter terrorists from committing this act and it only confuses the otherwise clear issue that those who did this deserve to be punished. I note this comment in the New York Times by former US Supreme Court Justice William Brennan: ‘Even the most vile murderer does not release the state from its obligation to respect dignity, for the state does not honour the victim by emulating his murderer.’

Another US judge, Daniel Gaul, in a 2000 case in Cleveland was required to impose the death penalty upon the defendant, who had been convicted of murdering a police officer, but the judge was moved to comment: ‘Why do we kill people who kill people to prove that it is wrong to kill people? It is not about his soul. It’s about our souls, the community’s soul.’

The Asia Pacific Human Rights Network has noted: ‘Like other forms of punishment, the application of the death penalty is subject to human fallibility. However, unlike other forms of punishment, the death penalty is irrevocable. These two factors make the outcome intolerable.’

Former Chief Justice of India, PN Bhagwati, in a dissenting judgement in a death penalty case in 1982, said the following: ‘The death penalty is irrevocable; it cannot be recalled. It extinguishes the flame of life forever and is plainly destructive of the right to life, the most precious right of all, a right without which enjoyment of no other rights is possible. Howsoever careful may be the procedural safeguards erected by the law before the penalty is imposed, it is impossible to eliminate the chance of judicial error.’ Justice Bhagwati expressed the view that one innocent man being executed is enough to wipe out the value of capital punishment forever.

Similarly, I note Amnesty International’s description of the death penalty:

… the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights … created by a system riddled with economic and racial bias and tainted by human error …

Amnesty International participated in the sixth World Day Against the Death Penalty on 10 October this year, which is organised by the World Coalition Against the Death Penalty. I would like to read a short excerpt from a letter written last week, on World Day Against the Death Penalty, to the member for Werriwa. It is from Scott Rush, who is currently awaiting the death penalty in Indonesia. In the letter, Scott says:

If the Opposition—

against the death penalty—

is just (for) us Australian citizens it makes us stick out, like sore thumbs, amongst all the other nationals who have also got the death penalty. I say this because I share my cell with a Nigerian, Emmanuel, who’s dignity and kindness helps comfort us on our many dark nights.

So taking consistent stand for everyone on the death penalty—that helps us here on the inside of the wall.

This year the efforts as to World Day Against the Death Penalty are being focused on the Asian region. Amnesty International claims that at least 664 executions have occurred in Asia in 2007 and that the real figure is probably much higher. It is estimated that between 85 and 90 per cent of the world’s executions occur in Asia. The European Union, including countries such as the United Kingdom, which recently experienced the horror of the London bombings, also initiated World Day Against the Death Penalty occurring yearly on 10 October since 2007.

The trend against the death penalty is due, in part, to the lobbying efforts of the European Union. In recent years Albania, Argentina, Rwanda, Uzbekistan and the US state of New Jersey have all taken steps towards the abolition of the death penalty. It is of great concern that three people may be executed next week in relation to the Bali bombings and that the Indonesian government’s announcement about the executions is likely to be made on Friday, 24 October, which is also United Nations Day.

Australia is a signatory to the Second Optional Protocol to the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which is aimed at the abolition of the death penalty. The optional protocol states that the state parties ‘believe that abolition of the death penalty contributes to enhancement of human dignity and progressive development of human rights’ and that they are ‘desirous to undertake hereby an international commitment to abolish the death penalty’.

As with the barbaric execution of Saddam Hussein in Iraq, the execution of Amrozi, Mukhlas and Imam Samudra in Indonesia will not be a cathartic conclusion to the Bali bombings and it will not reduce terrorism in our region. It will only decrease our human dignity. No-one in this place would suggest that an Australian life is worth more than the life of someone from another country, yet if we have an inconsistent position on the death penalty when applied to Australians, as opposed to those from other countries, we leave ourselves open to this very criticism. The fact that Australia has abolished the death penalty is a testament to our commitment to human rights at home but we must also be consistent in our approach to the death penalty and human rights abroad. With our close neighbours and friends, be they the governments of Indonesia, the United States of America, China or Singapore, we have not only the opportunity but the duty to respectfully insist that international human rights standards be upheld.

This sixth anniversary of the Bali bombings is a time for us to reflect on the terrible losses that occurred six years ago. We may also reflect on the fact that, while Australia is lucky to have little history or experience of terrorism on its shores, it is in our own national interest to reduce the potential for terrorism in other countries, particularly within our region. Promoting the enhancement of human dignity and the progressive development of human rights through the Millenium Development Goals and the universal abolition of the death penalty will go a long way towards achieving this. I think it most appropriate on this occasion to conclude with the words of former Adelaide magistrate Brian Deegan, whose son Josh died in the Bali bombings and about whom the member for Werriwa spoke just a moment ago. Mr Deegan said Josh:

… detested violence, he detested conflict. For him to think of somebody being stood up in cold blood—

to—

be cut down by machine-gun fire would repulse him as it does me.