Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The opposition joins with the government this afternoon in supporting the motion of condolence for Lieutenant Michael Fussell. Lieutenant Fussell lost his life in Afghanistan on 27 November and we offer our prayers and extend our deepest sympathies to his friends and his family: we know that words will do little to assuage your grief today; we seek only to acknowledge your immense loss and honour the memory of a brave young man whose contribution to this world belies his tender years.

Serving with 4 Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Lieutenant Fussell—who had just celebrated his 25th birthday—was killed in the middle of the night by an improvised explosive device while leading a foot patrol in southern Oruzgan province. Lieutenant Fussell’s friends and colleagues share his family’s grief today as they attempt to comprehend the loss of a good man and an accomplished officer.

It is clear that the death of this exemplary young man will be felt very deeply throughout every community of which he has been a part—from the battlefields of Afghanistan, where his troops carry on their difficult and dangerous work, to the New South Wales northern tablelands, where he spent his childhood, to here in Canberra, where friends gathered on the weekend to reflect on a life lived to the full, a life given in service and a life cut too short.

Michael matriculated from the Armidale school in the watershed year of 2001, enlisting in the army in 2002. He successfully completed his bachelor’s degree at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy. Michael went on to graduate from the Royal Military College, Duntroon in 2005, was commissioned into the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery and was posted to ‘A’ Field Battery, 4th Field Regiment. During his time at ‘A’ Field Battery, he qualified as a paratrooper and was deployed to East Timor in 2006 and 2007, leading troops in Operation Astute.

In January this year, Lieutenant Fussell was posted to 4RAR (Commando) as a Joint Offensive Support Team Commander. A decorated officer, Lieutenant Fussell was awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with clasp International Campaign Against Terrorism; the Afghan Campaign Medal; the Australian Service Medal with clasp, Timor-Leste, and the Australian Defence Medal. Staff, colleagues and fellow students were shocked and saddened to hear of his death. They have paid tribute to him, recalling his wry, laconic and very Australian sense of humour, his love and aptitude for the sporting field and his passion and knowledge as a horseman. Those fortunate enough to count him as a friend remember ‘Fuss’ with warmth and admiration. They remember his dedication and commitment, recalling the sacrifices he made in achieving his ambition of serving in this very distinguished unit.

Lieutenant Fussell was the seventh member of the Special Operations Task Force, and the first Australian officer, to lose his life in Afghanistan. He died in the service of others. He died that the people of Afghanistan might have the opportunity to know peace and, above all, he died to ensure the safety and security of all Australians. We will, and must, ensure that he has not died in vain. On days of remembrance, all Australians recall that ‘age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn’. Michael will not be forgotten, just as those who have fallen before him are not forgotten. His bravery and his sacrifice will forever mark both his vital presence and his courageous passing.

Although nothing can console a mother’s grief, we pray that in some small measure Mrs Fussell is comforted tonight in the knowledge that her son lost his life pursuing a vocation to which he dedicated himself without reserve. His name will be recorded, as he is counted now with those who have gone before him—young men who have fallen on the battlefield so very far from the towns and cities in which they grew up. He has taken his place in this country’s history, both in its past and its future.

Herodotus observed that ‘In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons.’ We in this chamber and in these corridors must never forget that in war, young soldiers die. In this simple, enduring truth we are bound in the shared and profound burden of responsibility. We must today mourn with a father as he prepares to bury a son. We mourn also that Michael did not live to enjoy a family of his own. To Michael’s parents, to his sisters, Nikki and Nyah, and to his brother, Daniel, who is also a lieutenant serving in the Australian Defence Force, nothing can replace what you have lost in a son and a brother. Nothing can lessen your grief. Know only that Michael’s loss is felt in some measure by all Australians.

To his friends and colleagues still serving in Afghanistan and elsewhere, we thank you for your service, and we wish you safety and success in your work. We are all working to ensure that you return home soon, safely, to your loved ones. With great depth of sorrow and respect, I simply say: Vale, Fussell.

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

Last week, 25-year-old Lieutenant Michael Fussell became the seventh Australian soldier to lose his life in Afghanistan. He was also the first Australian officer to give his life in that country. Yesterday Lieutenant Fussell began his long journey home when Australian, Afghan and Dutch troops farewelled him at a solemn ramp ceremony in Tarin Kowt. Lieutenant Fussell enlisted in January 2002 and was appointed as an officer cadet at the Australian Defence Force Academy. His first officer posting was to ‘A’ Field Battery, 4th Field Regiment. In January 2008, he was posted to 4RAR (Commando) as a Joint Offensive Support Team commander. On 27 November, Lieutenant Fussell was serving with the Special Operations Task Group when he was killed by an improvised explosive device detonation. Lieutenant Fussell had dismounted to approach a target compound on foot and stood on what was undoubtedly a booby trap. He and his mates were only too aware of the risks they took in those situations. Two members of his team were also wounded in the incident.

The tragic incident is a reminder that Afghanistan remains a dangerous place. It also reminds us of the courage and dedication our troops bring to the task of protecting us and promoting freedom and liberty. Lieutenant Fussell died serving his country and is owed a special debt of gratitude that can never be fully repaid. He was an outstanding soldier, showing courage and professionalism in the most demanding of environments. Lieutenant Fussell’s military decorations include the Australian Active Service Medal with clasp, International Campaign Against Terrorism; the Afghanistan Campaign Medal; the Australian Service Medal with clasp, Timor-Leste; and the Australian Defence Medal. His fatal wounding follows the loss of six other brave and selfless Australian soldiers: Sergeant Andrew Russell, Trooper David Pearce, Sergeant Matthew Locke, Private Luke Worsley, Lance Corporal Jason Marks and Signaller Sean McCarthy. This huge loss of so many of our finest should make all of us in this place more determined than ever to prevail in our quest to deny terrorists a safe haven and training ground in Afghanistan.

Over the course of the past two weeks, I have travelled to Canada, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom for discussions on Afghanistan. I also met with our ambassador to the United Nations in New York to discuss what Australia might be able to do to secure more resources for the UN special representative in Afghanistan. In Canada, I attended a meeting of Regional Command South—that is, a meeting of the eight defence ministers representing countries that participate in that part of the world. We spent a whole day discussing how we can secure better progress in Afghanistan. By the time I got to Leeds, I was meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Smith at the annual AUKMIN talks—that is, the meeting between Australia’s defence and foreign ministers and the defence and foreign ministers of the United Kingdom. Again, we spent much of our day talking about Afghanistan. In Spain and Portugal, I met with the defence and foreign ministers of both of those countries and again spent most of my time talking about how we might secure better progress in Afghanistan.

I left Regional Command South somewhat encouraged by a number of things. The first was the reaffirmation by Secretary of Defense Gates that in the new year the United States will significantly enhance their troop contribution in the war-torn country. The enhancement is likely to be well beyond that which President-elect Obama had promised during the election campaign—up to five brigade combat teams, which is up to 30,000 additional troops. Secretary Gates also spoke of progress he was making on the establishment of a special trust fund, which will be used to fund a significant expansion of the capacity of the Afghan national army and the Afghan national police. The US will put a significant amount of money into that trust fund to kick it off. It is some billions of dollars—I will not name the exact figure, because I am not sure that has been made public. It will be expecting other partner nations and nations not participating in Afghanistan to make a contribution to that trust fund. The trust fund, again, is being used to expand the Afghan national army well beyond the aspirational 80,000 we spoke about at Bucharest in April of this year, up to 130,000. It will also expand and provide more training for the Afghan national police. Both of those organisations will be crucial to improving the security arrangements in Afghanistan in both the immediate and longer term.

Those were both encouraging signs. We spent a long time talking about Pakistan in recognition of the fact that we will not secure better progress in Afghanistan until and unless we address the very significant challenges we face in Pakistan. It is well known that many of the insurgents are now finding safe haven in the tribal regions of Pakistan and are freely making their way in and out of Afghanistan. We need to work more closely with the Pakistan government to address those issues. Australia stands ready, by invitation, to do all we can to assist the Pakistan government. The eight ministers attending Regional Command South stand ready to do the same on behalf of their nation-states as well.

There are some signs of hope for better progress in Afghanistan. We have elections there next year—probably in September 2009. It will be a watershed. The proper conduct of those elections will be absolutely critical, and I suspect that Secretary Gates and NATO more generally will be looking at partner nations to provide extra security to ensure that those elections are free and fair. Afghanistan obviously remains a very challenging place. The security environment is not good despite the very good work being done by the partner nations, including and in particular Australians in Oruzgan province. We have a long way to go before we have security at a level which we would think acceptable, a level which provides a pathway of ensuring that we do more in economic and institutional capacity terms. We will not do better in Afghanistan until we get a coherent strategy, one which properly marries the military, civil and political efforts in Afghanistan. It is going to take a big effort from the partner nations, working very closely with the Afghan government in securing those changes.

I want to recognise that the ambassador of Afghanistan is with us this evening for this very solemn and important debate. I will continue, as I am sure all partner nations will continue, to do all I can to further progress success in Afghanistan. I have said publicly this week that the loss of Lieutenant Michael Fussell, and of course his six mates before him, only makes me more determined to secure our objectives in Afghanistan. I am determined that he and his six mates shall not have given their lives in vain. We owe it to them to press on and to secure those objectives we have been looking for in Pakistan and in Afghanistan.

I close by extending my very sincere sympathies to Michael’s father, Ken, his mother, Madeline, and his brother, Daniel—who, as the member for Paterson pointed out, is also a lieutenant in the Australian Army. The Fussells have made a very significant contribution to their country, and I thank them for that. My sympathies also go to his foster sisters Nikki and Nyah, and I also remember today all of his mates, whether they be part of SOTG, the Special Operations Task Group, or part of the mentoring and reconstruction task force, who are still in Afghanistan mourning their mates. It is a very difficult time for them, and I thank them collectively for the very significant contribution they continue to make to the effort in Afghanistan and for what they are doing for their country.

Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

During this condolence motion this chamber recognises and welcomes the ambassador of Afghanistan, His Excellency Amanullah Jayhoon. Welcome.

Mark Coulton (Parkes, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise tonight to recognise the contribution, to celebrate the life and to mourn the death of Michael Fussell. My colleagues here can speak of his military career far more eloquently than I, but I am today speaking on behalf of his friends. Michael Fussell was my nephew’s best friend at school and an acquaintance of my daughter, and his parents, Ken and Madeline, are good friends of my brother and sister-in-law. I have asked my nephew James to send me a few words so that I can speak on their behalf.

James wrote that Michael was known to his mates as ‘Fuss’. He was a strong-willed and determined character who made the most of his opportunities. This was demonstrated by the career that he chose. He had a passion for sport, in particular rugby, squash and polocrosse, all of which he excelled at. He was the epitome of the ‘country bloke’ stereotype and never shied away from hard work. Fuss was a frequent visitor to my brother’s property and used to enjoy helping out on the farm. He also used to go out to Warialda and Gravesend to compete in polocrosse carnivals. He excelled academically, particularly in chemistry, history and English, and he loved to read. He was known to recommend many a good book to his friends. He was truly a loyal friend and he never let his rigorous Army schedule get in the way of keeping in touch with his mates and family. Fuss spent memorable weekends with mates in Newcastle, deep-sea fishing and attending a music festival. I think it was on 2 November, only a month ago, that he attended a festival in Newcastle with my daughter, Claire, and my nephew James just before he left for Afghanistan. Fuss died in the same way that he lived: serving his country and giving selflessly. He will be sorely missed by all who had the privilege of meeting him.

James has added a few interesting anecdotes as to the sort of chap Fuss was. He and James paddled in the Hawkesbury River Classic and canoed 111 kilometres in 16 hours. When he was visiting my nephew on his property at Gravesend, his determination and athleticism led him to catch a wild pig completely unaided. Anyone who has had anything to do with that activity will know that it is no mean feat. There was also an occasion at home when he tried to re-create a science experiment that he had done during chemistry at school and filled the family kitchen with purple smoke.

When we mourn the loss of our soldiers it is important to remember that they are someone’s friend, someone’s son, someone’s brother, someone’s mate.

Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to support the motion of condolence on the death in action in Afghanistan of Army Lieutenant Michael Fussell which was moved today by the Prime Minister, supported by the Leader of the Opposition and so eloquently spoken to just now and prior to that by the Minister for Defence. I join with all other members who have spoken on this motion in expressing my condolence to Lieutenant Fussell’s parents, brother and sisters on their loss. I note that his brother is also a serviceman, a lieutenant, as the defence minister pointed out.

We ask a lot of our service personnel and even more of their families. Lieutenant Fussell was the seventh Australian to die in action in Afghanistan, and we as a nation owe their families a great debt. I am sure that Lieutenant Fussell’s family and other families who have lost sons, husbands and brothers in Afghanistan would not want to think that these brave young men had died in vain. It is my strong belief that they did not. I could not support sending our soldiers into harm’s way if I did not believe very strongly that the mission of which they were a part was both just and attainable, and I am sure that this is the view of honourable members.

Why do I think our cause in Afghanistan is a just one? In 1996, Afghanistan, which had already suffered 20 years of civil war, invasion and oppression, was taken over by the Taliban—an army ruled by Islamic extremists of the most extreme type. This regime not only cruelly oppressed the Afghan people; it also harboured the headquarters of the al-Qaeda terrorist organisation. It was from Afghan soil that Osama bin Laden planned and launched the September 11 attacks in which 11 Australians, whom we should not forget, were killed in New York. When the Taliban regime refused to hand over Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda leaders, the US and its allies launched Operation Enduring Freedom, designed to remove the Taliban from power and establish a democratic government in Afghanistan.

We should be very proud of Australia’s armed forces, along with those of our allies and the Afghan people themselves, because of what they have achieved in the seven years since 2001. The Taliban regime has been removed, 30 million people have been delivered from tyranny and, for the first time in Afghanistan, we have a freely elected president and a multiparty parliament. The rule of law and civil rights have been established, although far from perfectly enforced. My apologies to the ambassador for saying that. Between friends, we can factually evaluate things. I think all the members of this parliament appreciate the respect the ambassador is showing Australia and Lieutenant Fussell by being here today. Millions of girls are attending school in Afghanistan. Those of us who have seen very moving films about Afghanistan like Kabul and The Kite Runner understand just how meaningful and important that particular aspect of a democratic pluralist country, which Afghanistan now is, is. That is surely a very important part of it. Fifty per cent of Afghans enjoy some rights under the government that now exists in Afghanistan with Australian support and the sacrifices of people like Lieutenant Fussell.

The war in Afghanistan is by any reasonable definition a just war, and one that deserves the support of all Australians. That is why my party gave bipartisan support, when we were in opposition, to the previous government’s commitment to Afghanistan and why we have continued that commitment in office. But the sacrifice of the lives of our soldiers, even in a just cause, can only be justified if that cause has a reasonable expectation of success. It is true that over the last few years things have not been going well in Afghanistan. I thank the ambassador, General Molan, Professor William Maley and various other people who have testified before this parliament, including before my foreign affairs committee recently, for trying to outline solutions and make suggestions that we can all look at to improve the performance of the Afghan army, the Afghan government and the allied forces who are there supporting them.

The first thing that I think we need to agree is that there has not been a strong, unified or coherent leadership of the coalition forces in Afghanistan, as the Minister for Defence has pointed out so many times and very strongly too, with a great deal of support from people in this parliament. Such leadership is necessary for success, and such leadership must come from the United States. The sad fact is—and I say this with regret—that, under President Bush, the US has not exercised that leadership over the past four years to the extent that it should have. The Bush administration has obviously been bogged down in Iraq, militarily and politically. It has taken its eye off the main game where terror central is based, where Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban, is still free and where OBL probably wanders the hills of Waziristan.

The second point flows from the first. In the absence of strong and respected leadership from the United States, the other countries which have forces in Afghanistan have not worked together. They have pursued their own strategies, some better than others, in different parts of the country. I think we are all very proud of the work of our fellows in Oruzgan province but I am not sure that this is being pursued as efficiently and effectively by other members of ISAF in the rest of Afghanistan. We saw in Bosnia-Herzegovina that this approach does not work, yet we have made the same mistake. Unless the coalition forces in Afghanistan work to a common objective, under strong and accepted leadership, they will not succeed.

The third reason we are having difficulties is that the coalition forces in Afghanistan are simply not strong enough. I do not argue that the war in Afghanistan can be won by force alone, but without adequate forces it certainly will not be won. The rule of thumb is that successful counter-insurgency warfare requires a ratio of 20 combat reliable troops per 1,000 of population. In Iraq, with 27 million people, there were, at the height of the surge, 175,000 coalition forces. In Afghanistan, with 30 million people, there are 60,000 coalition forces. The Minister for Defence has pointed out that the United States and the new US administration of President-elect Obama have promised a further five brigade forces, and that should take the coalition forces to 90,000.

However, the real problem in Afghanistan is that unlike in Iraq there are simply insufficient members of the Afghan army. Currently there are only 64,000. The ambassador has advised me and the foreign affairs committee that there is a proposal to take that to 134,000, which I think is very good. But, as General Molan suggested to the foreign affairs committee yesterday, we need to take the struggle further. So, with 90,000 coalition troops and 134,000 Afghan troops, I still think that with 30 million people there are simply not enough boots on the ground. The fourth reason is the role that Pakistan has played in the Afghan conflict from the beginning.

Bob Baldwin (Paterson, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Defence Science and Personnel) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As reluctant as I am to rise on a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker, this is actually a condolence motion.

Sid Sidebottom (Braddon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Yes, indeed it is a condolence speech and I am sure that the member for Melbourne Ports is well aware that it is a condolence speech, thank you.

Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am trying to explain why it is a just war. I am very surprised that the Deputy Chair of the Defence Subcommittee does not understand this.

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

Please continue your condolence speech.

Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you. Pakistan has always regarded Afghanistan as part of its sphere of influence and the Pakistani intelligence services played a major role in bringing the Taliban to power in the first place. Now the border regions of Pakistan are being used, with the connivance of some elements of the Pakistan army, by the Taliban and al-Qaeda as a safe zone for mounting operations in Afghanistan. I do not doubt that the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists who mounted the appalling attacks on Mumbai this week were also trained in the Pakistan tribal territories.

Fortunately, all these problems can be solved. In January we will have a new administration in Washington. President-elect Obama has named a tough, experienced and, dare I say it, hawkish national defence team, with Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State, Robert Gates at the Pentagon and Marine Corps General James L Jones as National Security Adviser. Anyone who feared that the Obama administration was going be soft on terrorism can be reassured by these appointments. President-elect Obama has committed the US to withdrawing its combat forces from Iraq over the year. This will free up troops and resources for Afghanistan and, just as importantly, will refocus national attention in the US on the war in Afghanistan, to which both President-elect Obama and Secretary-designate Clinton are strongly committed. President Obama will come to power with enormous international goodwill, and I hope and believe he will use that leverage to insist on a unified command in Afghanistan, to insist that the US allies commit more resources to Afghanistan, and to insist that Pakistan regain control over its border areas and stop them being used as sanctuaries for the Taliban, al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

We can now use our influence in Washington to call for renewed focus on and commitment to Afghanistan, as the Minister for Defence has been doing, and for a united strategic approach backed by adequate force to achieve success there. Some argue this may require additional commitment to Afghanistan. That is something I think we should consider. Success in Afghanistan—by which I mean stable, democratic government in Kabul able to defend itself and provide security and freedom to the long-suffering Afghan people—will be the best way of honouring the memory of Lieutenant Michael Fussell and the other six brave Australians who have given their lives in Afghanistan.

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

I rise to honour Lieutenant Michael Fussell, the 25-year-old commando serving with the 4th Battalion in the Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) who gave his life whilst serving the nation in Afghanistan, in the southern province of Oruzgan during a night-time offensive operation.

He was born in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, on 17 November 1983 and enlisted in the Australian Army in January 2002, straight to the Australian Defence Force Academy—and having been there, I certainly know the shocks of arriving there at that time of year. He completed a Bachelor of Arts and was a keen sportsman. I believe he captained the rugby team. He graduated from the Royal Military College, Duntroon, having been in Gallipoli Company, in 2005 and was posted to the ‘A’ Field Battery, 4th Field Regiment as part of the Royal Australian Artillery. During his time at ‘A’ Field Battery he qualified as a paratrooper, subsequently deploying to East Timor on Operation Astute in 2006 and 2007.

He was subsequently posted to the 4th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment (Commando) in January 2008 as the JTAC, the joint terminal attack controller. Lieutenant Fussell’s military decorations include the Australian Active Service Medal with clasp, International Campaign against Terrorism; the Afghanistan Campaign Medal; the Australian Service Medal with clasp, Timor-Leste; and the Australian Defence Medal.

Michael leaves behind two loving parents, Ken and Madeline, his younger brother, Daniel, and two young foster sisters, Nikki and Nyah. His brother Daniel, incidentally, is a lieutenant with the 1st Field Regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery based in Brisbane. Michael’s parents and family should be very proud of their warrior son and brother. He died a soldier’s death. Lieutenant Fussell was the first officer since Vietnam and the first graduate of the Australian Defence Force Academy to be killed on active service.

Michael fought and died with a great battalion from a great regiment. The decision to raise the 4th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment was actually made in 1963. It was officially raised on 1 February 1964 at Woodside in South Australia, which was the first time a regular infantry battalion had been raised on Australian soil. Of note, the then Governor-General announced that the 4th Battalion assault pioneer platoon sergeant would be the only soldier in the Australian Army permitted to wear a beard. In October 1965 the 4th Battalion joined the 28th Commonwealth Independent Brigade Group at Terendak camp in Malaysia as part of confrontation.

In 1968, on 13 May, an advance party from the battalion moved by air to South Vietnam and the rest of the battalion followed on board the HMAS Sydney, relieving the 2nd Battalion on 21 June. The battalion would commence its second tour of Vietnam from May to December 1971. On 18 August 1971 Prime Minister McMahon announced the withdrawal of troops by Christmas, and in December 1971 the Battalion less Delta Company and 1 Troop B Squadron 3 Cav returned to Townsville, again on board the Sydney. Delta Company remained at Vung Tau until March 1972.

In August 1973, due to the reorganisation of the Army and the cessation of national service, the 2nd and the 4th battalions were linked to form 2/4 RAR. The 2nd/4th returned from deployment on Operation Tamar to Rwanda in 1994 and they were delinked on 1 February 1995, with the 4th Battalion moving to Holsworthy. A decision was made in 1996 to convert 4RAR to a special forces unit within the Royal Australian Regiment and on 1 February 1997 the battalion was renamed the 4RAR (Commando).

Today the 4th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, who Michael so proudly served with, is the commando battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment and one of the three combat capable groups within Australian Special Operations Command. Many descendants of the original members of the battalion are currently serving or have served in the battalion, and those who have served in the Royal Australian Regiment know that to serve is to serve proudly—as Michael Fussell certainly did.

I am especially proud to relay to the House this afternoon that over 150 Helensvale State School year 7 students and one year 6 student in my electorate of Fadden have been sending and are continuing to send letters to the officers and soldiers of the 4th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment while they are serving overseas. The school liaison officer, Mrs Mary Anne White, states that many of the letters are heartfelt and emotional, indicative of a school that cares and reaches out to its community. Let me conclude this speech on the condolence motion for Lieutenant Fussell by reading a letter written by Jake Gould from class 7W, Mrs White’s class at Helensvale State High School in my electorate. This letter, like the other 150 letters, was sent to men of the fighting fourth, the 4th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment in Afghanistan. The letter says:

Dear soldier,

My name is Jake but my friends call me Big Red which is weird because I’m not big and my hair is brown with blond bits. I think it’s because of my big muscles, (narr I’m kidding my muscles aren’t that big). This year I’m in year 7 and I’m actually enjoying it. The big year 7 test was on and it was a bit hard but I think I pulled it off.

If there’s 3 things I enjoy doing they would have to be skate park, hanging with friends and rugby league and union. The skate park is so much fun on bike and scooter. I’m getting a bike soon. It will be the same as Barry’s also known as Ryan. Ryan is my best friend (one of a million). Ryan is a good friend with a nickname Barry.

My other three best friends are Spasm, Big Blue and Timmy. Spasm’s real name is Cam and Big Blue is Dean. Timmy doesn’t have a nickname.

Anyway, I would like to hear the life of an army man. What are the grounds like? Because I can picture them quite hilly. When you get told to go out are you scared? I think that would be one of the most scariest things you could do that’s why I truly look up to you guys. What type of weapons do you use and are they hard to fire? I don’t know if you have kids of your own but if you do you should know that they would think the world of you. Well if my Dad was over there that is how I would think.

I don’t know how you feel but if you get time to one day, could you please reply to this. Because that would mean the world to me.

I do not know which soldier of the 4th Battalion in Afghanistan received Jake Gould’s letter. But, knowing soldiers as I do—and I am looking across at the member for Eden-Monaro, Mike Kelly, who also knows soldiers—I know that Lieutenant Fussell would have read one of the letters from Helensvale State School, and I know it would have brought him enormous comfort, as heartfelt letters always do. The year 7 students of Helensvale State School will never forget the men of 4th Battalion, RAR. They will never forget Lieutenant Fussell, who would have read one of their letters, and nor will this grateful nation.

Mike Kelly (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party, Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise as a member of parliament, as a member of the Defence portfolio team, as a member of the ADF and as a member of the rugby fraternity to farewell Lieutenant Michael Fussell. There is never any getting used to these casualties and, as the member for Fadden, Stuart Robert, knows, every time one of these things happens it is like losing a member of the family, and you feel it deeply—though not, of course, as much as the members of his family themselves. But it is a tight fraternity in the ADF, and his friends and colleagues and the members of his unit in Afghanistan will be feeling this keenly at the moment. All of our thoughts and prayers, I know, are with those members in Afghanistan at present.

We had a very special individual here in Lieutenant Fussell. He was a true leader. And it is very obvious, from the service record that has been outlined by many of the members who have spoken, what type of man he was. He was not only a keen sportsman but also, as he pursued his career, he achieved greatly through the Royal Military College and then, as he went on to the Royal Regiment of Australian Artillery, he qualified as a paratrooper—and that exercise in itself tells you a lot about the man. It is not an easy thing to step out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft. If anyone knows anything about paratroop training, they will understand that it is always the officers who are asked to step out of the plane first, ahead of the rest of the troops. So what we had, in Lieutenant Fussell, was really one of those men who are of the ‘follow me’ type, and a great loss he will be to the Australian Defence Force and to our community. Who knows what he would have gone on to achieve, not only within the ADF but in life in general.

Certainly, our thoughts and prayers are with Madeline and Ken, his parents, and his siblings, Daniel, Nikki and Nyah. It is worthy of note that this family has offered this nation two sons to the service of the ADF, and our thoughts and prayers are with Daniel, in particular, at this moment in the 1st Field Regiment of the Royal Australian Artillery.

It is also important to note that this casualty occurred as a consequence of contact with an improvised explosive device. The bulk of our casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan have been caused by these improvised explosive devices. They are an insidious threat not only to our personnel but also to NGOs and everybody who operates in these environments. We are facing an ongoing battle with insurgents and terrorists. It is, effectively, a cat-and-mouse game of measure and countermeasure that is being played in dealing with these insidious devices.

I would like to take this opportunity to salute the wonderful service of the men and women of the ADF’s Counter IED Task Force, led so ably by Brigadier Phil Winter. This task force is doing outstanding work. They are quiet achievers. They are not well known outside of the Defence Force—or, indeed, within it—but the work they do is as important as anything else that is being done within our organisation. The establishment of this task force has led us to acquire important capabilities and make improvements in the posture and the capability of the Defence Force in that it has forced us to acquire weapons technical intelligence capabilities associated with this effort. Those capabilities in themselves have enabled us to, if you like, get inside the loops of the insurgents and the terrorists that we are dealing with. The information that is yielded through this capability is essential and important to our ongoing effort against terrorism and insurgency.

Once again, I wish to draw attention to and salute the efforts of the Counter IED Task Force. We need to do more in this area to continue the battle of trying to stay one step ahead of the enemy. It was my privilege, as director of the Middle East strategy group within Defence, to pursue this effort with a lot of vigour because I was well aware, of course, of the threats being posed to our personnel. We will reach out to our allies and to any in the international community who are pursuing research and development in this area to further the benefits to our personnel of greater force protection, technologies, measures and assets. That is an ongoing effort around the world as we speak, and certainly it has been my privilege, in this current portfolio position, to assist in pursuing that effort.

As the member for Melbourne Ports emphasised, when we suffer casualties in Afghanistan it is important to remind the Australian community and the parliament and reassure the family of the member who has been lost that the war in Afghanistan is important and the deaths we have suffered are not in vain. The war in Afghanistan is important for a number of reasons in relation to our national interests and the cause of international peace. Probably about 20 per cent of the drugs on our streets emanate from Afghanistan, so the effort in Afghanistan is important in relation to our fight against drugs nationally. It is also important because, as the member for Melbourne Ports highlighted, Afghanistan was a haven for terrorism, and not just in relation to the infamous 9-11 attacks. Certainly, Afghanistan was a haven for terrorism throughout the South-East Asian region. The Bali bombers, who caused such havoc, in particular to Australian citizens, received their succour and support from the terrorist infrastructure that existed in Afghanistan. It is currently being rebuilt in the ungoverned spaces in Pakistan today, in the federally administered tribal areas of North Waziristan and South Waziristan and in the North-West Frontier Province. A great effort needs to be mounted there not only by Pakistan but through all the assistance that the international community can render to President Zardari and the Pakistani government.

It is important to deny terrorists that safe haven. We cannot win a counterinsurgency effort in Afghanistan without denying them that safe haven and continuing to assist our brothers and sisters in Afghanistan—and I acknowledge the presence of the ambassador here today—in building good governance and infrastructure and a better future in Afghanistan. That is how we will win this counterinsurgency. As a counterinsurgency rule of thumb, these conflicts are won by a combination of about 20 per cent military security and about 80 per cent social, economic and political factors. We need to make a better effort towards that 80 per cent and mesh our military and civil construction efforts much better, as has been highlighted many times. We continue to promote that effort internationally and now we have equipped ourselves nationally to improve our ability to do that through the establishment of the Asia-Pacific Civil-Military Centre of Excellence in Australia, which is based in my electorate.

The other key point to make about the war in Afghanistan is the potential for the spillover of that conflict to destabilise the region generally. Of course, one of the most significant risks there is in relation to Pakistan itself, a nuclear-armed state which we cannot afford to allow to become an ungoverned space or, indeed, to fall into the hands of Islamic extremists.

All this is to say that Lieutenant Fussell’s death and the efforts of all of our men and women in the ADF continue to be of importance to our national security and to the international effort for peace and security. I salute the service of those men and women. I salute the service of Fuss and I tell Fuss today: we will not forget you.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Mackellar, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I, too, rise to honour Lieutenant Michael Fussell. It is significant that we set aside days in our calendar year when we commemorate and say thanks to all who have served, right throughout our history, to help shape our nation and to give us the gift of freedom that we enjoy. The Anzac spirit which originated in Gallipoli is the common thread that winds through every war and engagement that we have had as Australians and leads us to this condolence motion today. Michael Fussell was in fact the inheritor of that tradition and he upheld that tradition, as do all our members of the ADF. But he laid down his life as well.

The incident of 15 schoolgirls having acid thrown in their faces because they dared to seek education, with one blinded and others permanently disfigured, shows we have a long way to go. But Lieutenant Fussell was there; he showed how important it was, by the way he conducted himself. He believed in the justness of the war he was fighting. The war is important—and I, too, would like to acknowledge the presence here today of the ambassador of Afghanistan.

The pride that we have in all our men and women who serve our nation wearing the uniform, fighting under a flag, is a pride that we extend to and indeed embrace Lieutenant Michael Fussell with today. Six deaths have preceded his. It is remarkable that those deaths, each of them tragic, are indeed so few. And the reason they are few is that our troops are so well trained and that their dedication to remaining well trained and well disciplined is ingrained in them. They serve, and we are the beneficiaries.

To parents Ken and Madeline, to brother Daniel, himself a serving officer, and to foster sisters Nikki and Nyah, I extend my sincere condolences and sympathy. But I say to them, as I think to myself: to have known such a young man must give you eternal pleasure; to know that he is lost to you will give you eternal sadness. But know that the nation shares with you a pride in your son and your brother. I think that is an important thing that we do in this parliament, and that is why I am adding my remarks today.

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, 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.

Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That further proceedings be conducted in the House.

Question agreed to.