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

On indulgence: I rise today to speak about the investiture of the Victoria Cross for Australia with SAS Trooper Mark Donaldson. Trooper Donaldson was involved in an incident on 2 September 2008 in Oruzgan province, Afghanistan, that resulted in him being awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia. He was invested by Her Excellency the Governor-General of Australia at Government House, Canberra, on 16 January 2009. In acknowledging his bravery, this House notes that the Victoria Cross is the pre-eminent award for acts of bravery in wartime and is Australia’s highest military honour. It is awarded to persons who, in the presence of the enemy, display the most conspicuous gallantry; a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice; or extreme devotion to duty.

The incident for which Trooper Donaldson was invested with the Victoria Cross occurred in September last year when Australian special forces, moving in convoy with US and Afghan soldiers, were ambushed by a superior number of well-placed Taliban fighters. The ambush was initiated by a high volume of sustained machine-gun fire and rocket propelled grenades. Such was the effect of the attack that the combined patrol suffered numerous casualties, lost the initiative and became immediately suppressed. Nine Australian soldiers were wounded in the 2 September ambush, the highest number of casualties in a single attack since Vietnam.

It was over two hours before the convoy was able to establish a clean break and move to an area free of enemy fire. During that time, Trooper Donaldson—who prior to his investment had been referred to in previous accounts only as ‘Trooper F’—deliberately and repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire in order to draw the fire away from his injured colleagues. In the early stages of the ambush, he moved rapidly between alternate positions of cover, engaging the enemy with 66 mm and 84 mm anti-armour weapons as well as his M4 rifle. This selfless action alone bought enough time for those wounded to be moved to safety.

When the Afghan coalition interpreter, who had been shot, fell from one of the humvees, Donaldson ran to his aid, crossing 80 metres of exposed ground under heavy machine-gun fire to reach the wounded interpreter. He then carried him on his shoulders back to the vehicles, where he administered first aid before returning to the fight.

Trooper Donaldson displayed the kind of selfless heroism that history never forgets. There is no greater honour for an Australian soldier, and we know that this honour is shared in some small measure by his friends and family, by his wife Emma, his young daughter Kaylee, and by his colleagues at home and those still serving in Afghanistan.

Trooper Donaldson’s distinguished career began with his first posting to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, Townsville, Queensland, in November 2002. It was during this time that Trooper Donaldson decided to pursue his ambitions and join the Special Air Service Regiment. In February 2004, he successfully completed the Special Air Service Regiment selection course and was posted to the regiment in May 2004. He was then posted to 1 Troop, 3 SAS Squadron. Since that time, he has been deployed in operations in East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq. Trooper Donaldson remains posted to the Special Air Service Regiment in Perth, Western Australia.

Trooper Donaldson is the first recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia which was created in 1991, before which Australians were eligible for the Victoria Cross and other awards under the imperial system of honours. The medal, inscribed with the words, ‘For valour’, is the highest honour that can be bestowed upon a soldier. Trooper Donaldson’s actions displayed exceptional courage in circumstances of great peril. His actions are of the highest accord and are in keeping with the finest traditions of the Special Operations Command, the Australian Army, and the Australian Defence Force. Tradition also holds within the armed service that even the most senior officer will salute a Victoria Cross recipient as a mark of respect, so Trooper Donaldson will now enjoy a salute rate equal to that of our CDF.

Trooper Donaldson now joins a rare few who will forever be remembered and revered. We stand united today in saluting this young man’s courage and bravery and thanking him and his colleagues for the incredible work they do.

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

As the member for Paterson has indicated, the Victoria Cross is the highest award for bravery and valour in action. The award is, of course, not handed out lightly. Indeed, until recently an Australian had not received a Victoria Cross for some 40 years. Those who are awarded the Victoria Cross, by virtue of that fact enter a hall of legends. Typically they share a number of attributes. They are typically highly skilled, usually super fit and, of course, full of courage. Selflessness is a typical trait, and they are dedicated to their task and their duty. While I cannot say I have known many of them—I have known a couple but have read of others—I sense that modesty is usually present amongst those in this sort of elite club.

I, with others, had the honour of attending the ceremony at Government House recently when Trooper Mark Donaldson received his award. It really was a great privilege to be there and to meet him, and to talk with him and his wife and his daughter and his other relatives and friends. There you got an additional sense, talking to friends and family, about the man—what he is, what he has been, and what made him the hero he is today. I also had the opportunity to speak with some of his mates, and, indeed, have a beer with some of his mates—those who were there with him on that day when our troops encountered a terrible ambush in Oruzgan province.

I recommend to all Australians with an interest in the issue—in military history, in our military affairs—to read the full citation. The Prime Minister read part of it in the main chamber yesterday, but he made the point that he had only read a selected part of the citation. To get a full appreciation of what Trooper Donaldson did you really do need to read the full citation.

At the risk of putting it in simplistic terms, on the occasion of the ambush he exposed himself and drew fire so that the wounded could be dragged to the relative safety of the vehicles. He then proceeded to break contact with his comrades. There was no room in the vehicles because the wounded were taking up all of that space. Trooper Donaldson broke contact on foot, moving with the vehicles, returning fire all the way. As the Prime Minister indicated yesterday, he then noticed that one had been left behind. A member of the ANA, an interpreter—an important part of the unit at the time—had been left behind, some 80 metres back, in open ground. Trooper Donaldson ran back, returning fire all the time. He picked the guy up, put him over his shoulders, ran back another 80 metres or so to the vehicle and put him in the vehicle. He applied first aid. Of course, our special forces soldiers are highly trained in first aid. He then returned to the fight. The incredible thing is how Trooper Mark Donaldson is still alive today. It is probably a reflection of not only his courage but a little bit of luck he had on that occasion. But, as we all know, you make your own luck, and highly trained soldiers are very good at doing that.

The whole event serves another very good purpose. The publicity surrounding Trooper Donaldson’s valour provides us with a fairly rare opportunity, as people close to these things, to share with the outside world exactly what our boys are doing on a daily basis. They are doing fantastic work disrupting the insurgency, taking enormous risks every day in very, very difficult circumstances. It is a good thing that we get an opportunity from time to time to portray a picture for the Australian community of what these guys are doing on a daily basis.

I said in the House months ago, in response to a condolence motion, that we are a nation which loves its sport. We revere our sporting legends. We respect them and talk about their speed, their skill, their strength and their courage on the field. Yet those are all the attributes shared by these special forces soldiers. For them, of course, the stakes are so much higher. It is not just about a trophy at the end of the season. These guys are fighting for the security of their nation and literally fighting for their lives. Each day, as they proceed out into theatre, they never have any assurance as to whether they will return in one piece.

Today we pay tribute to Trooper Mark Donaldson, who, as I said, joins an elite group. It was great to have Keith Payne at the ceremony at Government House too. He is a great Australian who was awarded the VC as a result of his actions during the Vietnam War. So we pay tribute to Trooper Mark Donaldson today, but we also pay tribute to those who were in that battle with him on that day. We pay tribute to those who will be out there today, as we speak, and again tomorrow and the day after and the day after that. We pay tribute to all the men and women who are deployed overseas, doing good work for the broader Australian community.

We have lost nine young Australians in Afghanistan, eight in the Australian uniform and one, young Stuart Nash, fighting under the British flag. It is nine too many. As I said on the condolence motion for Private Sher this morning, we as policymakers have an obligation to ensure that they have not given their lives in vain. We must do all we can, as a relatively minor player in the Afghanistan campaign, to ensure that NATO has a properly resourced and coordinated plan to win in Afghanistan. We have an obligation to ensure that, whenever we make decisions about deploying our troops, the proper risk analysis is undertaken and we have a clear picture in our mind about why we are there and, therefore, our basis for justifying sending our young people into such a high-threat area of operations.

Today, in addition to paying tribute to Trooper Mark Donaldson, we pay tribute, as I said, to all the men and women of the Australian Defence Force who are taking great risks, on a daily basis, so that those of us who treasure freedom and democracy and the things on which we base our nation can continue to enjoy our way of life and so that Australians around the globe, not just those on Australia’s mainland, can travel in relative peace and safety. It is a great privilege to be in the federal parliament and indeed to be the Minister for Defence on such a rare occasion—when the Victoria Cross is awarded to a fine Australian soldier. For that opportunity I am truly eternally grateful.

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

I rise to honour Trooper Mark Gregor Donaldson VC, only the 97th recipient of the Victoria Cross in Australia and the first in 40 years and, of course, the first to receive the VC of Australia. The Victoria Cross is awarded only for the most conspicuous acts of gallantry. On 16 January 2009 Trooper Donaldson received his VC for such acts while serving with the Special Operations Task Group during Operation Slipper in Oruzgan Province in Afghanistan.

Trooper Donaldson was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1979. He graduated from high school in 1996 and enlisted in the Australian Army on 18 June 2002, entering recruit training at the Army Recruit Training Centre, Kapooka. Clearly the boy could shoot. He was awarded best shot and best at physical training in his platoon. Subsequently he was allocated to the Royal Australian Infantry Corps and posted to the School of Infantry. He excelled in his initial training, again being awarded recognition as  best shot and best at physical training and most outstanding soldier in his platoon. Subsequently he was posted to the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment in Townsville.

Trooper Donaldson decided to pursue his ambition to join the Special Air Service Regiment and, after completing the Special Air Service Regiment selection course—with which, in itself, it is no mean feat simply to be standing at the end of what I know as the Carter course—in April 2004 he was posted to the SAS Regiment. In May he turned up at the front door, posted to 1 Troop, 3 SAS Squadron. He was then deployed to operations in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan. He was married to Emma and has a daughter Kaylee.

In August 2008, Donaldson was wounded in action during night-time operations in Oruzgan province. Then less than one month later, on 2 September 2008, while travelling with a combined Australian, Afghan and US convoy, the convoy was ambushed by a large contingency of Taliban armed with machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades. The convoy was overwhelmed by numbers and sheer gunfire for two hours before being able to extricate themselves to a safe area. Several casualties were suffered on the patrol and Donaldson deliberately placed himself in enemy fire to allow the wounded to be carried to safety. He constantly changed positions to find a vantage point while engaging the enemy. The disregard for his own safety allowed time for the wounded in his convoy to move to safer ground. Those who were not wounded, including Donaldson himself, were required to run beside the vehicle to exit the ambush area.

Donaldson noticed, though, that, 80 metres behind the convoy, a wounded Afghan interpreter had been left behind. Again, Donaldson put his safety behind that of others and ran 80 metres to assist the Afghan interpreter. Running over open ground, Donaldson came under intense fire from the enemy. He picked up the wounded man and ran back to safety, carrying and then administering first aid to the coalition force interpreter, constantly being fired at by the enemy with machine-gun and rocket fire. This was an Afghan interpreter—not an Australian citizen but a man of Afghan background whom Trooper Donaldson risked his own life to go back and recover.

The full citation for the Victoria Cross is worth a read for all Australians. It exemplifies bravery in the extreme. The Victoria Cross is the pre-eminent award for acts of bravery in wartime and is our highest military honour. It is awarded to people who, in the presence of the enemy, display the most conspicuous gallantry, a daring or pre-eminent act of valour or self-sacrifice or extreme devotion to duty.

The Victoria Cross was created by Queen Victoria in 1856 and made retrospective to 1854 to cover the period of the Crimean War. Until the Victoria Cross for Australia was created in 1991, Australians were eligible for the VC and other awards under the imperial system. The Imperial Victoria Cross was awarded to 96 Australians—91 received the Victoria Cross while serving with Australian forces and five Australians received the award while serving with South African and British units.

Australians were first recognised for their gallantry in the Boer War and of course more recently, with Keith Payne, in the Vietnam War. Six VCs were awarded in the Boer War, 64 in World War I, two in North Russia in 1919, 20 in World War II, four in Vietnam and, of course, one in Afghanistan. Nine of the crosses awarded in World War I were for Australians at Gallipoli. The Victoria Cross for Australia was instituted in the Australian honours system by letters patent on 15 January 1991. It replaced the imperial award. The first to receive the Victoria Cross was Captain Sir Neville Howse during the Boer War. He also served in World War I and later as the Commonwealth Minister for Health, Defence and Repatriation. The most recent recipient, Keith Payne VC OAM, received it for gallantry during the Vietnam War on 24 May 1969. While under heavy enemy fire, he instigated a daring rescue of more than 40 men, many of them wounded, and led the party back to the battalion base.

The Governor-General awards the Victoria Cross, with the approval of the sovereign, on the recommendation of the Minister for Defence. It may be awarded posthumously. The Victoria Cross is designed in the form of the Maltese Cross. In the centre of the medal is a lion guardant standing upon the Royal Crown. The words ‘For valour’ are inscribed below. The Victoria Cross is suspended from a bar by a crimson ribbon. On the reverse of the cross the date of the act of bravery is inscribed, along with the name, rank and unit of the recipient. The Victoria Cross has, from the first, been made by Messrs Hancock, London jewellers, and is hand fashioned. The metal used is taken from the guns captured from the Russians at Sebastopol during the Crimean War from 1854 to 1856. To quote the Anzac Day website:

The glorious fellowship of the Victoria Cross remains unique, it has no order nor chapel.

…                     …                   …

It is confined to no caste, imposes no religious requirement nor colour bar. In the words of the Warrant ‘Neither rank nor long service, nor wounds, nor any other circumstance or condition whatsoever, save the merit of conspicuous bravery’ shall entitle a man to the award.

There are only 10 surviving members of this grand fellowship alive today. Words simply fail to express the unsurpassed heroism shown by these recipients. They stand tall and alone and separate by their sheer deeds.

If freedom is indeed the sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it, then Trooper Donaldson VC stands tall in our nation’s history, especially in our nation’s modern military history. As I said previously in the House, in the great tradition of that ancient warrior, statesman and king, Pericles, who founded the great Athenian empire 2½ thousand years ago and led that nation during the first two years of the Peloponnesian War, ‘What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.’ Trooper Donaldson risked his life to save an Afghan national, crossing 80 metres of ground criss-crossed by machine-gun fire. His heroism inspires countless generations and touches lives around the world. It stands as a true testament of the capacity and the calibre of man. We honour him today.

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

It is a great privilege to be able to speak this afternoon on a positive note in that, wonderfully, Trooper Mark Donaldson VC is still with us, which is something in itself to celebrate given that so many past Victoria Cross winners were awarded it posthumously. Of course the acts that are involved in achieving the award of a Victoria Cross obviously involve a great deal of personal risk, being risk to life and limb. It is wonderful that we have a living VC member with us now in Trooper Donaldson VC. Just saying those words ‘Trooper Donaldson VC’ really does send a tingle up the spine. When I first heard the news that we had a new VC for this generation, I was really excited and thrilled, as I have in my portfolio responsibilities for the honours and awards issue. Also, the day that the actual award was presented to Trooper Donaldson at Government House was a memorable occasion because, as has been mentioned, Keith Payne VC was present. In effect, we had the two representatives of the book-ending of the VC in Australian recent history in that Keith Payne was awarded the last of the imperial VCs and then, after a 40-year intervening break, we had Trooper Donaldson being awarded the first of the VCs for Australia.

It was wonderful to have the two of them there together. Keith Payne observed that he did not understand how Trooper Donaldson had actually survived that engagement. You read these words of his engagement on that day and they roll off the tongue when you say, ‘He moved rapidly between alternate positions of cover, engaging the enemy with 66 millimetre and 84 millimetre anti-armour weapons as well as his M4 rifle.’ But to reflect on that for a second, he was, in effect, utilising three different weapon systems in this engagement. Of course, none of them are light or easy to be proficient with in the circumstances of a hot engagement. It just goes to illustrate the incredible professionalism of the special forces personnel that he was able to effectively use those three weapons systems at the same time. Really, that should tell people of the standard of the special forces soldiers that this country is so privileged to have at its service.

Trooper Donaldson VC is not a stranger to the risks that he was taking when he was involved in this engagement because on 12 August 2008 he was wounded in action in a night operation in Oruzgan province. So it is not as if he did not understand the risks that were involved in what he was doing. I think that adds an extra element to the impressiveness of his particular physical actions and courage on the day, and certainly they were in the finest traditions of the VCs as so many of the Australian VCs have involved the rescue of mates and the selflessness of looking after fellow soldiers serving in those environments. As the member for Fadden pointed out, he rescued an Afghani interpreter, so his selflessness was not only extended to Australians but also to his Afghani colleague.

Trooper Donaldson VC has also served in East Timor and Iraq as well as Afghanistan. He has only been a member of the Australian Army since 18 June 2002. So, in these short years, this individual has had three significant deployments, and we certainly have come to rely very heavily in recent times on our special forces in these environments. The reason is that the special forces soldiers, with their incredible professionalism and skills, give us the rapier that we need to deal with these counterinsurgency situations. You have a couple of options when you are in these circumstances. You can try to fall back on firepower and incur some of the massive collateral damage that is sometimes involved with that. In a counterinsurgency environment, that will often entail a loss of support amongst the general community and alienation, pushing people into the arms of the insurgents that you are fighting. And so to have this capability where we can isolate the enemy to engage with them as a rapier in a directed, targeted and surgical operation gives us and the international community great capability of pursuing our efforts in this counterinsurgency struggle that we are engaged in at the moment in Afghanistan.

During the break we had a discussion in the community about the comparisons of courage. Certainly since I have been in this place I have come to appreciate very much the political and moral courage of the people who enter parliament on both sides of this House. I particularly think of people like the member for Kooyong and the great courage he has displayed in his political life. But I do think it is wrong to compare that courage with the courage of a VC winner like Trooper Donaldson. Unless you have actually stood there and faced the physical threat of having your limbs ripped from you, of having 7.62 millimetre rounds tearing through your body, hot shrapnel burning into you, seeing comrades or colleagues or other people in the vicinity torn apart by explosives, knowing that any moment of your existence in those theatres could be the last on two legs or with all of your limbs and faculties, or of your time on this earth, then I think you just cannot compare the respective levels of courage that are required in those circumstances. Upon reflection, those who might have made that comparison will think better of that.

As I say, I certainly would not want to detract from the courage that is required in politics in this place, but Trooper Donaldson VC occupies a special place in the esteem of this community for the special courage that he has displayed. The VC is a very distinct part of our culture and history. It resonates so deeply with Australians, and that is because it really does encompass the values that Australians hold most dearly—the values of not only the physical courage to face the enemy but also the courage to look after your mates and to put your mates and your unit before yourself.

Lastly, I would like to highlight the fact that Trooper Donaldson VC, by his actions and by the award of this decoration, has served as an incredible inspiration to the rest of his colleagues in the ADF. The news of this award went like an electric current right through the Australian Defence Force. It has inspired his colleagues and comrades and all of us who have worn the uniform to aspire to better and higher, to match the achievements of Trooper Donaldson, at least in effort if the circumstances do not offer opportunities requiring the physical courage that he displayed in that situation. I salute Trooper Donaldson and I salute the men and women of the Australian Defence Force who are contributing in whatever way they can in tribute to the courage and the sacrifice of all members of the Australian Defence Force in our operational commitments.

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

I rise today to make my own tribute to the efforts of Trooper Mark Donaldson VC. A lot has been said so far today and I do not intend to go back over the same ground, but I would like to begin by talking a little bit about the terrain and the circumstances—a bit like the previous speaker, the parliamentary secretary, did—to put his effort into some sort of context. I have never been to Afghanistan, but I have travelled through Pakistan, up through the Khyber Pass, and have been able to observe the valleys of Afghanistan below. I believe that the ground is very similar. The ground is just made for ambushes. The terrain is very difficult for vehicles, and in many ways it gives great possibilities to those who look to set ambushes and attack the coalition forces that fight so hard for democracy, the preservation of democracy and the freedom of people in Afghanistan. So the risk of ambush is a real, present and in fact realised danger, as we have seen and as we are seeing through the citation regarding the awarding of this Victoria Cross.

I would also like to make some comments on the weapons that Trooper Donaldson used during the engagement. The M4 is a rifle four to five kilograms in weight. We should also remember that the equipment that Trooper Donaldson would have been wearing would have had some weight in it as well, because he would have carried ammunition and other supplies on him. The 66-millimetre anti-armour weapon is a one-shot article of weaponry, but again we are talking about seven or eight kilograms there. It has a very short range—up to 150 metres. He would have had to carry this with him as well while he was doing this movement and engaging the enemy in the combat zone. Then there was the actual 84-millimetre anti-armour weapon, which we know as the Karl Gustav. Again, this is a significantly heavy weapon. My recollection is that it is somewhere between 15 and 20 kilograms—no, in fact it would be more than that. It would be about 25 kilograms, and the round that is fired would have to be six or seven kilograms. You can fire the weapon either on the shoulder, which is obviously a very exposed position, or there is a small stand so you can fire it from a lying position. When you fire it, it seems to suck the oxygen out of the air around you. It is like being hit in the chest by a medicine ball thrown hard. If you made the mistake of having the venturi—the blast distribution device which restricts the recoil on the weapon—at the back it would be just above your bottom and would blast down your legs and your legs would be badly burnt; you would be on fire. So these sorts of weapons are not light and they are not easily deployed.

Also, the ability to engage the enemy when they are shooting back at you—the two-way firing range—requires great presence of mind. As was referred to by all the previous speakers, all Defence Force personnel in the Australian services are well trained, but those in the special forces are the best in the world, in my opinion, and they are very, very well trained. It is no surprise that we send those guys if we want a job done like the job we need done in Afghanistan.

There have been plenty of mentions of Trooper Donaldson being a hero, and there is no doubt that he is a hero, in the truest sense of the word. When someone puts their life on the line for others, for the defenceless—for the wounded, in this case—there is no doubt that they are a hero. While he might be uncomfortable with the term, the view of the Australian people is rightly that this is the sort of man that is a great hero.

It is a real shame, though, that we have people involved in sport or in other capacities who are also called heroes. When you make a decision, when you are just trying to push through a pain barrier in sport, when you take a mark on the football field or a catch in cricket and win a game, that is great—but there is simply no comparison between an event on a sporting field and someone putting their life on the line for others. I think that those who call sportspeople ‘heroes’ greatly devalue the word.

However, in the case of Trooper Donaldson we have a modern, contemporary example of someone who is a hero and who epitomises what is great about Australians—the mateship, the commitment to a cause. This is someone that the nation is justifiably proud of, and I am sure his unit, the SAS Regiment, and his family are proud of him as well. Despite the tragedy that occurred in his youth, the loss of his mother—he was orphaned by the time he was 19—Trooper Donaldson has risen well above the circumstances that fate dealt him early in his life.

Just in closing, I would say that the operations in Afghanistan are about the defence of freedom and democracy. That is what is at stake. Sometimes you just have to fight. Sometimes there is no other course of action but to pick up weapons and fight. Tragically, sometimes people have to be killed. In protecting the wounded Afghan interpreter, Trooper Mark Donaldson VC saw his duty; it was clear, and he acted with ‘conspicuous gallantry’ to save that man. Throughout the entire action, over some four hours, he kept presence of mind, used his training and used his personal courage to do what needed to be done. People would say that he had done his best even if he had not done these things. If he had tried and not succeeded because the circumstances had possibly been too much for an ordinary person then people, knowing the circumstances, would probably have cut him a break. But Trooper Mark Donaldson’s professionalism, presence of mind, courage and character saw him through, as they saw a lot of people through that day.

It is my honour to at least say some words to try to add my appreciation to the salute that this nation has given Trooper Donaldson, the award that this nation has given him and the respect that this nation will always have for him and all those who serve in the uniform of this great country, including those who unfortunately die in the service of this great country. We are proud of them all. I think Trooper Donaldson deserves all the accolades he has received but above all the greatest respect from a grateful nation.

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

It is indeed a great privilege and an honour to have the opportunity to participate in this debate and to join with others, including the previous speaker, the member for Cowan, in congratulating Trooper Mark Donaldson on receiving the prestigious Victoria Cross for Australia. As others will have said, Trooper Donaldson, aged 29, is the first Australian in almost 40 years to be awarded the Victoria Cross, the Commonwealth’s highest military honour.

We know that Trooper Donaldson was born in 1979. He left his home in New South Wales to join the Australian Army in 2002. We have read of the tragedy of his early life and the fact that he was orphaned. But it should not surprise us—this is a really good and great Australian story—that someone who had much hurt and pain early in his life has now made an enormous and historic contribution to the Australian record.

At the Army Recruit Training Centre at Kapooka, Trooper Donaldson was awarded prizes for best shot and best at physical training in his platoon. Given what we now know, it should not surprise us to learn that he was later presented with the award for the most outstanding soldier in his platoon at the School of Infantry in Singleton. In 2004 Trooper Donaldson completed the Special Air Services Regiment selection course—no easy feat—and was subsequently deployed on operations in East Timor, Afghanistan and Iraq.

On 16 January this year, at an investiture ceremony to mark the occasion at Government House here in Canberra, Her Excellency the Governor-General of Australia presented Trooper Mark Donaldson with the Victoria Cross for Australia. I had the privilege of attending that ceremony, where Trooper Donaldson was accompanied by his wife, Emma, and daughter, Kaylee. It transpired that I had previously met Trooper Donaldson at the SAS headquarters at the Campbell Barracks, Swanbourne, in Perth, on the range during a visit last year.

As we have learnt, Trooper Donaldson’s receipt of this most significant of awards comes as a result of conspicuous acts of gallantry in action which he displayed during an incident on 2 September 2008. As others have said—and it is now clearly on the public record—Trooper Donaldson displayed exceptional courage under incredibly dangerous circumstances.

The incident occurred when an Australian, US and Afghan vehicle convoy was ambushed by a numerically superior enemy. Again we know from the public record that Trooper Donaldson saved the life of a severely wounded coalition interpreter. While doing so, he exposed himself to intense and accurate machine-gun fire, placing himself in danger to assist another.

As Minister for Defence Science and Personnel, I am constantly aware of the outstanding achievements of our service men and women. Indeed, less than a month ago I was in Afghanistan with the Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston. During the visit I saw firsthand the professionalism and dedication of the serving Australian Defence Force personnel. But clearly, as the record again tells us, we do not often have the opportunity to pay tribute to exceptional courage and self-sacrifice of the type displayed by Trooper Donaldson in September last year. Because of the rarity of the award that he has been given, Trooper Donaldson now joins 96 fellow Australians who have also received this prestigious award. In the Boer War, six Victoria Crosses were awarded. A total of 64 were awarded in World War I. Two were awarded in northern Russia. Twenty Victoria Crosses were awarded in World War II, and in Vietnam four Victoria crosses were awarded.

Trooper Donaldson, not long after he was given the distinction of this great award, put the award on display at the Australian War Memorial, where it joins 62 others, so that it can be shared with the Australian community. This, of course, is the largest publicly held collection of such medals in the world. Trooper Donaldson’s resolve to return to combat operations in Afghanistan is further testament to his commitment and dedication to his service and his country. As the Prime Minister stated yesterday:

Through his deeds, Trooper Donaldson has brought a great honour upon himself, his family, the Australian Defence Force and our nation.

We should know that the intense battle that led to Trooper Donaldson being awarded the Victoria Cross also saw other exhibitions of great heroism and courage. I want to now take the opportunity to publicly acknowledge another Australian soldier, one of Trooper Donaldson’s comrades, for his actions in this battle. As part of the Australia Day honours, a second special operations command soldier has been recognised for his exceptional service during the same conflict for which Trooper Donaldson was awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia. Lance Corporal S, who has protected identity status and so cannot be named, has been awarded the Medal for Gallantry, the second highest award we can make in the military. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and congratulate Lance Corporal S for his outstanding courage and his extraordinary efforts. During this incident, Lance Corporal S ‘selflessly exposed himself to enemy fire to protect a severely wounded Australian soldier’, ultimately saving the life of his comrade. This is yet another example of the self-sacrifice, courage and exemplary professionalism which is displayed often by Australian serving personnel but most particularly on this day of struggle, when Australian soldiers were wounded, by Trooper Donaldson and Lance Corporal S—and on a daily basis by their fellow service men and women who remain deployed on operations.

You meet some tremendous people in your life, Deputy Speaker Schultz, as I am sure that you have in the course of your work. But I am constantly amazed by the extremely high standards that are set by the Australian military. That is not to say that there are not some rogues and that they do not enjoy a drink on occasions. But the underlying features of their work are their commitment to and love for one another. They show great teamwork and have great respect for their comrades.

I was delighted that the comrades of Trooper Donaldson and Lance Corporal S were at the investiture ceremony at Government House. I know that they enjoyed the celebration of the occasion. I am also aware that Trooper Donaldson VC talked at the time and subsequently about the commitment that he has to his mates and the commitment that they share for one another. He remarked that he did nothing outstanding but that they all would have done it. The fact is, though, that he did something really outstanding and is deserving of this great award.

At the investiture it struck me just how important this award is, and what great status it has—not only in the general community but within the Australian Defence Force—when, after Trooper Donaldson had been awarded his Victoria Cross by the Governor-General, Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston walked up to Trooper Donaldson and saluted him. It is a tradition that senior people salute Victoria Cross recipients, regardless of their rank, in recognition of the courage and professionalism that they have exhibited during the course of their service and which has been recognised through the awarding of this great medal.

It has been a great privilege for me to be able to participate in this debate—although it is not so much a debate as an opportunity to express our feelings about this award and about Trooper Donaldson and the lance corporal whose name we cannot know. We congratulate them on behalf of a grateful nation.

Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I join with and acknowledge the remarks of the Minister for Defence Science and Personnel. This is a debate in which we can all agree wholeheartedly on paying tribute to Trooper Mark Donaldson and Lance Corporal S, as the minister referred to him.

During my maiden speech, I acknowledged and paid tribute to the commitment of those who are in the Australian defence forces and those who have been in the Australian defence forces in the past, particularly those who have given their lives in defence of our great country, our great free land. A time like this is, of course, an opportunity to again acknowledge the commitment these people make to our country, to our democracy and to our freedom—because, without a strong defence force and strong policy to defend our freedom, there are threats in the world that wish to take it away. These people fight day in, day out in faraway places, and they have done so for many, many years. I think this is a great opportunity for both sides of this House, and it is pleasing to see such agreement in these sorts of matters on paying tribute to our Australian defence forces.

In particular, in this case, the acts of Trooper Mark Donaldson simply go beyond words. The member for Cowan commented on how the word ‘hero’ is thrown around too much at our sporting champions and the like, and he is probably right. The media and others seek words to explain feats in all sorts of ways, but there is nothing that can actually explain the sort of behaviour and acts that Trooper Donaldson engaged in on that day in Afghanistan in September last year. While reading the citation, it is hard to imagine that a Hollywood producer could come up with such a scene: ambushed, running across a stretch of 80 metres of exposed land, firing three types of weapons and carrying across an Afghani interpreter—not an Australian mate of Trooper Donaldson but someone who he probably knew only a little bit but was willing to sacrifice his life to rescue—exposing himself to live fire. It is quite an extraordinary thing to think you could do. It is something that I imagine Hollywood scriptwriters would struggle to come up with, but this act occurred, and it occurred under our flag. It is something that we should all be very proud of. I know all members of this House are very proud of what he has done.

There are 96 others who have been awarded VCs—which first began in 1856, as I understand it—through our history. The VC, to me, brings back images of Gallipoli. I could be wrong on this, but I think several VCs were awarded for the acts that were undertaken in that battle at the Nek in Gallipoli where they jumped out of trenches and ran at machine guns. It is just impossible to imagine—and, thankfully, it is something that does not occur today. While that does not occur, the same courage, displayed by Trooper Donaldson, does, which is a great thing.

Many in this place have reflected on what the citation has said and what Trooper Donaldson did, and now of course we acknowledge Lance Corporal S as well. I will not go into that too much, except for acknowledging exactly how great the acts were. But I think it is worth reminding ourselves why we are in Afghanistan and why our troops are displaying this sort of courage. The Afghanistan commitment from Australia occurred after the terrorist attacks of September 11 2001 on the United States. We invoked the ANZUS treaty, went in with the United States of America and several other countries and took on terrorism in its home, in effect. It is a battle which continues and which will continue for some time yet. It is a sacrifice that eight of our troops have already made and potentially more will make.

We in this place—particularly those in leadership in this place—are the ones who have the obligation of making those decisions and commitments, and we should never take those decisions lightly. I know those decisions in the past have not been taken lightly. But what we do there is important. We are fighting for our freedom. We are fighting for democracy. We are fighting for the values we hold true. And I think in that respect it is very important that the government consider in great detail the request that the new President of the United States is making about additional commitments to Afghanistan. It is a battle that we should win and that we must win. On that note, I will conclude by saying that we salute Trooper Donaldson, as the head of the Australian Defence Force did.

Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker, I too seek your indulgence to make a brief statement in respect of Trooper Mark Donaldson VC. I do not personally know Trooper Mark Donaldson, nor have I met him, but I have taken the time to listen to other speakers and to read about him, both out of respect for him as a person and as a soldier, and out of respect for the men and women who wear the Australian Defence Force uniform and who Mark represents.

My personal interest arises because, over the years, I have developed a close relationship and friendship with many serving and retired Defence Force members and with most veterans’ organisations in my community. Only last Friday, I attended the 10th anniversary dinner at the Lutheran village RSL. And on the 19th of this month I hope to attend a service to commemorate the bombing of Darwin, at the Salisbury RSL. Through those relationships, I have learnt a great deal about the defence people who have served and who presently serve our country, and my respect for and admiration and appreciation of them all has grown immensely. So when Trooper Mark Donaldson was awarded a Victoria Cross—an award issued, I believe, only 96 other times previously in Australia’s 153 year history of that award—it became evident that Trooper Donaldson had demonstrated extraordinary bravery and extraordinary personal qualities.

My interest was also aroused because Keith Payne, who was the last recipient of the Victoria Cross, for his actions 40 years ago in Vietnam, is a person whom I have met and spoken with on several occasions. I want to briefly reflect on Keith Payne and what led to him being awarded the Victoria Cross. It is reported that, in May 1969, Keith Payne was commanding the 212th Company of the 1st Mobile Strike Force Battalion in Vietnam when it was attacked by a strong North Vietnamese force. His company was isolated, and surrounded on three sides. Payne’s Vietnamese troops began to fall back. Payne, by now wounded in the hands and arms, and under heavy fire, covered the withdrawal before organising his troops into a defensive perimeter. He then spent three hours scouring the scene of the day’s fight for isolated and wounded soldiers—all the while evading the enemy, who had kept up regular fire. He found some 40 wounded men, brought some in himself, and organised the rescue of others, leading the party back to base through enemy-dominated terrain. Payne’s actions that night earned him the Victoria Cross, which was gazetted on 19 September 1969.

Of particular note is that Keith Payne has never stopped caring for his defence colleagues. I have met with Keith Payne because he has travelled, on occasions, from Queensland to South Australia to support his Vietnam veteran colleagues in South Australia, with whom I have a close association. He never stopped caring about his mates.

As with Keith Payne, I suspect that Trooper Mark Donaldson’s actions in Afghanistan reflect more than just a spontaneous act of courage but, rather, an underlying special quality about Trooper Donaldson’s character. The actions which led to him being awarded the Victoria Cross are quite remarkable. The Prime Minister and other speakers have detailed the heroic actions of Trooper Donaldson in Afghanistan, and I do not intend to repeat what has already been said. I do, however, want to quote what Trooper Donaldson said when asked about the incident that he was recognised for. He said:

I’m a soldier … I’m trained to fight … It’s instinct and it’s natural … I just saw him there, I went over there and got him, that was it.

In other words, he did what came naturally to him—at least, that is my interpretation of what he did.

It was interesting to hear the Minister for Defence earlier on use the word ‘modesty’ in his description of some of our defence people; it seems to me that it certainly applies in the case of Trooper Mark Donaldson. As with Keith Payne, what I have just quoted truly says a lot about Trooper Donaldson’s character: it is the character of a person who genuinely cares for others. It also says a lot about the ethos of the men and women who serve in Australia’s defence forces. It is not a role all people are up to, and those who do serve deserve all the recognition they receive.

It must be a terrible thing to be caught up in military conflict. I could not help but listen to the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Support only a few moments ago when he was talking about what it is like to be caught up in the midst of conflict. I took his words seriously because I know that he knows what he is talking about as someone who has been in that situation. It certainly made me think very carefully about what it must truly be like. He too referred to the analogy that is often used comparing sporting greats and military people; I cannot help but agree with the parliamentary secretary’s interpretation of who the true heroes are.

As the first recipient of the Victoria Cross for Australia, Trooper Mark Donaldson has rightly earned himself a place in Australian history. Of greater significance is that he has undoubtedly earned himself a place in the heart of the wounded coalition force interpreter he rescued; in the hearts of his fellow Afghan, US and Australian soldiers, whom he protected and cared for; in the hearts of his fellow soldiers, whom he continues to serve with; and in the hearts of the people of Australia, who value our defence men and women.

Trooper Mark Donaldson clearly embodies the very best qualities which distinguish the defence men and women of Australia and the very best in human nature. I take this opportunity to add my personal admiration and pay tribute to Trooper Mark Donaldson for his much deserved recognition in being awarded the Victoria Cross for Australia.

Luke Hartsuyker (Cowper, National Party, Deputy Manager of Opposition Business in the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this discussion in relation to the award of the Victoria Cross for Australia to Trooper Mark Donaldson, because Australia, despite being a young country, is one of the world’s oldest continuous democracies and almost from our beginnings as an independent nation we have been defined by the actions of our service men and women. From Gallipoli and the jungles of Kokoda and Vietnam to modern-day Iraq and Afghanistan, our service personnel have done us proud. They have defined this country in the eyes of the world. But why have the military defined this country in the eyes of the world? I think the words of Winston Churchill give an insight into why. He said:

Courage is rightly esteemed the first of human qualities, because … “it is the quality that guarantees all others.”

I think that is a very important point that Churchill made, that courage is the quality that guarantees all others.

Only recently, in the awarding of the Victoria Cross for Australia to Trooper Mark Donaldson, we have seen courage on display, courage writ large. I would like to recount to the House the citation he received, which says:

On 2 September 2008, during the conduct of a fighting patrol, Trooper Donaldson was travelling in a combined Afghan, US and Australian vehicle convoy that was engaged by a numerically superior, entrenched and coordinated enemy ambush. The ambush was initiated by a high volume of sustained machine gun fire coupled with the effective use of rocket propelled grenades. Such was the effect of the initiation that the combined patrol suffered numerous casualties … lost the initiative and became immediately suppressed. It was over two hours before the convoy was able to establish a clean break and move to an area free of enemy fire.

In the early stages of the ambush, Trooper Donaldson reacted spontaneously to regain the initiative. He moved rapidly between alternate positions of cover engaging the enemy with 66mm and 84mm anti-armour weapons as well as his M4 rifle. During an early stage of the enemy ambush, he deliberately exposed himself to enemy fire in order to draw attention … away from wounded soldiers. This selfless act alone bought enough time for those wounded to be moved to relative safety.

As the enemy had employed the tactic of a rolling ambush, the patrol was forced to conduct numerous vehicle manoeuvres, under intense enemy fire, over a distance of approximately four kilometres to extract the convoy from the engagement area. Compounding the extraction was the fact that casualties had consumed all available space within the vehicles. Those who had not been wounded, including Trooper Donaldson, were left with no option but to run beside the vehicles throughout.  During [the extraction], a severely wounded coalition force interpreter was inadvertently left behind. Of his own volition and displaying complete disregard for his own safety, Trooper Donaldson moved alone, on foot, across … 80 metres of exposed ground to recover the wounded interpreter. His movement, once identified … drew intense … machine gun fire from entrenched positions.  Upon reaching the wounded … interpreter, Trooper Donaldson picked him up and carried him back to the relative safety of the vehicles then provided immediate first aid before returning to the fight.

On subsequent occasions during the battle, Trooper Donaldson administered medical care to other wounded soldiers, whilst continually engaging the enemy.

Trooper Donaldson’s acts of exceptional gallantry in the face of accurate and sustained enemy fire ultimately saved the life of a coalition force interpreter and ensured the safety of the other members of the combined Afghan, US and Australian force. Trooper Donaldson’s actions on this day displayed exceptional courage in circumstances of great peril. His actions are of the highest accord and are in keeping with the finest traditions of the Special Operations Command, the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force. 

I make this contribution today not only because of the merit of these very courageous actions by Trooper Donaldson but also to recognise in this House that Trooper Donaldson grew up in Dorrigo, within my electorate. He is certainly a very well-known member of the Dorrigo community. Regrettably, the dangers of military service were brought home to our region quite recently by the tragic death of Sergeant Matthew Locke, a young man who came from Bellingen—also within my electorate.

I think it is totally appropriate that, within this House today, we recognise the great deeds of Trooper Donaldson. We should also recognise the efforts of all Australian Defence Force men and women who serve wherever they are asked and do the duties which they are asked. They do Australia proud. They are always there. They always do their share of the heavy lifting. They are a tribute to this country.

Robert Oakeshott (Lyne, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Trooper Donaldson was not personally known to me; however, his story is certainly one that has captured many of us, including me. In particular, I acknowledge the connection with the mid-North Coast of New South Wales, with his growing up in the town of Dorrigo in the electorate of Cowper. His award of the Victoria Cross has been followed very closely by many residents on the mid-North Coast. I just want to put on the record how incredibly respectful of him and his actions we all are, and I do that on a number of fronts. Firstly, I address his achievement as an individual trooper. We have heard, from the Prime Minister down, the commendation he received with the Victoria Cross, so I will not repeat that for the record. But it is hard to read the account and not put yourself in that situation and ask yourself the ethical question: ‘Would you do the same?’ It is very hard to say yes, which makes it an extraordinary act which has been performed. Trooper Donaldson’s commendation is certainly well deserved.

Secondly, it is hard not to mention his team and his fellow troopers. This is an opportunity for the parliament to send a very strong message of thanks to his colleagues. I know that Trooper Donaldson would certainly want his colleagues recognised also—those who served alongside him and continue to do so. We are incredibly thankful for the ongoing work that you do.

Thirdly, as a young man from the mid-North Coast, he is, without doubt, an example to others—so much so that, when I was doing the rounds of the electorate, as we all do on Australia Day, he was one of my two examples in the Australia Day speeches to the young people in the audience. The other was Nancy Bird Walton, who died in the week before Australia Day and who was also from the mid-North Coast of New South Wales. They are two examples of people who grew up in small towns in a regional area and yet went on to do extraordinary things for their country.

Dorrigo has an old dairy farming connection. The dairy farming term is, ‘He is a lead cow’—he is an example for others. Trooper Donaldson’s story is a leadership one, and hopefully it is an example to others from the region. In their teenage years everyone goes through a time when they wonder what it is all about—whether there are opportunities and whether there will be a future. The example that the Trooper Donaldsons of the world provide to the young people of the mid-North Coast is that, yes, there is a future. If you work hard and pursue whatever interests you have you will be successful. I thank him for being such a fine example and such a fine lead cow.

Fourthly and finally, I want to acknowledge, as a young father myself, that it was very noticeable in the media reports of the award presentation and, a week later, of the subsequent return of the medal to the national estate, that Trooper Donaldson has a young child and a very obviously loving wife. Whilst the Victoria Cross and commendation stand alone, regardless of personal circumstances, it was certainly very hard for me not to recognise and acknowledge his wife and child in the media images and then to reflect on his decision making process in the line of fire, and the increased decision making with regard to family that goes with that. It would be very hard for those issues of family and the love of family not to come up in what were extraordinary circumstances in the line of fire. Because I have three young children at home it particularly struck home to me that here was a man doing incredible things while he had a family at home whom he must have been thinking about and whom he certainly would love dearly.

In short, I have a direct message to Trooper Donaldson, if he takes the time to read Hansard. It is very much a thank you on behalf of the parliament of Australia. He has certainly done himself proud. He has done his fellow troops proud. He has done his region—the mid-North Coast of New South Wales, where he grew up—proud. He has done his nation proud. The final point, which I think is important to most of us here, is that he has certainly done his family proud. So, Trooper Donaldson, in short: thank you.