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

I rise to speak on the condolence motion for Sapper Jacob Daniel Moerland and Sapper Darren James Smith—not forgetting the explosives detection dog that was assigned to Sapper Smith, ‘Sapper’ Herbie. They were from the Brisbane based 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, 2CER, serving with the 1st Mentoring Task Force, working as part of the Australian dismounted patrol conducting operations in the Miribad Valley region of the Oruzgan Province. Sapper Darren Smith and Sapper Jacob Moerland were killed in action after their patrol was hit by an improvised explosive device on Monday, 7 June 2010 while conducting search operations for weapons caches and IEDs. These deaths brought to a total of 13 the operational deaths in Afghanistan, yet sadly, last night, we learnt of another three Aussie diggers killed in a helicopter accident, bringing the total to 16. The deaths of Sapper Smith and Sapper Moerland represent the first multiple combat fatalities for Australia since Vietnam.

Sapper Smith and Sapper Moerland were repatriated to RAAF Base Amberley on Sunday, 13 June 2010. The repatriation ceremony is an opportunity for the Army and their families to welcome home their fallen heroes. I, along with colleagues, attended the ramp ceremony. We attended to show our respect and our support and to offer our condolences to the families of Sapper Smith and Sapper Moerland. In a quote from the Bible, John 15:13 says: ‘Greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.’ This they did, and for this their nation is eternally grateful and their mates also.

I, along with Stuart Robert, the member for Fadden; Senator Steve Hutchins; and Nick Champion, the member for Wakefield, met Sapper Darren Smith and Herbie in Tarin Kowt on a couple of occasions during our visit to Tarin Kowt in April this year as part of the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program. It was Sapper Smith who demonstrated the equipment that was being used and how they used the dogs in detecting the IEDs—the challenges, the excitement but also the anticipation about going out on patrol. In fact, he was about to embark to the forward operating base. He knew what he was doing. He was a very professional soldier. He was very proud of his work, and he knew that he and his mates were making a difference. We spoke at the time of family. We spoke of the challenges. I detected that not only was he a fiercely proud Australian but he was proud to be making a contribution to make the world a better and safer place, not just for his wife, Angela, or his 2½-year-old son, Mason, but indeed for all people—and the Afghani people, for whom he had a deep and abiding respect.

By military standards it is said that to be a sapper you must be determined, resilient, patient, intelligent, physically and mentally tough, quick to learn and adapt, a team player, self-motivated and professional. You should enjoy explosive ordnance disposal, demolitions, mine warfare, air and water operations, making and breaking, training indigenous soldiers and negotiating a multitude of challenges. You must be willing and able to lead a sapper team in areas of difficult terrain and visibility with limited knowledge of the enemy, even when you are so hungry and tired that most men would choose to give up. The most defining thing is that to be a sapper is to be a person of attitude. This job description described the Sapper Smith that I and my colleagues met.

It was on 17 June, last Thursday, that I and colleagues attended the funeral of Sapper Moerland. Sapper Moerland was born in Cairns. This young man, with white-blond hair and big blue eyes, was 21 years of age. Sapper Moerland enlisted on 9 July 2007, completing his initial recruit training at 1st Recruit Training Battalion in October 2007. After completing his driver courses and a suite of combat engineer courses in May 2008, Sapper Moerland was posted to the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, Brisbane. 2CER was his first posting as a combat engineer. Whilst at 2CER, he went on to complete a number of courses, including the Protected Mobility Vehicle Driver course in April 2009 and the Combat First Aider in August 2009. His deployment as part of the 1st Mentoring Task Force was his first operation. He was deployed in January this year. As part of this tour, he has been awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with International Campaign against Terrorism clasp and the Afghan Campaign Medal.

It is an understatement to say that our sympathies go out to his mother, Sandra Moerland, and his father, Robert; his sisters, Laura and Bethany; and, in particular, to his fiancee, who he was to marry in November, Kezia Mulcahy.

From his unit, recollections were put together, and these are the words of the unit, recollections of 8530756, Sapper Jacob ‘Snowy’ Moerland:

Jacob ‘Snowy’ Moerland was the sort of person you’d picture in your mind when someone used the term ‘Sapper’. When I first met him, he was a relatively junior soldier in what was a young Squadron at 2 CER; however, he soon became known as one of the Squadron characters. This was no mean feat amidst a strong field of similar personalities.

Snowy was a reliable and proactive soldier, who would put considerable effort and focus into solving whatever challenges were thrown his way. Once given a task, he showed determination and imagination in getting a solution. He soon gained a reputation for being a ‘go-to’ sort of Sapper and was a valuable member of his Section, Troop and Squadron teams.

Snowy was an enthusiastic Sapper, who loved soldiering. He was especially happy when performing his trade in the field, and looked forward to field deployments whenever they arose. No matter how wet, cold, muddy or hot it was, Snowy was in the thick of the task, cajoling or cursing as the situation befitted, but always giving his all.

His Troop Commander once remarked that “If only we had a troop full of Snowy’s we would be unstoppable.” While not the most perfect and disciplined soldier by any standard, a commander could not ask for more commitment and better attitude towards doing the job that he loved than what we got from Snowy. He is a testament to the traditional ‘can-do’ fighting spirit of the Sapper and Aussie digger.

For all this, Snowy knew how to have fun. He had an extroverted sense of humour and at times disturbing sense of fashion. One of the first recollections of people who knew him is this sense of fun. While he occasionally had to be reminded that there was work on, Snowy’s approach to his duty was infectiously enthusiastic, and he was often doing his best to raise or maintain his friend’s morale, especially during difficult tasks. This could include acts like camming up, to the point of camming his hair, and sniffing people to see how they’d react.

One of Snowy’s trademarks was the aviator sunglasses he constantly wore with the huge grin on his face. When you picture Snowy, this image leaps to the forefront. Be it in DPCU or going out clothes, the sunnies and the grin were a constant.

I believe Snowy matured quickly within the Squadron, and with time would have become a very capable junior commander. He struck a good balance between his sense of duty and sense of fun.

He will be greatly missed by his Family, the Regiment and Army.

At the funeral, there was a very moving eulogy delivered. One of the parts of the eulogy was delivered by his pastor, Lee Dallman. It was a story that Jacob had written in the eighth year of his education at Gayndah State High School. I want to read that into the Hansard because I think it actually describes this young man who gave so much for our nation. It goes like this. In year 8 as part of the Gayndah State High School English program all students have an assignment entitled ‘My life’. These are excerpts from his assignment about his life up until then.

I was born at three minutes past two o’clock in the afternoon on the 14^th of January 1989. I weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces. I was born in the Cairns hospital.

When I came home from hospital I was given my first stuffed toy. It was a Koala. I named it Sunny Koala. When I was six months old I got another stuffed animal, which was a panda, so I named him Panda. I have still got them both.

My kindergarten years were spent in Mackay. The first day I cried because Mum was going to leave me all by myself. Then I fell asleep in an old tyre. I was going to sneak back to the car but they locked the gate and Mum saw me. After that I had fun there because we painted most of the time.

Preschool was fun. All the kids were nice to me. I liked to play dress-ups. My favourite costume was the Superman costume. I also liked the Batman costume. My favourite activity was ‘show and tell’.

The earliest birthday I can remember was when I was seven. I got the best rubber band gun from my Mum and Dad. I used to line my army men up and shoot them. For my birthday cake I got an ice cream cake made by the ‘Great Australian Ice Creamery’. The cake was made like a battle field with little plastic soldiers. It had chocolate ice cream for a hill with the British flag on it.

The earliest Christmas I can remember is when I was seven. I got lots of lollies and chocolates. We spent Christmas at my grandparents in Toowoomba. I got an Action Man Para Glider from my parents.

I have lived in many places because my Dad works for a Bank. At present I have spent 18 months here in Gayndah and I am enjoying it very much.

In primary school I liked many subjects. I had many friends in the first years at school. One of my friends was Brendan Burrows.

I have played many sports in my life. They include Soccer, Tee-Ball and AFL. I played soccer for three seasons in Gladstone, with one of the best teams in the district. We were almost never beaten in a game.

I have many interests, which include watching science fiction and fantasy films like Star Wars. I am also very interested in combat games such as Diabolo 2, Kingdoms, Age of Empires, and Heroes 3.

I have built many models. All of them are airplanes, most of them from World War 2.

My best friends in Gayndah are Luke Gatt, Mathew Grant, Dean Mathisen and Troy Sawdy.

I like people who are honest, trustworthy and have a good personality for friends.

Simon Walker is one of my best friends. I have known him since our mothers met each other at a baby clinic.

I like holidays because I can see family and friends as well as get some time off school. The best holiday I have ever had was five months long. Dad decided that he wanted to take long service leave and we would explore the Northern Territory and if we had time we would visit parts of Western Australia.

At the present I am 1 m 61 cm. I have short-cropped blond hair, fair skin, blue eyes and a medium build. I am in year eight and have a love of life that not even Elmo and Ernie off Sesame Street can match.

I am pretty content with myself at the moment and I wouldn’t change a thing. The value of my life is priceless. I like my friends and even my family.

Having to regret things in my opinion is just extra baggage you don’t need, so I live life now. The world is out there to be enjoyed and I for one, am going to have some fun.

One of the letters that he wrote to his fiancée Kezia was part of the service. He wrote:

TO MY ANGEL

In the darkness you are my light,

the shining brilliance that lights my path home.

Into the loving arms that you have waiting for me,

I will run and collapse into gently falling asleep.

Your voice rings out calling my name

A sound that would make angels cry because of the beauty that

resonates from it.

A voice I hope to wake up to every morning.

To hear until the end of time.

The love that I feel even now from you

Warming my heart on these cold lonely nights

Ever present, ever comforting, forever surrounding me

The warmth one can only feel if loved completely and unconditionally.

I hope one day to be able to fully express my love for you baby. You

are everything to me. My one and only, marrying you would be the

greatest and most amazing thing for me. I would be yours forever

in a fraction of a heartbeat. You’re the most beautiful, sexy, passionate,

loving woman in the world and nothing would make me

happier than to call you my wife.

Love For Always My Angel.

My heart and soul is yours forever and always.

Your loving fiancée

Jacob.

That was written on the battlefield as he counted down the days until he came back. His pastor Lee Dallmain said:

Jacob could get away with just about anything actually, because balanced with his cheekiness was his amazing capacity to love and to show compassion.

I have never seen a teenage boy hug his mother so much. He was never ashamed to show his affection to his mum in public, and was fiercely protective of his sisters. He would stir them up of course, but they were his sisters. He was actually willing to give just about everyone a hug who he thought needed it. Many times I was on the end of one of his big bear hugs. We see the tenderness of his poem to Kezia.

It was fitting that he served in Afghanistan the way he did. He wouldn’t have seen it as a chore. Instead he would have revelled in helping those less fortunate. He would have excelled in mentoring others. He had a remarkable ability to make one feel loved and appreciated, and as families and friends we grieve. We will miss him.

He also said:

Our Jacob certainly lived up to his promise. It is only fitting for Jacob to have the last word.

And these are Jacob’s words:

If I could live anywhere in the world, it would be anywhere where there was friendship and loyalty to each other. Ultimately I would like to live where I could be at one with Mother Nature and God.

His mother released a statement in which she said:

Jacob wanted to join the army from an early age and he loved his mates and his job and I have never seen Jacob so happy as during his march out parade.

Jacob died doing the job he loved and he went to Afghanistan not because he had too, but he thought it was a valuable job to help the people in Afghanistan.

When I spoke to Mrs Moerland at the repatriation ceremony she said of Jacob’s death: ‘Please don’t let this death be in vain.’

Last Saturday I, along with colleagues, attended the funeral of Sapper Darren Smith. Sapper Darren Smith was a committed, passionate, unassuming soldier, father and husband. His priority in life was his family and, after that, the Army. Smithy was 26 years old. He was born on 16 November 1984 in Adelaide, South Australia. As a student he was a very successful sportsman, especially in soccer and cricket.

Sapper Smith’s military career commenced as part of the Army Reserve when he enlisted on 29 November 2001. He completed recruit training at Kapooka in January 2002, serving as part of 3rd Field Squadron in South Australia. Sapper Smith went on to complete his combat engineer suite of courses in 2004 and he became part of the Australian Regular Army when he was posted to 1 CER in October 2004. He completed a number of driver courses, up to heavy vehicle and armoured personnel carrier level. While at 1 CER he successfully completed his explosive detection dog handler course in December 2006.

Sapper Smith was posted to 2 CER in January 2009. He demonstrated an aptitude for promotion and completed the junior leader course in November 2008. His deployment as a part of MTF1 was his first military operation. He deployed in March 2010 as a replacement dog handler to support relief out-of-country leave for other sappers in country. However, while in Afghanistan his deployment was extended due to the requirement for further dog handlers. As a part of his tour he has been awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with the International Campaign against Terrorism clasp, the NATO Service Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal.

Sapper Smith was married to Angela and he leaves behind a 2½-year-old son, Mason. Both Angela and Mason live in Brisbane, although Angela was originally from Adelaide. He met Angela while serving at 1 CER in Darwin. Many of his friends have commented that he was an excellent father and husband who was always there for his immediate family. Sapper Smith’s son, Mason, has a very close resemblance to his father.

Sapper Smith was a quiet achiever, but an achiever nonetheless. He had a true love of and dedication to dog handling and during his career he looked after three explosive detection dogs, Mandy, Buster and Herbie. He loved each of them dearly and treated them with care. During 2007-8 the regiment and the corps very much admired his dedication and work with Herbie in order to assist his rehabilitation after the dog sustained an injury. Sapper Smith represented his country on Exercise Longlook in the United Kingdom and worked with British dog handlers. He also met with the Queen. He was instrumental in initiating buried hides training in the Army, including sketches and diagrams for consideration. Sapper Smith made his own leashes in order to be more efficient. He was always at work early in the day and late in the evening, caring for his explosive detection dog. He spent extra time with his dogs to ensure they were up to standard. When it looked like Herbie was going to be scrapped as a working dog, Sapper Smith spent even further time caring for him and working with the vets to ensure that that dog could meet certification requirements and eventually be allowed to deploy.

Sapper Smith was an excellent soldier, a great father and a wonderful husband. He will be greatly missed by his family, his regiment and his Army. Our deepest and sincerest condolences go out to Angela Smith, 2½-year-old Mason and Darren’s father, Graeme, and indeed to all of their friends. During the eulogy Dallas Livermore read a poem that he wrote for Darren, entitled Heroes. It is a very moving poem.

Angela Smith put out a statement which encapsulated Darren’s life:

Tomorrow we’ll farewell Darren with a celebration of his life. Family, friends and Darren’s mates will gather at the Marist Brothers Chapel, and we’ll remember all the Darrens we knew—the devoted father of Mason, my loving husband, a son who made his family proud, a dedicated and very professional soldier, a great mate, and a larrikin with a wicked sense of humour and mischief, but a man who would do anything for anybody, no matter what the cost.

Darren had an uncanny empathy with the dogs he cared for, taught and worked with. He had developed strong ideas on training, and also the welfare of the Explosive Detection Dogs. We often talked about his ideas and what he would like to have seen done to improve training and conditions, and I’m going to work as best I can to make sure Darren’s dreams come true.

The last 10 days have been a huge ordeal for all of us, and I’d like to offer some thanks on behalf of Mason, Darren’s dad Graeme, and the rest of our families.

A big thank you to all our friends who have rallied around and supported us, to members of the community who felt Darren’s loss and our pain; to the Army family which Darren was so proud to be a member of, in particular his unit the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment.

Thank you to the Defence Community Organisation, and also thank you to the Australian Defence Force media who worked hard to maintain our privacy and respect.

Our future will now be very different, and it won’t be easy.

During the funeral, Angela got up and read a poem that meant a lot to her. It was Stop All the Clocks, Cut Off the Telephone by WH Auden:

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead

Scribbling on the sky the message He Is Dead,

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and my Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last for ever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.

For nothing now can ever come to any good.

His father, Graeme, spoke at the eulogy about the early days with Darren when Darren made a decision to become a soldier. He said:

He got in the back of the car and the first thing he said was, ‘That’s what I wanted to do.’ He said he was so proud to have served his country. Darren was a cheeky little kid, always happy. He was so much more than a son, he was my best friend. Most of all, though, he loved his wife and his son, he loved Angela with all his heart and Mason was this little ray of sunshine in his life. Darren, I loved you yesterday, today and tomorrow and I will love you forever.

During part of the eulogy, Lieutenant Colonel John Carey, the commanding officer of 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, said that, while Sapper Moerland was killed instantly, it took 20 minutes for Darren to pass. In those 20 minutes with his mates who attended to him, he spoke of his love for his wife and his child. He wanted to make sure that they knew how much he loved them. I say to his son, Mason: in the years to come, just remember that your father put you first and he worshipped the ground you walked on. To him, you were his hero and you made life worthwhile.

As Thucydides, the Ancient Greek historian and author, said:

The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.

Both of these sappers have always put their mates first. They say of combat engineers they are always out front. It was John Stuart Mill, the English philosopher, who said:

War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.

Some people live an entire lifetime and wonder if they have ever made a difference in the world, but I can assure this House that people like Sapper Darren Smith and Sapper Jacob Moerland do not have that problem.

Louise Markus (Greenway, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to pay tribute to three fine sappers who were killed in action in Afghanistan on 7 June 2010. I rise this afternoon to extend my condolences to the families of Sapper Jacob Moerland and Sapper Darren Smith, who were tragically killed in Afghanistan earlier this month. Both men were based in Brisbane. I also rise to pay tribute to Sapper Herbie, Sapper Smith’s explosive-detection dog, who died beside his handler.

As we are all aware, yesterday we received more tragic news of three more Australian soldiers killed and a further seven wounded when a Black Hawk helicopter was involved in a non-combat accident in Afghanistan. Media reports this morning tell us that the three soldiers lost yesterday were from the Holsworthy Army barracks in Sydney. They were elite soldiers, commandos of the Special Operations Task Group. I and my colleagues from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade had the privilege of visiting their unit only last year, and we had the opportunity to observe a training exercise and to meet and talk with some of the men. I have to say that they are some of Australia’s finest—professional, committed, passionate and well able to do their job.

This past fortnight has been one of the most difficult for the Australian Defence Force. The deaths of five soldiers and the injury of seven others in the last fortnight only highlight the highly dangerous nature of the work being undertaken by our defence personnel in operations like those in Afghanistan. It must never be forgotten that these men serve our nation. Wearing the uniform of the Australian Army, the Royal Australian Navy or the Royal Australian Air Force is indeed a very high calling. These five men and Herbie have made the ultimate sacrifice. They died serving all of us. They wore the uniform of the Australian Army with pride, and we must be proud of their efforts and remember, reflect on and commemorate their service.

Recently I visited the Australian War Memorial, where the ACT branch of the RSL held a wreath-laying ceremony before their annual congress. I was able to lay poppies in the Hall of Memory in remembrance of Sapper Moerland, Sapper Smith and Sapper Herbie. The memorial advised me that planning was already underway to have the names of Sappers Moerland and Smith listed on the roll of honour by 11 November, Remembrance Day. Their names will now be joined by the names of three more of Australia’s sons for Remembrance Day.

As the shadow minister for veterans’ affairs, I felt, along with my community, the loss of these five men killed in the service of their nation. The loss of Australian soldiers is particularly felt by those Australian families who have lost loved ones during operations. This morning, the media carried the stories of the families of Private Gregory Sher and Private Benjamin Ranaudo, reminding the families of Sappers Smith and Moerland that there is support available to them at this time.

A family that I particularly thought of when this news broke is that of Private Luke Worsley. Luke died in Afghanistan in November 2007 as a result of small arms fire in Oruzgan province. Luke’s parents live in my electorate. I recently touched base with Luke’s mum just a few days after the recent news of what had happened to the three sappers. Each time news like this is brought to public attention, it has an impact on them. So today I want to acknowledge and pay tribute to the families that today are feeling the pain as they remember. They are aware of and identify with the long journey ahead for the families that are just freshly beginning to feel sadness and grief.

As yet, we do not know the identities of the man killed yesterday or the seven who were injured and are now receiving medical care. I say to their families that our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with you. Our nation stands ready to provide whatever assistance we can to you in this time of grief and sadness.

It is also fitting to pay tribute and send our thoughts to the soldiers who served alongside Sappers Moerland and Smith in Afghanistan. Their stoic bravery in facing up to a new day without their mates by their side must be a difficult challenge, and their bravery and courage are to be remarked. Their families, I am sure, also feel a sense of loss during this sad time. The defence community is indeed a close family. I am sure the defence family will now do its best for the families of Sappers Moerland and Smith.

I would like to say a few more words about the three sappers who died in Afghanistan. Sapper Moerland was 21 years old and was born in Cairns. He enlisted on 9 July 2007. He completed training in the 1st Recruit Training Battalion, along with driver and combat engineer courses, before being posted to 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, Brisbane. Sapper Moerland was on his first deployment. Sapper Moerland was awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with clasp, International Campaign Against Terrorism; the NATO Service Medal; and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. He has also received the Return From Active Service Badge. The Moerland family is very proud of Jacob’s service to his nation. His mum, Sandra, and sisters, Bethany and Laura, issued a media statement following the announcement of his death. I know it has already been mentioned by my colleagues but I would like to repeat what Sandra said:

Jacob died doing the job he loved and he went to Afghanistan not because he had to, but he thought it was a valuable job to help the people in Afghanistan.

This commitment and compassion to not just the people of our nation but also the people of other nations is something that I see time and again when I spend time with the ex-service and veterans community and with our current serving personnel. To the Moerland family and Jacob’s fiancée, Kezia, I extend my sincerest condolences.

Sapper Darren Smith was 26 years old and was born in Adelaide. He was a husband to Angela and a father to 2½-year-old Mason. Sapper Smith died on active service in Afghanistan. Sapper Smith joined the Army Reserve in 2001. After completing a combat engineer course in 2004, Sapper Smith became part of the Australian Regular Army in October that year and was posted to 1st Combat Engineer Regiment. It was here that he completed his explosive detection dog handler course. Darren’s wife, Angela, paid tribute to her husband’s unique empathy with dogs. In a statement issued last Saturday, when his funeral was held, Angela said:

Darren had an uncanny empathy with the dogs he cared for, taught and worked with. He had developed strong ideas on training, and also the welfare of the Explosive Detection Dogs. We often talked about his ideas and what he would like to have seen done to improve training and conditions, and I’m going to work as best I can to make sure Darren’s dreams come true.

Sapper Smith was on his first deployment. He has been awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with clasp, International Campaign Against Terrorism; the NATO Service Medal; and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. He has also received the Return From Active Service Badge and the Australian Defence Medal.

I recently spoke with some engineers at an RSL congress. They made it very clear, with tears in their eyes as they spoke, and one man said: ‘Three sappers died. That dog Herbie was one of us.’ Sapper Smith’s dog, Sapper Herbie, a 3½-year-old collie-cross died alongside his handler. Last year a memorial within the grounds of the Australian War Memorial was unveiled as a tribute to all animals lost in war. Sapper Herbie joins a long line of animals which have also paid the ultimate sacrifice in a war zone.

The death of these fine young soldiers has touched all Australians. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten by this grateful nation. Their sacrifice should harden our resolve to defeat the insidious forces of international terrorism. Sappers Moerland and Smith’s names belong to the ages, as will the names of three more fine Australians who died yesterday. We will indeed remember them. Lest we forget.

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

It is with sorrow that I rise today to support the condolence motion moved by the Prime Minister concerning Sapper Darren Smith and Sapper Jacob Moerland. They were both members of the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, based in Brisbane. I and my colleagues on all sides of the parliament and, indeed, the nation are mourning the loss of these two brave soldiers.

I start by extending my deepest sympathies and condolences to both men’s families, their friends, their colleagues and their brothers in arms. Our prayers and thoughts are with them all at this dreadful time. Sadly, the opportunity to speak on this particular condolence motion comes only a day after another three Australian soldiers tragically lost their lives in Afghanistan and seven other servicemen were wounded, two of them very seriously. They were members of the Australian Special Forces contingent, which is based just outside my electorate at Holsworthy. This tragedy brings it very close to home for people in Western Sydney. Once again, I offer my thoughts and prayers to the families and friends of those who are only just now coming to terms with the loss of their loved ones so far away. I extend my best wishes to those who are injured and pray for their speedy recovery.

The attack on 2 June killed Sapper Smith and Sapper Moerland. Sapper Darren Smith was a dog handler and his dog, Herbie, was also killed. Dogs do an amazing job. Those of us who have had the opportunity to see them work in the military can attest to that. We all know the bond between us humans and our animals. However, I cannot imagine how close the bond would have been between a dog as specifically trained as Herbie and his handler, Darren Smith. It would have been very close. Again, this just adds to the tragedy.

These are very much tragic times for Australia and for the Australian Defence Force. These deaths take to 16 the number of Australian soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2002. All these men paid the ultimate sacrifice. These deaths are a sobering reminder of just how difficult and perilous each day in Afghanistan is. Whilst their deaths come at a time when there is public questioning of our involvement in Afghanistan, it is important to remind ourselves just what our role is in that country. Our mission is necessary and vitally important. We know that we are up against a determined and dangerous enemy. You have only to watch the TV to see that firsthand. Each day our soldiers are working diligently alongside the United States and other allied NATO countries to ensure that Afghanistan does not return to being a breeding ground for terrorists, who we know are capable of striking anywhere in the world and at any time. Sadly, this includes Australians both at home and abroad. We are not free from this horror. More than 100 Australians have already lost their lives to terrorists in the last decade.

In question time today the Prime Minister reaffirmed our military position in Afghanistan. He said that that it was in our nation’s interest to stay on course despite the consequences we are currently facing. As difficult as it may seem during these horrific times, we must be firm and we must complete the mission we have set ourselves in partnership with our allies. I take this opportunity to reiterate the Prime Minister’s comments and those of the Minister for Defence about the outstanding work that our many fine men and women in the ADF are doing on our behalf. To them I say: I, along with the community that I represent in south-west Sydney, recognise and appreciate the tremendous work you do on our behalf. Your job comes with a degree of risk that, thankfully, most of us will never, ever have to face. I know it takes a special kind of person and a special kind of courage to wear the uniform of the ADF. All Australians are truly indebted to the service and dedication of these young men and women.

We mourn the loss of these soldiers. On behalf of my colleagues, my family and my community, I would like to once more offer my sincere gratitude to them for their service and for the commitment they showed on behalf of our nation. My thoughts are with the families, friends and colleagues of those who have given their lives for our security. May they rest in peace.

Stuart Robert (Fadden, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the condolence motion for Sapper Darren Smith and Sapper Jacob Moerland, and to pass on my sympathies and support to Angela Smith and their beautiful little boy, Mason; and to Jacob’s fiancee, Kezia.

Sappers Jacob Moerland and Darren Smith from the Brisbane based 2CER, the 2nd Combat Engineering Regiment, died as a result of wounds sustained when an IED, an improvised explosive device, was remotely detonated on the morning of 7 June 2010, Afghanistan time. They were part of an Australian dismounted patrol conducting operations in the Mirabad Valley region of Oruzgan province. They were serving with the 1st Mentoring Task Force in Afghanistan, based around the 6th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment. Sapper Smith’s explosives-detection dog, Herbie, was also killed. They were two young soldiers, sappers and engineers.

Sapper Smith’s military career commenced as part of the Army Reserve, enlisting in November 2001, completing recruit training in January 2002 and then becoming part of 3rd Field Squadron in South Australia. He went on to become a combat engineer in 2004 and part of the Australian Regular Army, and he was posted to 1CER in Darwin in late 2004. Whilst at 1CER, he also successfully  completed his explosives-detection dog handler course. He was subsequently posted to the 2nd Combat Engineering Regiment in January 2009. He had also completed his junior leader course in late 2008. His deployment with MTF1 to Afghanistan was his first operational deployment.

I still remember the first time I was deployed overseas on military operations; it was a mixture of much excitement as well as concern about some of the daunting things we would face. I have no doubt that Sapper Smith felt exactly the same thing, as well as incredible pride in the uniform he wore. When he looked at the left and right sleeves of his shirt, where velcroed on each arm was the Australian flag and the rising sun of the Australian Regular Army, it would have reminded him of why he served and who he served—his nation—and what he was part of.

Sapper Smith was deployed to Afghanistan in March 2010. As part of his deployment he received the Australian Active Service Medal with clasp International Campaign against Terrorism or ICAT, the NATO Service Medal and the Afghan Campaign Medal. He was also a recipient of the Australian Defence Medal. Sapper Smith leaves behind his beautiful wife, Angela, and a 2½-year-old son, Mason. They lived in Brisbane. He was 26 years old, born in Adelaide, South Australia. As I said, Sapper Smith’s dog, Herbie, a 3½-year-old collie cross to whom he was very close, was also killed in action.

Sapper Jacob Daniel Moerland enlisted on 9 July 2007. He completed his initial recruit training at 1st Recruit Training Battalion in late 2007. After a suite of combat engineering courses in 2008, he was posted to 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment in Brisbane. It was his first posting as a combat engineer. Whilst there he went on to do a range of courses including protective mobility vehicle driving and combat first aid. Again, his deployment in January this year as part of Mentoring Task Force - 1 was his first deployment. As part of his tour he has been awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with Clasp, International Campaign against Terrorism (ICAT), NATO Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. He leaves behind his fiancée, Kezia, who lives in Brisbane. The young Sapper was 21 years old.

I met these two lads on a bright summer’s day in Oruzgan province. Dust was everywhere. The second Combat Engineering Regiment had a detachment there that they brought out to demonstrate for a few members of parliament—who were visiting and embedded in the combat zone for just short of a week—their equipment, the gear they were using, how they operated and how they moved around obstacles. I remember seeing the two lads, one of them with Herbie, his dog, demonstrating how they clear mines, how they moved about and how effective the dog was in working for the troops. They demonstrated their mine clearing equipment and how they detect mines.

They had a couple of their mates and I grabbed all their gear because they were saying the gear was ‘so heavy’. We talked about operational experience, what we have done and how much gear I used to carry in the paras. I grabbed their gear and chucked it on. I put on their MCBAS—their modular combat body armour system—and their webbing. I grabbed their rifle, ammunition and water and I grabbed their portable ECM. I tell you what; I was weighed down by 50 kilograms. These guys were right; they were carrying an enormous load.

Combat engineers were in enormous demand and desperately sought after by every formation on the ground because whenever the troops would go out with the MTF or whenever our boys were deployed they would desperately seek combat engineers. As they came to obstacles, corners in the road or areas where they could not see they would stop and prop, and the engineers would go out searching for mines—improvised explosive devices. These are devices that are difficult to see and that have little or no metal content. Here they were with their metal detectors looking for the thinnest of wires by which to discover the mines and to protect their fellow soldiers.

These two men were proud of their jobs. They were proud of the fact that they kept coalition soldiers alive. They did their job well. Even as we spent a brief 30 minutes, you could see the pride they had in their work and in what they did, the pride in which they kept their equipment and their vehicle always ready for deployment and they were certainly always working hard. The hardest working guys in Afghanistan, I am sure, are the engineering guys, the combat engineers, the EOD technicians and the like.

It is attributed to George Orwell that:

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

These two sappers were killed by a remotely detonated improvised explosive device, which meant that the Taliban insurgent who detonated it could see the target, waited until the men approached and then detonated the device. That should give the nation pause to think and should illuminate clearly the type of enemy we fight. This is not an enemy with any compassion or any compunction in destroying coalition forces, as they desperately seek their own extremist views of Islam and seek to impose that way of life upon the nation of Afghanistan.

We sleep safe in our beds here because of rough men like these two sappers, like the men of the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, like men of the Special Operations Task Force and like men and women of all the ancillary forces that make up the combat force in the Middle East. We sleep safe in our beds because rough men and women stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm.

Whilst it may sound a small statement, the sacrifice of these men is not in vain. They are a beacon of inspiration to others because they sought to provide a better future for the people of Afghanistan. They sought to provide freedom. They sought to provide a platform where little Afghani girls could go to school; where Afghan women were not brutally repressed and stuck in their homes; where violence was not the order of every day and where progress, freedom and aspiration could rein and grow. They sought to build a world in which the 93 per cent of the world’s heroin that currently comes out of Afghanistan would not. They sought to build a world where infrastructure was the norm, where banking systems operate, where schools, retail establishments and opportunities in manufacturing could grow in Afghanistan. That is the world they went over there to try and build. That is the world they went over there to secure, to allow that world to be built.

These men stand tall as men who believed that all people, wherever they may live, should have the opportunity to live in a better world. They stand tall because they believed in a world free from violence, free from intimidation and free from oppression. It can only ever be a small comfort, but these men died doing what they loved; they served their country. They died with the Australian flag on their shoulder. As two highly professional, skilled and dedicated soldiers, they knew the great dangers—be under no doubt about that. They knew the great sacrifices required. They served in the great tradition of their country, knowing that the only way that evil prospers is if good men do nothing. They will never share a place with those cold, miserable souls who stand by in ambivalence. Their place is one of honour. They are universally saluted. And if freedom is indeed a sure possession of those alone who have the courage to defend it then may I say that Sapper Darren Smith and Sapper Jacob Moerland stand tall in this nation’s history as men with the courage to defend freedom.

The ancient warrior, statesman and king Pericles, who founded the Athenian nation 2½ thousand years ago and led that nation during the first two years of the Peloponnesian War, said:

What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.

Lads, your families will not forget you. This nation will not forget you. Mason, you are only 2½ but one day you will read this, and you need to know that your dad was a deadset hero. And I will always remember that mild April day in Afghanistan when I spent half an hour with a couple of combat engineers who proudly showed me their gear and their drills and spoke with pride of their responsibilities keeping coalition troops alive. They truly epitomised the Aussie digger. They were young men—keen, on their first appointment—and I think they added to and made the Anzac name incredibly proud.

Judi Moylan (Pearce, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before I call the next speaker, I may have to vacate the chair before this condolence motion is concluded, and I just want to say that it has been a very special privilege to be in this chair and to listen to the very heartfelt speeches of my colleagues on both sides of this chamber on the condolence motion for Sapper Jacob Daniel Moerland and Sapper Darren James Smith. I endorse the sentiments that have been expressed and join my colleagues in extending condolences to the families, friends and work colleagues of Sapper Moerland and Sapper Smith. I thank the House.

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

I thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for your intervention, and I know your thoughts will be very much appreciated by the families, friends and comrades of those who we pay tribute to this evening. It is possible that I might have met Sapper Smith and Sapper Moerland. As defence minister, I of course had the privilege to meet literally hundreds of fine young Australians, so committed to their country as to be prepared to give their lives for their nation. Of course, I do not remember every face and name; that would be impossible. But it is certainly possible, having visited Enoggera Barracks on a number of occasions, that I did meet them. Of course, I do not have to remember their faces or their names to come to the conclusion that they certainly were very fine and brave Australians—their deeds speak for themselves.

I join with other speakers in extending my sympathies and thoughts to the family, friends and ADF colleagues of both Sapper Smith and Sapper Moerland. It is a very, very tragic time for the families and all who were close to these two brave Australians. I hope the fact that they died in service to their country somehow, at least over time, helps to alleviate the very great pain they are feeling today.

Yesterday we lost three more very brave Australians, this time not combat engineers but members of 2 Commando Company based at Holsworthy. Seven others were wounded in the same incident, some of them very badly.

While small when compared with the losses and injuries suffered by countries such as the US, the UK and Canada, the cost of the war in Afghanistan has been very significant for Australia. What always struck me as minister when I spoke with grieving family, friends and other serving personnel, but in particular parents, was that they found some comfort in the fact that their sons, brothers or husbands really believed in what they were doing, understood very clearly the risks involved and really believed they were making a difference.

I too believe they were making a difference. Indeed, I believe every serving member of the ADF in Afghanistan is making a real difference, in partnership with the members of the AFP and the civilian workers who are assisting. There should be no doubt in our minds that the longer we are in Afghanistan, and the more people we lose, the more difficult it will become to maintain the support for this campaign amongst the Australian electorate. So tonight I would like to remind the broader electorate of a couple of key points.

The 16 brave Australians who have given their lives in Afghanistan were not conscripts; they were volunteers. They were professional soldiers; indeed, they were very, very professional soldiers. I can confidently claim that every one of them wanted to deploy. They wanted an opportunity to serve their country. They wanted an opportunity to give effect to their training and the skills they had developed when doing that training. We should be in no doubt about that. They wanted to give effect to that training and to use those skills to make Australia and the globe a safer place in which to live and to work and to travel. They were conscious of the fact, and those who are still serving or might be about to serve are also conscious of the fact, that Australians died at the hands of fundamental terrorists. And they understand that there is a very direct link between what we are doing in Afghanistan and keeping Australians safe.

So I say: grieve for them, yes. Be grateful for them, yes. But understand that the greatest gift of appreciation we can give them is to finish the job, to see the mission through. What is that mission? That is my second message to the Australian people. We are in Afghanistan to play our part in an international effort to stabilise the war-torn country, to prevent it from again being a breeding ground and a launching pad for terrorists prepared to perpetrate their acts of terror right around the globe, including on our own doorstep and, indeed, including in our own country.

It is not a task that the US can or should shoulder alone, for many reasons. First, obviously that would not be fair. This is an international problem, the burden of which should be shared internationally. Second, even the US lacks the resources to undertake this task alone. Sure, the US has enormous resources which can be put to use in state-on-state conflicts, but not the resources necessary to deal with an insurgency and with asymmetric warfare such as we are facing in a place like Afghanistan, so large in its geography and so challenging in its landscape. Third, the ideological nature of this conflict insists that we have a united effort. It is so important that this be and continue to be an international effort—not the US versus the Taliban but the international community trying to make the world a safer place.

Our relatively small role—it is not unimportant; it is very important, but relatively small—is to assist in the training of the Afghan National Army in Oruzgan province. This is the very specific task the government has now given the ADF, for many reasons—in part to determine our end point in this campaign. While members of the Mentoring and Reconstruction Task Force are building an effective Afghan army, the Special Operations Task Group is disrupting and denying the enemy. Meanwhile, our people in uniform and our civilians alike help to build an economy, a justice system and, of course, a system of governance.

Sadly, the effectiveness of the work our people do will make only a relatively small difference in Afghanistan when compared to the critical decisions that are made and will be made in places like Washington, Brussels and, of course, Kabul. One right decision in those places and in those councils, of course, can be far more effective than any number of armies in their collective effort. I think that from time to time Australians and, indeed, members of the global community are entitled to be disappointed with some of those decisions, particularly some of the decisions that come out of Kabul itself. They are entitled to at times question the will and the determination of the Afghan government. I do not doubt or question the complexity of the issues faced by the government based in Kabul—there is no doubt that their task is a very, very difficult one—but Australians everywhere, I think, should focus their efforts more on doing what they can in a democratic process to put pressure on both us and other decision makers elsewhere to ensure that we have a strategy and a will to win. Of course, the definition of ‘win’ in this case is to be able to leave Afghanistan safe in the knowledge that there is a stable system of governance, that there is a justice system, that there are at least the beginnings of an economy—which is so critical to this outcome—and that the government there is sufficiently stable to resist any future attempts by organisations such as the Taliban to take back control of that country.

I also ask Australians to ask themselves: what would be the outcome of the international community suddenly withdrawing from Afghanistan? I suggest to you, Madam Deputy Speaker, to the parliament and to anyone else listening that it would lead to the greatest humanitarian disaster in the history of the globe as retribution is sought against those who decided to, if you like, side with the international community in its efforts to stabilise the war-torn country.

We saw the refugee flow into Pakistan during the conflict between the Russians and the Afghanis and, if you like, by proxy the United States of America. My belief is that that flow would look very small when compared with what you would see if the international community decided to suddenly withdraw from Afghanistan and the atrocities which would take place in that country would be potentially worse than anything we have seen in the past. So I say to the Australian people, even if you believe we should never have been in Afghanistan—and there is a good case, I am always happy to hear those arguments—we are in Afghanistan, the international community is in Afghanistan. If we do not finish what we began then there would be a terrible humanitarian disaster. In addition, there would be implications for places like Pakistan in particular which is, I remind people, a nuclear state, and it would embolden fundamentalists right around the globe. This idea of suddenly pulling out of Afghanistan would have very grave consequences.

On a similar theme, I would like to touch on something that has become part of the public debate in recent weeks—that is, the idea that the Australian legislature should play a greater role in determining when we go to war and how long we remain at war. This is an idea I absolutely reject for a number of reasons but two stand out fairly obviously. The first is that I am not sure what the technical definition of ‘war’ would be for the purposes of such legislation. War can stretch from a very fast intervention by special forces in, say, an unstable situation in the South Pacific, through to a short-term intervention—and when I say ‘short-term’ I mean something that escalates and de-escalates in a number of hours such as a maritime incident somewhere in our waters or beyond—through to the insurgency we are battling in places like Afghanistan and previously Iraq and right through to state-on-state conflict, God forbid. So there is a very key definitional issue and the reality is that in the majority of those cases there is no time for the legislature to gather and to deliberate on these very, very critical questions.

Secondly, and to me more importantly, is the folly of having such a debate in the legislature. When the National Security Committee of the Cabinet is considering putting people into harm’s way, there are a number of things it considers. First and foremost is the morality and necessity of the intervention. Another is the proportionate risk to our people—is the intervention worthwhile given the gravity or otherwise of the risks? Also very importantly is the prospect of success. There is not always a choice in existential threat situations when some of those choices are not with the National Security Committee of the Cabinet, but generally speaking they are. When assessing those things, a security committee does rely on some very sensitive information—information that is both critical to the decision-making process and that cannot be shared with the broader Australian community nor indeed the international community for obvious reasons. You cannot have a debate in the legislature without that information and you cannot have a debate in the legislature without therefore making that information known to the broader Australian community. It is unfortunate we cannot make that information available to the broader Australian community, but to do so would be to undermine and put at risk our efforts and indeed put at risk the lives of those who serve in the Australian Defence Force.

Some will say that many governments in Europe already have debates in their legislatures which determine these issues. Of course, some countries even have constitutional constraints upon them when making decisions about what they do or what they do not do in terms of military intervention. I acknowledge that, but I also ask people who put that argument to look at how effective that system has been in the conflict we are reflecting on this evening, Afghanistan, where European partners have been very constrained in the contributions they are able to make.

I have spoken with ministers from some of those countries. One minister even appealed to me in international forums to assist him to persuade his constituency of the merit of his country maintaining the course, maintaining its involvement in Afghanistan. That is an unfortunate situation, and I think the Westminster system has it right. It is a big ask, but it is appropriate for the Australian people and even the Australian parliament to put its faith in those who carry the very heavy burden of making these decisions. Of course, our Westminster system has a certain way of dealing with the people who make those decisions if they get them wrong.

I close by again extending my sympathies to the families of Sappers Smith and Moerland and reminding the families of all those who have gone before them, in Afghanistan and elsewhere, that we have not forgotten the deeds of their loved ones and, as a parliament and as a broader Australian community, we never will.

Arch Bevis (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise, as with all other members, to express my condolences to the families of Sapper Moerland and Sapper Smith. The loss of a young person’s life is always something that we grieve for. When someone has lost their life in the service of their nation, there is a depth of emotion and feeling that we all in this country instinctively feel. When we in this parliament take decisions to send young Australians to places abroad and place them in harm’s way, we do not do it lightly but we do it knowing that we may well confront the tragic news that the nation confronted just recently, and again this week, with the loss of Australian lives in Afghanistan.

On a personal level, it is hard to imagine the impact it has on immediate family and friends. The troops are well aware of the situation they are entering. They are well trained, they are committed and they go there as volunteers to do a task for their nation. Whilst their family and loved ones understand that may be so, it nonetheless is a different comprehension to that of those in the service.

Last Saturday I attended the funeral service for Sapper Darren Smith at Ashgrove Marist Brothers, along with representatives from the local community, from his regiment and from both sides of parliament, including the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. As I was looking at the program for the funeral service, I noticed Sapper Smith’s date of birth. He was about three weeks younger than my second son. As I sat through the service I had great difficulty getting that thought out of my mind. As I left the service and for a good deal of the day, I could not help but place my thoughts, as a parent, on the question of how you would feel in that situation and then on the decisions that I have taken and supported in this parliament. It caused me to reflect quite seriously on those decisions I take here in this parliament.

Before I move to that I want to say something about the Smith family and about his comrades who were there at the funeral service. Sapper Smith’s wife provided perhaps the most touching moment of the entire service when she bent over to kiss the flag across Sapper Smith’s coffin. Just thinking about it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up; I certainly lost my composure at that point during the service. She is clearly a wonderful lady who was deeply loved by Sapper Smith, and they have a wonderful son, who was very boisterous and—perhaps happily—at this point in time does not fully comprehend what has happened. Sapper Smith’s dad was also at the funeral and spoke with great pride about his son’s commitment to the Australian Defence Force.

It was equally moving to see the commitment of the members of the regiment who were there. One of the close friends of Sapper Smith—he had been best man at the wedding and provided one of the eulogies—in a very genuine way expressed the sentiment of many from his regiment as he pledged to look after the interests of Sapper Smith’s widow and child in the years ahead. I have no doubt that he and the others will do just that, as would Sapper Smith’s father, who spoke at the funeral service. These are difficult times for the family, and we cannot underestimate that. Frankly, we cannot pretend to comprehend it, even though we may have witnessed it at close quarters.

Those of us who are in this parliament share some of the responsibility for the determinations of policy like this. I stand here as a person who was very strongly and very publicly opposed to our invasion of Iraq. I think that was an enormous miscalculation by all involved. I also stand here as someone who is equally committed to our participation in Afghanistan, where, indeed, I believe we should have been from the start. I mentioned earlier that the events at that funeral made me reflect throughout that day on the decisions and public stances I have taken. I can stand here and say that, having gone through that reflection, I do believe it is important for Australia to be in Afghanistan. I do believe it is important that we establish a form of law and order in that part of the world, not simply because there may be some benefit to those who live in that country—although there will be—but out of, if you like, our selfish national interest, our regional interest and our global responsibilities.

Afghanistan has been home to some of the key fundraising and training activities of those who would export random violence. Indeed, Australians have been victims of it. The Australians who died in Bali were victims of those who had been supported, trained, aided and abetted by the activities allowed by the lawless situation that operated in Afghanistan. It is not coincidence that in the border territory between Pakistan and Afghanistan we see some of the most heightened fighting in the war against non-state terrorists. It is in the region’s interests to ensure stability there. It is definitely in the global interest to ensure stability on that border and to support the democratic government development within Pakistan. It is in the interests of countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia to put an end to a haven where terrorists can train with impunity, can raise money and can export their terror to anywhere on the globe they wish. Looking over the last decade, there is no doubt that Afghanistan has been a key part of that. It is important that we stabilise that area.

As the member for Hunter commented, some of the NATO nations in Europe have failed to fully take on their responsibilities in these matters. That is a cause for great regret. At the end of last year I had the opportunity to lead an Australian parliamentary delegation to the NATO assembly, where many of these matters were discussed in public and in private. It is true that some of those countries are deeply divided. Some people actually came to the Australians and asked us to talk to other members of their own parliamentary delegation about these matters, which was quite peculiar.

Without stability in Afghanistan and that part of the world, there is no doubt in my mind that we will confront another Bali, we will confront another attack on our embassies in our region and we will see in other parts of the world similar acts of mindless terrorism perpetrated.

The sacrifice of Sapper Moerland and Sapper Smith has been in the cause of our security here in Australia, the security of Australians abroad, the rule of law in Afghanistan and respect for human rights throughout this globe. Australian troops have had a very proud tradition of upholding those principles from the early days of Australian nationhood. Sapper Moerland and Sapper Smith are without doubt now held in the highest regard in that great tradition.

I want to make one other comment about the work they did. It takes a special sort of person to be in the military. It takes an even more special person to do the work they were doing. Dealing with unexploded ordnance, as they did, really does take a different set of nerves. You have to have a different mindset to do the work they did, and yet they did it with great joy, as was shown by some of the photos displayed at the funeral of Sapper Smith. There was one photo of Sapper Smith and Sapper Moerland together with their dog. They were obviously enjoying the work they were doing in providing safety to people around them, including their own troops and the villagers. It is a special person who does that sort of thing, and they deserve particular mention for that.

On behalf of all my constituents in Brisbane, who are so familiar with the military—we have got a long tradition with the Enoggera Army barracks, the Gallipoli Barracks—I extend to the bereaved families our very deep and sincere condolences. Especially because these two sappers were based at Enoggera and were Brisbane’s own, we feel it deeply.

Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the condolence motion for Sapper Smith and Sapper Moerland. I offer very sincere condolences and sympathy to their families, their friends and their ADF colleagues. They were indeed fine, brave young men. We know that our Australian ADF members are held in great regard right around the world and have been throughout our history as a nation, and rightly so. We need to acknowledge these two young men with the absolute greatest respect.

I have received a letter from the Returned and Services League of Australia sub-branch in the town of Bunbury in my electorate. They have written to me and said:

The RSL Sub-Branch Bunbury, WA, would like to pass on our condolences to the families, friends and service comrades of Sappers Darren Smith and Jacob Moerland who were killed in action in Afghanistan.

We feel for them, as in the Army, we are all one family and their deaths have a great effect on all their comrades past and present.

These young men joined the Australian Defence Force to protect and serve their country and have paid the ultimate sacrifice and deserve and receive our highest praise and respect.

Although Bunbury is a quiet little town we have received numerous calls from our members and the public in regards to this tragedy, offering condolences and at the same time supporting our serving troops. There will be no repeat of the shameful way our Vietnam Veterans were treated and their memories tarnished.

We have local members who are ex Engineers, and they keenly feel the deaths of Sapper Smith and Moerland as comrades as it revives memories of the mates they lost during their service.

Our local member and President for many years, Mr. Ross Stewart, made the following comments: “As a Sapper going to Vietnam part of our training included the technique of mine detection and booby traps and how to deal with them. Dealing with the reality of losing a mate (who, one has trained with) has life long memories of sorrow and not being able to rectify these occurrences and others, one never forgets”.

I believe these will be the sentiments and feelings of the comrades of Sappers Smith and Moerland. Again can I offer our greatest condolences and thoughts. We ask that these families are able to find the strength to deal with what they have to deal with. Not just now but throughout their whole lives they will remember this. To Sapper Smith’s wife and son and to the parents and families, we say: our deepest condolences. From Trevor Kenny, the President of the RSL in Bunbury, I do the same. I know the Bunbury RSL members would like me to say that they will be remembering these two young men on Anzac Day, and they would like me to say:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Greg Combet (Charlton, Australian Labor Party, Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is a very difficult time for the Australian Defence Force, with five casualties in the last two weeks and seven wounded, taking the toll for the ADF in Operation Slipper in Afghanistan now to 16 personnel having been killed in the course of their duty and no less than 134 ADF members wounded. It is an extremely important operation that the ADF is involved in, in partnership with our allies in the International Security Assistance Force led by NATO. Of course, we must not lose sight of the fact in these particularly tragic circumstances of the purpose of the mission. I know a lot of members have spoken in relation to it, but we must not lose sight of the fact that the ADF and Australia are involved with our allies in Operation Slipper as a contribution to fight international terrorism. The intention, the objective, is to bring security and stability to Afghanistan to prevent it from again becoming a haven for international terrorists.

I wish, of course, to add my deep sorrow at the deaths of Sapper Jacob Moerland and Sapper Darren Smith on 7 June this year. Before I speak further about them, I would like to refer to the news yesterday, as announced by both the Chief of the Defence Force and the Minister for Defence, Senator Faulkner, of three Australian commandos from the Special Operations Task Group having been killed and seven Australians wounded in an ISAF helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan. An ISAF civilian interpreter travelling with the Australian group was also wounded in that helicopter incident. One of the ISAF aircrew was also killed and three ISAF aircrew wounded. ISAF has now confirmed that the aircrew were US service personnel. The Australian government and I as a member of parliament extend our sincere sympathies and condolences to the families and friends of the aircrew member killed in this incident and our sincere regard for those members of the services of our partner nations in Afghanistan who were wounded in this incident. As Senator Faulkner has indicated on a number of occasions today, two of the Australian wounded are very seriously injured, one is in a very serious condition and four are currently in a satisfactory condition. Some, and possibly all, of the injured personnel are expected to be transferred to the health facility in Germany and, hopefully, will return to Australia in the very near future.

That incident follows closely on the circumstances of the casualties experienced in relation to Sapper Jacob Moerland and Sapper Darren Smith on 7 June. I was the acting defence minister at the time, Senator Faulkner being overseas, and in my capacity as Minister for Defence Materiel and Science I express my deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those men during what is obviously a terribly grief-stricken period of time. In particular, I would like to offer my condolences to Sapper Smith’s wife, Angela, his very young son, Mason, and his father, Graeme. I would also like to extend my sympathies to his extended family and friends and mates in the ADF. I would like to express my condolences to Sapper Moerland’s mother, Sandra, father, Robert, and sisters, Bethany and Laura, and his fiancée, Kezia. I also offer comfort to his extended family, friends and comrades in the ADF. I have had the privilege of meeting many men and women of the ADF and I am always, as I think all members in this place are, impressed by their professionalism and courage. Of course, the circumstances in Afghanistan demand every bit of professionalism and courage.

Sapper Smith, whose life and service we are honouring in this condolence motion, was aged 26. He was known as a very brave and dedicated soldier, committed to serving the nation. Over the period of time since 7 June, I have heard how Sapper Smith was a very loving husband and father and a quite remarkable person. He was very passionate about his job, putting others first, whether it was his friends in the Army or at home with his family and friends. He joined the Army Reserve, enlisting on 29 November 2001, and completed recruit training in January 2002, serving as part of the 3rd Field Squadron, South Australia. Sapper Smith went on to complete his combat engineer suite of courses in 2004 and became part of the Australian Regular Army. He was then first posted to the 1st Combat Engineer Regiment in Darwin in October 2004. He successfully completed his explosive detection dog handler course, I understand, in December 2006.

Sapper Smith was posted to the Brisbane based 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment in January 2009. He was a popular and valued member of the regiment and the Army, from all reports of his mates. He completed the junior leader course in November 2008. His deployment as a part of the 1st Mentoring Task Force, Afghanistan was in fact his first operational deployment, deploying in March this year. I was at Enoggera on that particular occasion when the troops were farewelled.

Sapper Smith was part of an Australian dismounted patrol conducting operations in the Mirabad Valley region of Oruzgan province at the time of his tragic death. As part of his deployment, he has been awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with the International Campaign against Terrorism clasp, the NATO Service Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. He has also received the Australian Defence Medal. On 7 June, when this incident occurred, Sapper Smith was tragically killed as a result of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated whilst he was on operations in the Mirabad Valley. The same blast, as has been widely reported, also claimed the life of Sapper Smith’s explosives detection dog, Herbie, with whom he obviously had a very special relationship.

Tragically, the IED also claimed the life of Sapper Jacob Moerland. Sapper Jacob Moerland was also a very loyal soldier, committed to serving this country and helping the people of Afghanistan. His passion and dedication to his service exemplifies again the courage and professionalism of those serving in the ADF. Sapper Moerland was only 21 years old. He was born in Cairns, joined the Army in 2007 and completed his initial recruit training at the 1st Recruit Training Battalion. After completing driver and combat engineer courses in May 2008, Sapper Moerland was posted to the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment at the Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera, in Brisbane. He was deployed for his first tour of duty to Afghanistan in January this year and was serving as a member of the 1st Mentoring Task Force at the time of his tragic death. Sapper Moerland has been awarded the Australian Active Service Medal with the International Campaign against Terrorism Clasp, the NATO Medal and the Afghanistan Campaign Medal. On 7 June Sapper Moerland was tragically killed by the improvised explosive device during the dismounted patrol while conducting operations in the Mirabad Valley region of Oruzgan province, where the Australian Mentoring Task Force is active. I am sure that someone so young will be very sadly missed by his family and his fiancee, Kezia.

This particular incident, as has been reported, was the nation’s first multiple combat fatality since the Vietnam War, almost four decades ago. How tragic it is that, only a very short period later, we have experienced the losses that the ADF experienced yesterday. But, as we remember Darren Smith and Jacob Moerland and fully contemplate the tragedy of the last 24 to 36 hours, I think the community is understanding the danger and the courage required to meet that danger that the ADF is facing in Afghanistan. All of us in this chamber know that we are in Afghanistan engaged with the international community in an extremely challenging campaign, and our troops in Afghanistan are doing a wonderful job in extremely difficult circumstances. Sappers Smith and Moerland died serving this country and they are owed a very special debt of gratitude that can never be repaid. Our thoughts, and my thoughts as a minister in the portfolio, are with the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, who are mourning the loss of these two comrades. Today, as we offer our sympathy and support to Darren Smith’s and Jacob Moerland’s families and friends, we say to them that we have not forgotten and we will not forget the very brave Australian soldiers that we have lost in this fight against the Taliban, but we retain the resolve to see the objectives of this mission achieved.

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

I thank my colleague the Minister for Defence Material and Science for his comments and I thank those who contributed before me. We gather again in unity in what has been a very heavy week in the life and history of this nation, where we have farewelled yet more proud sons of the Australian Army and of this country. Sapper Darren Smith and Sapper Jacob Moerland are the 13th and 14th fatalities respectively whom we commemorate and farewell tonight, and we offer our condolences to their families. These were two proud Australian soldiers, two proud engineers, sappers, who were members of a proud unit, the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, which I was privileged to work with in my time with the 1st Division at Gallipoli Barracks, Enoggera, and I know that you, Mr Deputy Speaker Bevis, know that unit very well and the life at that barracks very well.

We also farewell Sapper Smith’s explosives detection dog, Herbie. It is important to recognise what a close bond the sappers form with those dogs. In my own region, we have the experience of Sapper Peter Lawlis, who lives in Bredbo, who lost his dog, Merlin, over in Afghanistan. Just recently we were able to bring back the remains of Merlin, which formed a very important part of giving peace of mind to Sapper Lawlis. It is important to note just how close a bond they form in performing the dangerous work that they do.

We have heard the biographies of the two proud ADF members and about their families, so I do not propose to go back over those details. I am proud to note that Sapper Smith commenced his military service in the reserves, though, and went on to the regulars. We do have a wonderful record of people moving in and out of the regulars and reserves and rendering their service, and there have been members from the reserves lost in the conflict in Afghanistan. Their records of service were exemplary and they were doing incredibly important work—and I will come back to that.

I think members on both sides of the House do experience what the costs of these operations are when they attend the ramp ceremonies and the funerals and meet the families of ADF members. Neither side of this chamber runs away from the responsibility and the cost of these conflicts. What has struck me so much in these experiences has been the universal comments that we get from the families—that these members were passionate about their careers, passionate about the Australian Army and the Australian Defence Force and passionate about the work they were doing in Afghanistan, and that they had a firm belief in what they were doing in Afghanistan. The support that the families gave to those members and continue to give in their memory shows that they understand that their passion was for their job, and they understood that commitment, and none of them have resiled from that in the conversations that I have had with them or that they have had with other members of the chamber at those services or in subsequent contact with them. I think that is an important thing to note.

All of the members of the Defence Force that I talk to on a regular basis who are deploying to, coming back from or even redeploying to our theatres of operation in Afghanistan do remain 100 per cent committed. I have not heard a single person voice any concern about that commitment. They do feel that we need to see the job through there. It is an important point to note, I think, because whenever these casualties occur we do re-examine the nature of this conflict and our continuing commitment to it, and it is right that we do so. As we pay this cost, we need to re-examine whether it is worth that cost.

As I mentioned, we have heard in great detail about the character of these two ADF members, and fine members they were. We know that they were from the proud 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment, which has an incredible history itself. Its members having served as field companies through the First and Second World Wars and then gradually evolved into squadrons, they are now a combat engineer regiment. It is the 2nd Combat Engineer Regiment that gave us the Joint Incident Response Unit as well, which helps us to respond to incidents of chemical, biological or radiological threat.

The work of our engineers is quite diverse, and people need to know, I think, just how incredibly professional you have to be to follow a career as an engineer—a combat engineer in particular. These are people who do incredibly difficult, dangerous, strenuous and risky work, and the training leading up to this is also incredibly risky, strenuous and dangerous. Their main roles of course are to provide mobility and clear the way for the Australian Defence Force; to deny mobility to the enemy; to prepare field fortifications; to assault enemy field fortifications; and to deal with the modern risks emerging from chemical, biological and radiological threats. So they do perform incredible work. It requires nerves of steel to do some of the tasks that they do. In particular, this explosives detection work with dogs clears the way for their colleagues and clears the way for the civilians in Afghanistan and other people and agencies performing such great work there.

I guess people recently have had access to some of the nature of the work that is involved in dealing with these insidious improvised explosive devices through the portrayal in the film The Hurt Locker. But it is as well to note that that film portrays those who deal with devices that have already been discovered, and that the work of these sappers is to actually go out there to find those devices. That is incredibly strenuous and dangerous work.

Our 2CER, and engineer personnel generally that have served in Afghanistan as part of the engineering task unit in the 1st Mentoring Task Force, perform a number of tasks. It is important that we note those tasks. As part of the overall mobility and survivability support, they do route clearance; predominantly, as we have seen, in the case of this explosive ordnance, they search for and detect but also dispose of these devices. They also do limited construction tasks including maintenance at patrol bases. They have also been involved in the establishment of the trade-training school in Oruzgan province and provide training as part of that school. Also they are involved in the mentoring of the Afghan National Army’s engineering capability. So they do perform a broad range of tasks that aid both our security mission and also the capacity building in Afghanistan that is so important as the focus of this government’s strategy in Afghanistan.

It is important to note that we do have a strategy in Afghanistan. That strategy is to train the 4th Brigade of the Afghan National Army to a high standard, and then to hand over to that brigade. That will then be the trigger for the withdrawal of our own military component. Obviously, Afghanistan is a long work in progress. It is probably not ever going to look to us like a Jeffersonian or Westminster democracy, but we do need to continue to endure, to work towards an acceptable state of affairs there where we have a reasonable state of rule of law and good governance, and that will take many, many years of engagement on different levels. But our military engagement is pegged, clearly and distinctly, to this strategy of creating the Afghan capacity.

One of the threats, of course, that we face is these improvised explosive devices. They have been an insidious threat which has been indiscriminate and has caused many, many civilian casualties—in fact, more civilian casualties than military. And it is important to note that we have our own Counter Improvised Explosive Devices Task Force, which has done such great work over the years. We will leave no stone unturned in research and development, cooperating with other countries that are dealing with these threats, our allies and close friends, to find ways to counter these devices. We have also learned to use these situations to learn more about the threat elements and the enemy through our weapons technical intelligence teams that analyse these situations in great detail.

The situation in Afghanistan, though, is a complex and difficult one, and it is one that I know gives grave concern to the public. But it is important to stick with this task. We face a threat from these Islamist extremists. I know we have the member for Wentworth here with us today, and he understands this full well and has been very strong in his confrontation of, and support for causes countering, Islamist extremism. If we were not to fight this threat in Afghanistan then we would have to fight it closer to home. We were fighting it closer to home. We were suffering casualties as a result of what was emanating from that ungoverned space in Afghanistan.

The Islamist extremists are like some very virulent, parasitic pestilence that seeks out ailing states or ungoverned spaces to exploit, from which to launch their operations against the West, against democracies, and against the voices of tolerance, reason and moderation, even within their own religion. And it is worth noting that the overwhelming number of casualties of Islamist extremists have, in fact, been Muslims—Muslims that they wage war on, on a daily basis, in places like Kashmir, and in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But we are committed to this task to deny them that safe space—to deny them that ungoverned space in Afghanistan—and we will stick to that task. I know that the Australian steel spirit of sticking to a long-range task which carries some pain and some sacrifice will see us through to that point. We will stick by the international community, which is of a like mind in adhering to this, but we will also leave no stone unturned to try and find methods to better protect our people. In the budget we have committed a further $1 billion to that effort, so further research and development will go on towards looking for protective technologies and protective equipment for our personnel.

Tonight we say goodbye to these two, to Darren and to Jacob. Darren and Jacob understood extremely well the nature of their tasks and what they were contributing to Afghanistan and to our effort there. They have written in their own way very special pages in a proud, proud history of this Australian Army and this Australian Defence Force. Having written those pages, they will long endure in our memories and in the history of this country. I salute their service. I salute their families’ support of and goodwill towards the other members of the unit and the nation’s commitment. The commitment of those families is also something that we should continuously remember. We look forward now also to dealing with the further improvements that we seek to achieve in Afghanistan and to building on the sacrifices that have been made by these wonderful members of our Defence Force.

Arch Bevis (Brisbane, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I understand that 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.

Daryl Melham (Banks, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That further proceedings be conducted in the House.

Question agreed to.