Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave of the House to amend the motion relating to the first anniversary of the loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That this House:

(1) note that the 8th of March will mark 12 months since Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared from radar over the South China Sea;

(2) extend its heartfelt sympathies to the family and friends of the 239 passengers and crew on board, including six Australian citizens and one Australian resident, who have suffered a harrowing 12 months of uncertainty and sorrow;

(3) acknowledge the hard work and perseverance of all those working on the international search and recovery effort, led by Australia, to locate the missing aircraft; and

(4) note the work of Airservices Australia and their counterparts in Malaysia and Indonesia in leading global efforts to enhance aircraft flight tracking.

For the world, the loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is one of the great mysteries of our time. For the families and loved ones of those on that flight, it is a harrowing nightmare. Seven who called Australia home were on board flight MH370. Rodney and Mary Burrows, Catherine and Robert Lawton, Li Yuan, Gu Naijun and Paul Weeks were mums and dads, spouses and partners, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and mates and best friends. They were all irreplaceable to their families, friends, workplaces and communities.

Every family has a story of loss and we are honoured today to be joined by the Burrows, Lawton and Weeks families. Thank you for joining us. We know that these anniversaries are painful beyond words. The message of this parliament to all of the families of MH370 is that you remain in our thoughts and prayers. To you and to all those with loved ones aboard that fight, my pledge is that we are taking every reasonable step to bring your uncertainty to an end.

It has been the biggest search operation of its kind in history and it has been an extraordinary example of international corporation. In the first few weeks, 28 search aircraft from Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, Malaysia, South Korea and the United States completed 345 sorties into the southern Indian Ocean. Ships from Australia, China, Malaysia, the United Kingdom and the United States also joined the search. As the search from the air and on the surface reached its conclusion, Australia began the largest underwater search ever carried out in an area that had never been mapped before. To add to the difficulty, the search zone is in the Roaring Forties, which is one of the world's roughest stretches of ocean. Despite these difficulties, over 26,800 square kilometres of the mapped ocean floor have been searched in detail, which is about 40 per cent of the priority search area.

With sadness, I have to admit to the House that so far we have not found any trace of MH370. I do reassure the families of our hope and expectation that the ongoing search will succeed. I cannot promise that the search will go on at this intensity forever, but we will continue our very best efforts to resolve this mystery and provide some answers.

It is right on this anniversary that Australia thank Malaysia and China for their cooperation and friendship in this sad and difficult task. I acknowledge the presence in the gallery today of the High Commissioner of Malaysia, the ambassador of the People's Republic of China and representatives of the other countries who lost their citizens on MH370. We grieve with you for the loss of your people and we thank you for the compassion that you have shown to us for the loss of our people.

All of the men and women who have striven from the sky and on the ocean to unravel the fate of MH370 deserve our deepest thanks. The members of the Joint Agency Coordination Centre have supported the families of those aboard MH370 in word and in deed. They have demonstrated the best traditions of public service. I acknowledge the leadership of Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston, one of our nation's great servants. The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is tirelessly going about its work. We have four vessels working in the search area now. We are using cutting-edge technology and world experts in underwater search operations.

Finally, on this anniversary, it is right to say that the loss of MH370 demonstrated a fundamental gap in tracking long-haul flights, particularly over the oceans. This is not the first major aircraft to go missing and, tragically, it may not be the last. In this day and age it seems inexplicable that the technology and systems were not in place to provide us with the exact position of this plane at all times. The grief of the families has been compounded by this failure.

Last weekend the Deputy Prime Minister announced that Australia, Malaysia and Indonesia will conduct a trial to track aircraft over the oceans more closely. I thank our friends in Malaysia and in Indonesia for their commitment to this essential project. While it is not a complete answer, it will deliver immediate improvements in the way we track aircraft, while more comprehensive solutions are developed and implemented. We must ensure that no families will ever again have to endure the suffering of the families of the MH370 passengers. On this first anniversary we remain hopeful that we will solve this baffling mystery and bring the peace of knowing to the family and friends of all aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the Prime Minister for his words. 'Winter is come and gone, but grief returns with the revolving year.' Shelley wrote those words nearly 200 years ago when mourning the loss of his friend John Keats. Today, as we pay our respects to the 239 souls lost aboard MH370, we offer our heartfelt condolences to those for whom a year has come and gone yet their grief abides. The thoughts of all of us in this place are with everyone for whom the passing of the year has brought only conflicting internet rumours and scarce solace. In particular, we think of the friends and loved ones of the seven on board for whom Australia was their home: Rod and Mary Burrows, bound for China with their friends; Catherine and Robert Lawton, looking to see a bit of the world; young Sydney couple Li Yuan and Gu Naijun, heading for Beijing and their precious children; and Paul Weeks, a New Zealander who had made a life in Perth, a loving husband, a father, on his way to his dream job. Our hearts go to you, the people they loved.

None of us can truly know the sorrow that you have endured. I cannot imagine what it is to bear the burden of private grief in the public spotlight. I cannot begin to understand that terrible first moment when praying for a miracle and hoping for the best gives way to despair and facing the worst. Yet all of us in this place—indeed, all Australians—know what it is to lose someone we love. We can at least appreciate that sudden losing-all-the-strength-from-your-body shock of referring to a loved one in the past tense for the first time. We know that this is a year of firsts that you have endured: the first birthday marked, but not celebrated; the first Christmas with an empty place at the table; the first family photo with smiling faces missing—and the moment you relive every time you say or think: 'They would have loved this. I wish they were here. I wish I could talk to them just one last time. I had one more thing to say.' All Australians have known this sadness. All of us have walked this road. This parliament can say to you today that you are not alone. You never will be.

We live in a difficult world where the nightly news reports conflicts and challenges and things we are not accustomed to in Australia. I believe this tragedy has resonated more than most not because Australians are cynical or hard-bitten, but because some things are simply beyond our comprehension. But I believe that people feel a greater empathy with your grief, because we all fly. We all entrust ourselves to the principles of flight and aerodynamics—essentially aluminium tubes. At the heart of this tragedy lies, even more frustratingly, a mystery. It is unsolved and it is unresolved.

Many of us in this place will board planes later today. We will, without a moment's hesitation, trust in the skills of the pilots, the expertise of the ground crew, and the safety and reliability of the technology. In an era when flying has never been safer and the reach of communications technology has never been broader it still feels impossible to believe that an international commercial airliner could simply disappear, vanish, as if it had never been. I understand that every day that passes makes it feel less likely that we will know the final fate, the resting place. But I, like the Prime Minister, do believe that the answers will emerge.

Like the Prime Minister, I have had the privilege of meeting members of the international team involved in the search for MH370. I saw their professionalism, their capacity and their complete dedication to the task. Australians, I think, can be proud of the leadership that our people have shown in this international search mission of unprecedented scale and difficulty. For so long as the search goes on, Australians will be grateful for their dedication, determination and skill.

Amongst all of our international coalition, I must record a particular feeling for Malaysia and what it went through over the course of last year. Our thoughts are with that great country. The search for MH370 has united so many countries. Today it unites us all. You are most welcome in this parliament. We understand that you would give anything not to have had to be here, but you should know that we stand united with you over the loved ones you have lost. We stand united in our support for the skilled work of the international search team. We are united in our deep respect for the memory of the missing. May they rest in peace.

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I ask all present to stand in their places as a mark of respect.

Honourable members having stood in their places—

I thank the House and all those present.

Debate adjourned.