David Littleproud (Maranoa, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) on 8 November at Government House the Governor-General awarded ten soldiers with military awards for actions at the Battle of Long Tan; and

(b) these soldiers received these awards 50 years after the Battle of Long Tan:

  (i) which was the most costly single battle fought by Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War, involving 105 Australians and three New Zealanders from D Company 6RAR and more than 2,000 enemy troops; and

  (ii) where a total of 17 Australians were killed in action and 25 were wounded, one of whom later died from his wounds; and

(2) acknowledges:

(a) the ten soldiers who received an award, some posthumously, including Lieutenant Adrian Roberts, Sergeant Frank Alcorta, Lance Corporal Barry Magnussen (deceased), Second Lieutenant Gordon Sharp (deceased), Privates Neil Bextrum, Ron Brett (deceased), Ian Campbell, William Roche, Geoffrey Peters and Noel Grimes;

(b) the service and sacrifice of all those who served their country in Vietnam; and

(c) all of Australia's service men and women who display courage, bravery and mateship above and beyond the call of duty.

More than 60,000 Australian troops fought in the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1975. In that time, 521 of our service men and women paid the ultimate sacrifice with the loss of their lives and more than 3,000 were wound. Perhaps the most renowned battle within this 13-year conflict took place on 18 August 1966 in what became known as the Battle of Long Tan. One hundred and eight Anzacs in D Company 6RAR made their way into the Long Tan rubber plantation under heavy machine gun fire and mortar attacks to face a battle against the Vietcong, the North Vietnamese enemy force of more than 2,000 soldiers. Despite having the odds stacked against them at more than 20 to one, fighting in the pouring rain and having limited ammunition to sustain them, our Anzacs fought in one of the few recorded battles in history to be won against the most impossible odds.

D Company were assisted by an ammunition resupply by RAAF helicopters, close fire support from New Zealand's 161 Field Battery, together with additional artillery support from the Australian task force at Nui Dat, and the arrival of reinforcements in APCs as night fell. In hindsight we know that the courageous and brave actions of our 108 troops saved the base at Nui Dat from the risk of a far greater ambush by the 2,000 enemy troops on a night when Little Pattie and Col Joye had been brought in to entertain our troops.

Sadly, like all conflicts and battles, this battle did come at a cost. The Battle of Long Tan resulted in the loss of 18 Australian soldiers' lives and the wounding of more than 21 of our soldiers. To this day, many veterans continue to suffer from what was perhaps the most brave and distinguished battle of our Australian military history. The torment that many of these brave Australians have endured is a tragedy and only now are some prepared to publically speak of their service to this nation. The Battle of Long Tan is a testament to our Australian soldiers—of their sheer strength, courage and bravery that such odds were overcome in the most extreme case of adversity. It is unimaginable that any Anzac would have left that rubber plantation alive if not for the bravery of not only those directly in the battle but also those who supported them with mortars or by supplying ammunition.

This year 18 August marked the 50th year anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan—a day that is also commemorated as Vietnam Veterans Day. In fact, during a Long Tan commemorative service I attended at the Warwick cenotaph in my electorate this year I was fortunate to meet Private Tony Stepney, a veteran of the Vietnam War who fought in the Battle of Long Tan. Tony was called up for duty in 1965 and served in Vietnam from 1966 to 1967. Tony regards the battle as a chance encounter, as he and his comrades were sent into the plantation to relieve other comrades, who had run out of rations after being in the field for a prolonged period.

As Tony spoke about the battle at this service, I felt incredible pride and respect for the actions of these brave men like Tony, in circumstances far beyond my comprehension and what most Australians would know of. That day was the first day that Tony had publicly spoken of his experience in that battle. The bravery of a man tortured by this day to stand proudly, in a humble and dignified manner, expressing his gratitude to those who helped him survive rather than his own brave actions, is testament to this great Australian.

This year on 8 November at Government House the Australian Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, awarded 10 of our extremely deserving soldiers with valour awards for their actions at the Battle of Long Tan, bringing the total military awards for Lieutenant Colonel Harry Smith's men for their actions at the Battle of Long Tan to 15. I would like to acknowledge each of our service men and women for their valiant service in the Vietnam War, particularly in the Battle of Long Tan, as well as those who received medals of valour on 8 November, after more than 50 years.

I would also like to especially acknowledge the former member for Hinkler, Mr Paul Neville, for his efforts in ensuring that the heroic actions of our Vietnam veterans for their role in the Battle of Long Tan were recognised after more than 50 years. As my friend Paul Neville would say eyeball to eyeball, man to man, in the most difficult of circumstances the Australians took on a battle in which they were outnumbered by at least 20 to one—to think it has taken 50 years for Harry Smith's valour recommendations to be awarded is outrageous.

Paul remembers when Lieutenant Colonel Harry Smith's star was upgraded to the Star of Gallantry. Paul tells me that Harry was offered a ceremony at Government House but there was not an inclination to fly Harry's former comrades in for the occasion, so in a form of gentle defiance Harry asked Paul whether he would present it to him at the military museum in Maryborough in the company of most of his comrades and the Victoria Cross awardees. So Paul did and, in Paul's words, this was one of the most moving moments in his time as the member for Hinkler.

Paul was also there at the Enoggera Barracks in 2008 when Harry's Second Lieutenant Dave Sabben in 12 Platoon and Second Lieutenant Geoff Kendall in 10 Platoon were awarded the Medal of Gallantry award that Harry tenaciously pursued for more than four decades. In Paul's words, 'Harry's ceremonial request and his determination to see his comrades recognised, like so many of Harry's actions over 50 years, is a mark of Harry's leadership and tenacity where for more than 50 years he has not stepped away from his comrades.'

The weight of these awards and how Australians feel about our Vietnam veterans was obvious to Paul when this year he attended a Long Tan commemoration ceremony at the cenotaph in Hervey Bay. Harry and a number of his comrades in the battle laid their wreaths simultaneously, walking side by side, causing those attending the ceremony to erupt in loud and spontaneous applause. Paul said it was one of those magic moments where Australia told Harry and his comrades that they regarded them as the bravest of the brave.

When Paul retired at the election in 2013 his commitment to the plight of Harry and his comrades resulted in him being asked to stay on by the Vietnam veterans as the patron for the Bundaberg sub-branch of the Vietnam veterans. I think this indicates how appreciative our Vietnam veterans are of Paul for his efforts and his unwavering representation. I thank Paul. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Lieutenant Colonel Harry Smith and his comrades.

In closing, our Australian service men and women have been involved in 10 conflicts and countless peacekeeping assignments over the course of our history. Some 102,000 Australians have lost their lives and many more have been wounded and continue to suffer the consequences of war. I pay tribute and say thank you to each and every service man and woman, both then and today, for their bravery, courage and commitment to this country of which I and each and every one of us in this place should be incredibly proud to support.

Kevin Hogan (Page, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Scott Buchholz (Wright, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion and reserve my right to speak.

Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on this important motion on the Battle of Long Tan. I thank the member for Maranoa for bringing this motion to the House. It is important because this motion recognises the 10 soldiers from the Battle of Long Tan who recently received their gallantry awards. The motion speaks of the courage, bravery and commraderie of the men who fought in the Battle of Long Tan, one of the most significant engagements for Australian forces in the Vietnam War. This brutal battle saw Australians outnumbered roughly 20 to one and the highest number of Australian casualties in any single engagement during the Vietnam War.

On 8 November, I was fortunate enough to attend the investiture of the awards at Government House and meet the awardees, nominees and their families. This was an inspiring but also a very humble group, who really conveyed to me that they thought they were just doing their job. We thought they did much more than that. The ceremony acknowledged the 10 soldiers from the Battle of Long Tan, with three men being awarded the Medal for Gallantry and seven men being awarded the Commendation for Gallantry. Both of these awards recognise acts of gallantry in action, with the Medal for Gallantry specifically acknowledging gallantry in hazardous circumstances.

The ceremony was a moving and unique experience. We heard the stories of the men's bravery and compassion. We heard of the young men sacrificing their safety, overcoming their fear and racing into the unknown to help their mates. We heard of Private William Roche, who took up command of his section and displayed great bravery and resolution when the platoon was under pressure. We heard of Sergeant Alcorta and the late Private Brett, who disregarded their own safety to engage the enemy for a significant period of time, until they were joined by other members of 2 Platoon from the APC. Their actions surprised and destabilised the enemy and assisted in preventing potentially serious attacks on the relief force. We heard of Colonel Francis Roberts OAM, who displayed courage, sound judgement and decisive leadership in engaging his troops against the enemy. Each recipient had a story of bravery and resilience in the face of the unknown. It was truly a remarkable experience and one that I was honoured to be able to attend.

For the awardees and their nominees, this was the end of a long road seeking recognition for their courageous actions, and it was in no small part due to the efforts of one man that they received it. It was due to the determination and commitment of retired Lieutenant Colonel Harry Smith that these men received the awards. Immediately following the battle, Colonel Smith recommended 20 of his men for gallantry awards. These recommendations were unsuccessful, with a number rejected, downgraded or refused, but he was determined that his men be recognised for their efforts and, as such, took the fight to the Defence Honours and Awards Appeal Tribunal. As he said to the ABC last year:

I didn't withdraw at Long Tan and I won't withdraw from the fight to have my men properly recognised.

In August this year, he was finally successful, with 10 soldiers being approved for these awards. I did ask Harry on the day at Government House what he was going to do now that his long battle had finally been won. He said that he was going to go out on his boat.

It was an immense honour to see these men recognised. At the ceremony, I was to be able speak to several of these men about what the awards meant to them and their families who nominated them. As I said, many of them were very humbled. They said that they were just doing their job. But, indeed, what we heard was that they were incredibly courageous and did our country very proud and, importantly, did not let their mates down. It was an honour to meet these men and witness this important ceremony. It was recognition that was absolutely overdue but finally recognition well deserved. I commend this motion to the House.

Michelle Landry (Capricornia, National Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Maranoa for putting this motion on the agenda today. I also recognise the 10 soldiers, some posthumously, who were recently presented with military awards by the Governor-General for their actions at the Battle of Long Tan. Today I acknowledge the bravery of those who fought in all the conflicts of Vietnam, and I also acknowledge that this year we mark the 50th anniversary of Long Tan. Earlier this year, it was my privilege and, indeed, an honour to be invited to Cockscomb veterans retreat at Cawarral, near Yeppoon, to mark this anniversary.

In 1987, the then Prime Minister Bob Hawke declared Long Tan Day on 18 August as Vietnam Veterans Day. However, he did not have that date gazetted as a military historic day. Fifty years on from the Battle of Long Tan, it is now time that the Commonwealth government got on with the job of officially gazetting a day to mark Vietnam veterans day.

I have approached the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and have been making contact with various Vietnam veterans groups to gain their input to help determine which would be the most appropriate day to gazette to recognise an annual Vietnam veterans day. I will continue to stay in touch with the minister to provide him with the views of those who I speak with. Indeed, it will be a privilege to welcome the Minister for Veterans' Affairs soon on his trip to Capricornia, including the Cockscomb retreat, the Emu Park RSL war memorial and the Yeppoon RSL Club, next month.

Meanwhile, as we reflect today on those events, to those who specifically served their country in the controversial Vietnam War: your country owes you a thankyou. Thank you for doing your job as armed service men and women. Thank you for risking your lives. Thank you for looking out for your mates on the battlefield, and thank you for being here with us today.

Vietnam was the longest war Australia has participated in, from 1962 to 1973, and the Battle of Long Tan was one of the historic battles that epitomise the courage and grit that Aussie diggers are made of. Fifty years ago, in the Long Tan rubber plantation, about 105 Aussies and a few New Zealanders began to engage with the enemy, which outnumbered them by somewhere between 1,500 and 2,500 Vietcong soldiers. They battled it out until they were finally joined by reinforcements. Fifty years on, we salute and commemorate their bravery.

All wars carry great trauma, but the soldiers who served in Vietnam under Australian government policy of the 1960s and 1970s arguably had one of the greatest traumas inflicted upon them on their return home. History well shows that the Vietnam vets were mistreated, abused and even spat upon when they arrived home in Australia. Again I say to our Vietnam vets: it was not your fault that your government of the day ordered you to Vietnam. It was not your fault that the Australian policy of the day was to align with the United States presence in Vietnam. And it was not your fault that you experienced atrocities that would haunt you for the rest of your lives. The way that you were mistreated on your return home should go down as one of the most disgraceful acts by Australian citizens against fellow citizens in our modern history, and I am sorry that you experienced that adversity and hurt.

Finally, on the 50th anniversary year to mark Long Tan, let us reflect on those who did not make it back or have since passed away. May they rest in peace. Lest we forget.

Mike Kelly (Eden-Monaro, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I congratulate the member for Maranoa on this motion and other members for their contributions. This is an opportunity for us to give thanks for finally resolving these issues, which have been outstanding for so long, across effectively three governments. It has taken that long. It began with the initial appointment of the independent panel by the Howard government in October 2007 and stretched through the terms of reference and processes under the Rudd-Gillard governments and through to this final resolution.

We have heard the comments that have been made about the way our veterans were treated when they returned, and it was appalling. We have a very famous Vietnam veteran in Bega, in my electorate, who was the Frankie from the song I Was Only 19. It was a privilege to launch the book by Steve Strevens about that song in Bega with Frankie there. Frankie had severe injuries, of course, from that incident. One of the things described in the book is the circumstance where he and other veterans from Heidelberg hospital were going out to a movie in town, and a group of demonstrators saw them being disembarked from the bus with their wheelchairs. One of the young lady demonstrators came up and rubbed a pie into the head of Frankie. One can only speculate on what was going through her head, but, Frankie being Frankie, he responded, 'You forgot the sauce,' which is a tribute to his resilience as an individual. But it is an illustration of how poorly we treated those veterans.

So it was wonderful to see this happen. I really am glad from a personal point of view, as I was the parliamentary secretary for honours and awards and was involved in the establishment of the Defence Honours and Awards Tribunal so that we could resolve these long, historic issues. It was pleasing for me to see in the first wave of resolutions that we achieved in getting Lieutenant Colonel Harry Smith his Star of Gallantry and that the two very able surviving platoon commanders, Lieutenant Dave Sabben and Lieutenant Geoff Kendall, were able to get their Medal for Gallantry awards. It was a great privilege and pleasure to be with Dave Sabben just recently, when he was down at the Merimbula RSL at our traditional Light Horse dining-in night. He spent quite some time making sure the history of the battle was communicated to these next generations coming through, and he did a wonderful job of that. It just showed the professionalism at that tactical level that was demonstrated in that perilous situation, where their tactical skills enabled what were the survivors of Delta Company to survive that crucial engagement.

That engagement and the whole experience of the task force in Phuoc Tuy province left to us a great legacy, which was to serve us well in the multiple deployments that we have served in since then that shared the nature of that type of operation—being in the stabilisation of counterinsurgency situations. I studied it very deeply as we moved in with the 1st Battalion to Bay province in Somalia. Of course we took that experience forward again to the Bobonaro district in East Timor, to Al Muthanna province in Iraq, and finally, most recently, into Oruzgan province in Afghanistan. All of these lessons that were hard fought and hard won in Vietnam have served us very well ever since then.

It was really wonderful to see Adrian Roberts properly recognised too. Adrian lives in this region and has also been a keen participant in our dining-in nights down in Merimbula. His role in the battle was not well appreciated—in fact, the whole significance of the battle was not well appreciated until recent times. I do congratulate the tribunal and the government for finally bringing these matters to their complete resolution, after the various phases it has been through. Harry Smith is a man of great honour and great courage and has great personal commitment to his soldiers. It is wonderful to see some sort of resolution and closure being brought for him through these experiences. I say to those proud veterans, and to all of our veterans: wear your decorations with pride. I ask all Australians, whenever they see these veterans in the street or at services, to go up, shake their hands and thank them for the service they have rendered to this nation and for the proud traditions that they maintained.

Keith Pitt (Hinkler, National Party, Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is a great pleasure to be here finally speaking about this matter. The Battle of Long Tan took place on 18 August 1966, before I was born—well before I was born. It was the most costly single battle fought by Australian soldiers in the Vietnam War. It involved 105 Australians and three New Zealanders from D-Company 6RAR and more than 2,000 enemy troops. A total of 17 Australians were killed in action; 25 were wounded, one of whom later died from his wounds.

I, like many others in this place, have met many veterans, and many of them from the Vietnam War. In fact, Delta Company actually had a reunion couple of years ago at the small Toogoom RSL sub-branch in my electorate. It was very well attended, well turned out. They are still a very tight group of individuals. This has taken far too long, and many of their number have actually passed on due to natural causes. I would like to mention at this stage the enigmatic Buddy Lea, a very well-known veteran who we lost a couple of years ago. He was one of my constituents, whom I got on incredibly well with. He was a force of nature, Buddy Lea; an absolute force of nature.

Delta Company were greatly assisted by an ammunition resupply by RAAF helicopters, close fire support from New Zealand's 161 field battery, together with additional artillery support from the Australian Task Force Base at Nui Dat, and the arrival of reinforcements in APCs as night fell. There is no more entertaining discussion than talking to the gentleman from Delta Company and the APCs about who was the best on the day, who arrived and who did what. It is certainly something I am sure they argue about and discuss for long hours into the night.

I took up the fight for former constituent and retired Lieutenant Colonel Harry Smith when I was elected in 2013. It is a fight that has taken 50 years to resolve. The previous member for Hinkler, Mr Paul Neville, had presented Harry with the Star of Gallantry on 9 March 2011, which had been upgraded from the Military Cross after many years of campaigning for better recognition of Long Tan veterans. In my maiden speech I gave Harry this commitment:

We will find a way to recognise his soldiers. As a nation, we are indebted to Harry and to his team. We live our lives in this wonderful country because of their sacrifice.

On 1 September 2014 I moved a PMB calling for justice, recognition and acknowledgment for the soldiers who fought in the Battle of Long Tan, and it was well supported by those opposite. I said in that speech:

Fifty years is ample time to do what is right. We are the government of the day, and, in my opinion, an injustice has been done that must be addressed.

Finally, on 10 August 2016, just before the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, the Minister for Defence Personnel, Dan Tehan, announced that he would recommend that 10 soldiers be awarded a military honour or have their existing honour upgraded after 50 years.

At the service last week at Government House, Medals of Gallantry were awarded to Lieutenant Adrian Roberts, Sergeant Frank Alcorta—now a constituent of mine in Hinkler and a well-known Northern Territorian—and Lance Corporal Barry Magnussen, deceased. Commendations for Gallantry were awarded to Second Lieutenant Gordon Sharp, deceased, and privates Neil Bextrum, Ron Brett, deceased, Ian Campbell, William Roche, Geoffrey Peters and Noel Grimes. I was privileged to have some small part in assisting Harry, by bringing his plight to the attention of the federal government—although he did a pretty damn good job of that himself, I have to say—its ministers and members of parliament. And, at long last, justice, recognition and acknowledgement have finally been delivered.

On a personal note, I would say about Harry Smith—who I got to know very well over recent years—that, if you look up 'resilience' in the dictionary, you will see a picture of this man. He is dogmatic. He is determined. He is tough. He is irrepressible. In fact, he is just downright bloody-minded. He is one of the most determined individuals I have ever come across. To maintain the rage for this long and to get an outcome, is, I think, an absolute credit to him. It is his determination that allowed this to happen, just as it did at Long Tan, to get the best outcome he possibly could for his soldiers and the people who relied on him. I think this is a great reflection on Harry and the rest of his troops.

The enduring photo that I will recall is not the one from Long Tan or the photo in the rubber plantation that is so famous to most Australians; it is actually a picture of Lieutenant Colonel retired Harry Smith on the front page of the local phone book, standing on the beach at Hervey Bay in absolute joy. I certainly commend this motion to the House.

Luke Gosling (Solomon, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am also very proud to be able to speak in support of this motion. I have previously spoken about this long overdue recognition of the soldiers and officers of Delta Company 6RAR who fought at the Battle of Long Tan. But I also want to acknowledge the other supporting units, like Alpha Company 6RAR and the artillery and the helicopters—everyone who was part of that battle in supporting the men of D Company 6RAR, who were in the fight of their lives.

As we just heard from the member for Hinkler, Frank Alcorta is now not living in the Territory, but he is a well-known Territorian of many, many years and we are very proud of him—our Long Tan veteran, Frank. It was fantastic to meet with him during the last sittings when he was in town to receive that recognition that was a long time coming. It was during that battle in 1966, when Frank was part of Alpha Company travelling in armoured personnel carriers, dispatched to assist Delta Company, that they suddenly found themselves in the midst of hundreds of Vietcong. Frank was actually sitting on top of one of the armoured personnel carriers. He rolled off the top of the carrier and, in an amazing feat of bravery, started charging towards the enemy firing away. He was mentioned in dispatches for his courage.

Recognition of Frank's bravery was a long time coming. Frank was happy, I think, but also reflecting on the years and the men he served with, his comrades, and on the fact that of so many others who were so brave during that battle not all were recognised. I know Frank was thinking about them. It was very humbling to be amongst Harry Smith, Frank Alcorta and Jeff Kendall during the last sitting, having a quiet beer. They are very humble men but massive heroes, certainly to generations of us who came after them to join the forces, knowing about their acts of bravery.

There were others, including Jeff Kendall, whom we caught up with a couple of weeks ago, and I want to recognise all of those who performed acts of bravery that were maybe never seen. They did not blow their own trumpets to their mates about what they did but their mates knew that they acted bravely, putting their lives at risk. So I also want to recognise those unsung heroes and acknowledge their bravery in fighting for our country.

When I was talking to Frank he said that after his service, and particularly about 13 years ago when his wife passed away, he was a bit lost. It was actually on a Remembrance Day that a couple of Frank's old mates, led by a great mate of his, Ross Smith OAM, helped Frank through the sadness and depression after losing his wife. As Frank said, 'These former comrades-in-arms helped me. They restored a little sanity in my otherwise befuddled brain and heart.' So these guys did not just protect each other and fight for each other on the battlefield; they continued that for the rest of their lives. And to this day, to see them still having a joke together reflecting on where their mates and friends are now is quite humbling.

One of Frank's soldiers in Alpha Company on the day when they came to support Delta Company was a guy by the name of Glenn Wilman. Glenn was one of my bosses when I was at the Army School of Infantry. He is a great man. I can remember him recounting the story of Frank, Glenn and the others moving off into the jungle to support their Delta Company mates. I want to acknowledge Glenn. He was a great leader and he was great to work with in the Army.

I acknowledge all those who have made the supreme sacrifice for us, including those at the Battle of Long Tan.

Debate adjourned.