Andrew Wallace (Fisher, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Since my election last year to the seat of Fisher, I've had the honour and privilege of doing many things I would not have dreamed possible. One of these unforgettable experiences took place last month when I travelled with five members of the opposition to the Middle East to take part in the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program. This program is open to all parliamentarians, regardless of their political party or the time they've served in parliament. This is greatly to the credit of the program's organisers and proponents. While we may have different political ideologies, one of the most important responsibilities that all members of this House share is our role in sending troops into harm's way. The less partisan our approach to this solemn duty, the better served the Australian people are likely to be.

Our trip to the Middle East could not be called a VIP experience. We spent eight days embedded with the men and women of the ADF. We ate with them, slept in the same type of accommodation as them, received the same death-by-PowerPoint briefings, learned battlefield first aid, experienced battlefield scenarios firsthand and even fired a few shots down the range. It was truly a remarkable experience.

In some ways, now more than ever, it is critical for parliamentarians to understand what the ADF are doing in the Middle East. While Australia was losing personnel in Afghanistan and Iraq, the media challenged us and kept our role at the forefront of Australia's consciousness. But, since we have not had a death in the Middle East since Corporal Cameron Stewart Baird, VC, MG, on 22 June 2013, the ADF's work has all but dropped off the radar. Sadly, it appears that the media are not interested in telling our troops' stories unless they are shrouded in Australian blood or there is some blame to be attributed.

If my trip to Afghanistan and the broader region has taught me anything, it is that our ADF personnel in all three services—the Army, Navy and Air Force—are doing a great job. From private to joint task force commander, they are all highly trained, dedicated and skilled at their roles. Each of them accepted the invitation to be there with pride and enthusiasm and though many performed their roles through a six- or even a 12-month tour, they are as unflinching in their dedication to the task at hand in their final days as they were on day 1.

I am pleased to report to the House that the spirit of Anzac is alive and well in our current serving ADF personnel. When we think of our ADF personnel, we often think of strong, pumped young men. Although there are certainly many of those, the women in today's ADF are just as impressive. Before deploying to Afghanistan from our Middle East base, I met a young woman who is an Army captain. She was an extremely engaging, bright and determined young lady. From memory, she was 28—only three years older than my eldest daughter. She commanded the other men and women on the firing range with professionalism, dignity and respect, but there was never any doubt who was the boss.

I also met a young private who was assigned to our protection detail, whilst in Afghanistan, when we went out past the wire. Her CO told me that she was a terrific soldier, at least as smart, fit and strong as any of her male counterparts. The young private beamed with pride when I told her what her boss had told me about her. Although the work performed by the ADF in the Middle East has dropped off the media spotlight, we must do more to remember the ongoing achievements of our men and women who are working in hot, difficult and dangerous conditions.

In Iraq, our troops of 7RAR have trained more than 9,000 Iraqi soldiers, many of whom served in the liberation of Mosul from Daesh or ISIS. In Afghanistan, our men and women are training the Afghan National Army so they are able to defeat the Taliban and ISIS in what is still a war-ravaged country. We have been engaged in Afghanistan now for almost 16 years and while we still have a long way to go before we can announce 'mission accomplished' seasoned veterans tell me that we have significantly helped improve the lot of many Afghanis, particularly in areas like Tarin Kot.

The Royal Australian Navy in the region serves vitally important roles in interdicting marine, drug running and anti-piracy missions. While we were in the Middle East, HMAS Arunta was completing its nine-month tour of duty and had intercepted and destroyed 1,310 kilos of illegal drugs with a street value of $186 million. These narcotics were no doubt bound for the West, and the proceeds would have been used to fund terrorism and/or international and organised crime.

The Royal Australian Air Force's F/A-18 Super Hornets are employed in providing air support against Daesh and the Taliban, aided by our specially designed KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transport and our Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft. Without the crew of our ubiquitous Hercules and Globemaster aircraft, our ADF personnel throughout the Middle East would not have the equipment or resources to perform their important roles.

Since returning home, one of the questions I have been asked most is why I went. I have never served in the military, although from a young age I dreamed of one day flying F/A18 Hornets for the RAAF. Alas, that was not to be. Since my election, however, I have been very conscious of my share in responsibility for our troops and I wanted to glean a greater understanding of their work in the Middle East. These men and women are put in harm's way by our government. As such, I feel duty-bound to look into their service for me, on behalf of our people, and to learn first hand what they are doing and whether they are being appropriately looked after.

Australians must never forget we have lost 44 young men in these Middle Eastern theatres. We should also remember that those physically wounded in combat number more than 260. Many thousands more suffer mentally from the legacy of their service. For many of these personnel, their lives and those of their families will never be the same again. We have many veterans in my electorate of Fisher and we as a government must ensure that they get the care and support they need. My next goal in this field is to secure funding for a PTSD program at the Thompson Institute and I look forward to working with the Minister for Veterans' Affairs to explore this avenue.

My second reason for wanting to visit Afghanistan was to gain a greater understanding of our equipment needs and the opportunities for my electorate. I have spoken in this place before about the Fisher Defence Industry Initiative, which has seen 170 local, small- to medium-sized enterprises attend sessions on the coast to learn more about how to win government defence contracts. I passionately believe that this government's unprecedented $200 billion defence investment represents an important opportunity for the Sunshine Coast. I want to see some of that money spent in the seat of Fisher. Not ever having served in the military, I needed to see how our service men and women work with the supplies and equipment we provide to them. I learnt a great deal about everything—from the electronic IDE counter measures to the food and toiletries that our troops rely upon. I am more convinced than ever that businesses on the coast are perfectly placed to contribute. I congratulate the government on maintaining its focus on helping small and medium sized regional businesses to get involved in the defence sector.

Before concluding, I want to thank some of the many people who have ensured the success of the program: Major General John Frewen, Air Commodore Guy Wilson and Captain Gordon Andrew; our escort officers, Major Erica Abend, and Warrant Officer Class Two Jeffery Marshall; our mentor, Major John Spencer; Colonel Mark Ascough and our photographer Corporal Sebastian Beurich from Army News; and, finally, my colleagues, the members for Whitlam, Batman, Oxley, Brand and Burt, who resisted the urge to try and indoctrinate me.

We who sit in this place have a responsibility to ensure that we only send our men and women of the ADF into harm's way when it is absolutely necessary. When we do, we must insist that they are properly equipped with the best gear, and we must acknowledge that we have an enduring obligation to ensure they are properly cared for in mind and body when they return home. I strongly encourage the government to maintain its focus on these duties and to look for more that we could do to support our serving and retired members of the ADF. My experiences through the Australian Defence Force Parliamentary Program have given me a new perspective on those responsibilities, and I would encourage all my colleagues on all sides of the house to do likewise.