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

I want to thank and acknowledge our Australian state and federal police for their commitment, dedication and professionalism. I want to acknowledge Constable Brodie Wallis from the South West District of the Western Australia Police Force, who in November of 2014 dived into a quarry at Greenbushes Pool to rescue a man who had got into difficulties while swimming. Constable Wallis had to locate the man in very dark water, but managed to drag him to shore with the help of a paramedic and performed CPR. Tragically, the man was unable to be revived. However, Constable Wallis received a letter from the deceased man's family, thanking him for his efforts. This helped him to cope with the aftermath of this tragic event. There are immediate and cumulative effects, both mental and physical, for our officers in the incidents they deal with on a daily basis.

In another example of Constable Wallis's bravery, just eight weeks after this, he and his colleague Constable Ian Harris entered a burning building in Bunbury to rescue a mother and daughter who were trapped inside. This is another example of our police men and women who go beyond the call of duty in order to save Australian lives. In November last year, Constable Wallis received the highest honour at the Western Australia Police Force Commissioner's Bravery Awards, when he was one of four officers to receive the Cross for Bravery. This honour is awarded for an act of most conspicuous courage, whereby the person placed themselves in peril and at risk of significant personal injury or death. I congratulate Constable Brodie Wallis for this outstanding achievement and would like to take this opportunity to thank all our policemen and women, not just those in the South West but those across Australia.