Pat Conaghan (Cowper, National Party, Shadow Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

N () (): I recently had the privilege of attending the Australian Defence Force parliamentary exchange program over in Hawaii. If members haven't heard about the ADF parliamentary exchange program, please do yourself a favour; not only is it the most amazing experience but you actually get to see what our men and women in our defence forces do.

Senator Raff Ciccone and I travelled to Hawaii and participated in and observed the Rim of the Pacific exercises, or RIMPAC, which included 26 nations around the world. The concept was the interoperability between all of those nations—to show that force, together, for our own sovereignty and for the sovereignty of our allies. But it wasn't just observing; it was actually doing. It was, I have to say, an experience emptying out the garbage bags in the hold of the HMAS Canberra, on which we spent three nights, in addition to participating in exercises for emergency management—all the way up to attending high-level briefings with the captain of the HMAS Canberra for three days.

We then spent two days with the amphibious unit 2RAR on the coastline of Hawaii, watching these extraordinary human beings carry out incredible feats—jumping out of helicopters, inflating life rafts out at sea, putting on double-engine outboards and operating back in to sea. I had the pleasure of meeting Navy diver William Sharkey, whose parents both live in Bellingen, in my electorate. I'd like to thank him and his colleagues for their hospitality and for showing me around their unit, as well as Navy Lieutenant Kris Petersen, who is part of the disaster response on board HMAS Canberra.

Having observed 26 nations, I can say there is little doubt that the Australian Defence Force is one of the best in the world. I would like to thank all service men and women, and former service men and women, for your service to this country and for the freedoms that we enjoy today.