Tania Lawrence (Hasluck, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. This year marks 50 years since the end of Australia's involvement in the Vietnam War. What action is the Albanese government taking to honour the service of our veterans?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Hasluck, and I thank all the members of parliament who attended the ceremony that was held this morning. This year, we mark half a century since Australian guns fell silent in Vietnam. Sixty thousand Australians served in that conflict, more than 3,000 were wounded and, tragically, 523 were killed. Futures were robbed and lives were changed forever for those who went and for those who loved them. And yet for so long the truth is that we as a nation didn't measure up to them, to those people who served in our name and who did their duty in our name. We didn't hold up their names so proudly. So to each and every one of our Vietnam veterans today I say: we honour you and we thank you for your service.

This morning I had the great privilege, along with the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, to present 10 veterans—and they are here with us today in the gallery and I welcome them—with the commemorative medallion and certificate of commemoration. Barney Hanson, Brian Armstrong, Colleen Thurgar, Gerry Mapstone, John Moore, Mac Weller, Noel McLachlan, Pedro Rosemond, Ray Lastelle and Rodney O'Regan—to all of you I say: thank you for your service. To the men and women who continue to serve us in the Australian Defence Force, we thank you for your service as well.

We also want to acknowledge the families of Vietnam veterans for their sacrifice and support. We will continue to honour, particularly in this 50th year, the veterans who served our nation. We should give them the gratitude of our nation. I'm sure that I can speak on behalf of every member of this parliament on this occasion. We do honour you. In August, when we commemorate on Vietnam Veterans Day there will be a range of commemorative services around this country as well. I am certain that members of parliament from across the spectrum will participate in it. You are very welcome here and I honour you today.

Peter Dutton (Dickson, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

on indulgence—I support the Prime Minister's find words. It was a great honour to be at the ceremony this morning. I say to people in the gallery here today and people watching question time that, if you look up to those people sitting in the front row of the gallery, they are our finest Australians. They represent the values of our original Anzacs. They continued through their service whilst in uniform and in many cases since then to deliver us a great deal of pride. Vietnam veterans, when they returned from a war that their government had sent them into, were not treated well by any stretch of the imagination. The mental weight of that has been carried by many, not just veterans but by their families as well, and, in some cases, every day since. I hope today and this year, as we commemorate the 50th anniversary, they understand the pride that we have in their service and in the way in which they have contributed to our country.

Like the Prime Minister, I acknowledge the fact that 60,000 Australians were involved in serving in Vietnam, 15,000 were conscripted, 523 lives were lost, 3,000 were wounded and many, many people came back with significant scars, mental and physical. It was not just the veterans. Their partners, children and grandchildren have borne some of that weight as well. We pay tribute to them for their sacrifices, be they mother, father, aunt, uncle, brother or sister of those who served in uniform. We live in the greatest country in the world. In large part it is because of your service and many like you have gone before you and who are serving in uniform today. We pay you true honour.