John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I certainly appreciate the opportunity of speaking in this address-in-reply debate to the Governor-General’s opening speech. I particularly wanted to focus on one aspect of the Governor-General’s speech, which was national security. The Governor-General reinforced the government’s most immediate national security priority as being Afghanistan. The Governor-General also pointed out that our nation’s engagement has come at a high price and mentioned that all members of this parliament and government, and Australians, honour the memory of the 21 Australians who lost their lives in Afghanistan.

I was also very pleased to see in the Governor-General’s speech that the government will be introducing a new support scheme, the Simpson program, which of course is named after Australia’s Gallipoli hero John Simpson Kirkpatrick. That program will provide increased assistance, training and access to specialist rehabilitation for our ADF members who have been wounded. I think this increased support for wounded personnel is critically important given that the men and women of Australia’s defence forces face such significant dangers as they go about their critically important work in defence of our nation and national interest.

What I wanted to do in this address-in-reply debate was acknowledge some work that is undertaken by some unsung heroes in the Australian Defence Force, personnel who do their duty for their country in the most sensitive and difficult of circumstances. I have said on many occasions now in this chamber that it has been a privilege to have had the opportunity to serve as Minister for Defence in this country. One of the most important and fulfilling aspects of being Minister for Defence was that I was able to meet so many of our defence personnel who work tirelessly for the nation’s interest. As I said in this chamber yesterday, I have found almost without exception that they conduct themselves with professionalism, dedication and good humour. They do the jobs given to them, without complaint. They endure separation from family. They step into, without complaint, dangerous operations. And they work hard to protect our country’s national interests. But the job also has some sobering aspects. As Minister for Defence, one thing you dread is receiving a call informing you that the life of a soldier has been lost in the course of operations. For a minister, such calls are, as you can imagine, very difficult. But just compare that to the devastating impact on the families of our deployed soldiers. For them, that call, that knock on the door, will be life changing. So the responsibility that any of us feel on such occasions can never match the sorrow and loss felt by the families and friends of those killed in action.

As all senators know, we have recently gone through a very difficult period in Defence. We have now lost 21 soldiers in Afghanistan, 10 of them just in the last few months. As Minister for Defence during that recent period, I have seen Defence carrying out the distressing duty of informing the families of these men and then offering and providing support to those families throughout that difficult period. After yesterday’s condolence motion, I want to take some time today to acknowledge the work of ADF personnel in this area of Defence.

Those men and women who inform the families of our fallen soldiers of the death of their loved one, and who assist the families to cope with the news as best they can, deserve recognition. So today I wanted to place on the record my respect for the work of the notification and bereavement support teams in Defence. These teams are there to provide compassionate support to the next of kin during these difficult and devastating times. Someone from the team is there from the moment the family is informed, and others remain at hand through the periods of grief that every family goes through.

Have no doubt, these must be amongst the most difficult jobs in Defence. Notification teams usually include the soldier’s commanding officer and an Australian Defence Force chaplain, as well as a representative of the member’s unit or workplace if they are able to assist. I am sure that every senator can imagine how difficult it must be to tell someone that a loved one has died. These teams are trained for that task, trained to ensure that they see this difficult process through appropriately. After the first contact from a notification team to the relatives of a deceased ADF member, the ADF provides comprehensive follow-up and ongoing support to the family. With the support of the Defence Community Organisation, the ADF’s bereavement support teams begin to work with the families, providing support for as long as it is needed.

For every family in this terribly difficult position, the time following the death of their loved one, as you can imagine, is just so stressful, just so devastating, just so distressing. Defence social workers help to manage the provision of support, assistance and guidance to the partners and families of our fallen soldiers. These dedicated individuals act as a primary point of contact for the next of kin and family members and help the family in managing their grief and loss.

Defence also provides a uniformed military support officer as part of the team. That officer assists the family on all military aspects of this challenging time, including contact with the soldier’s home unit, assisting with the military funeral and managing the ongoing financial support that families require. They are crucial to providing assistance to families and maintaining their strong connections with Defence during these difficult circumstances.

The work done by the notification and bereavement support teams in Defence deserves our recognition and it deserves our respect. It reminds us that it is not only the ADF personnel out in the field who are performing difficult jobs in support of our operational efforts. I suppose it remains only for me to say that, despite all their good work and all the support and assistance they provide, they of course remain a team we would rather have on perpetual stand-by, rarely, if ever, becoming operational. I am sure I can say this on behalf of all senators: I want to commend them and I want to thank them for their work.