Sarah Hanson-Young (SA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to add the Greens’ support to this condolence motion. We concur with the other speakers and with all senators in sending our condolences to the family, the friends and the colleagues of Sapper Jamie Ronald Larcombe, who died tragically in a foreign land. Sapper Jamie Larcombe died in Afghanistan. He was there serving his country. His body has now been brought home to this nation, which he served so bravely and courageously. Sapper Larcombe was only 21. He was born at Kingscote on Kangaroo Island in my home state of South Australia. He has left behind his family, his parents, his three younger sisters and his partner Rhiannon. Our hearts go out to them. He was doing what he thought he should: he was serving his country.

While the Greens do not believe in the deployment of Australian troops to Afghanistan, we totally and unreservedly support our service men and women in the job that they do. We think of them as our ambassadors. We think of them as people who are doing their utmost to serve their country. When we look at the fact that Sapper Jamie Larcombe was the 23rd soldier to tragically die in Afghanistan from this nation, we also have to extend our deepest sympathies and thoughts to all of the families who are grieving now.

There are many more serving our country today and they are true patriots. Our thoughts are with them. We wish them safety and our hearts go out to their families, who are always worrying about how their loved ones, their children, their brothers, their sisters, their husbands, their wives, their girlfriends, their boyfriends or their partners are. On behalf of the Australian Greens I send our commiserations, our greatest respect and our concern for the comfort of all the families, the friends and the fellow unit members of Sapper Jamie Larcombe. We all aspire to a future world where we are rid of violence, war and destruction. It is no way for human affairs to be handled, but in the meantime it is still part of the way in which this world does malfunction. I send our deepest regrets to the family.