Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

This really does tell the story of the effectiveness of the fleet of C-17s. They have played a very effective role in the ADF's activities during the past nine years. I will give just a couple of examples to indicate that. They were able to assist in the very serious and difficult recovery of the bodies of victims of the MH17 tragedy in the Ukraine. Closer to home, they delivered disaster relief to the victims of the Vanuatu cyclone and, at home, specifically the Queensland floods. That is a process of providing a strategic air bridge, since 2009, between Australia and Afghanistan and, most recently, the C-17 fleet is supporting the ongoing international effort to combat the ISIL terrorist group in Iraq and in Syria. They have also supported a number of humanitarian missions at home and across our region, including the Christchurch earthquake in 2011, when we went to the aid of New Zealand, and the tsunami in Japan. They have flown aid to Fiji and Samoa. They help out across the region. (Time expired)