Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I rise to respond to the ministerial statement tabled on behalf of the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, the Hon. Stuart Robert, and to reiterate the sentiment expressed by the shadow minister for veterans' affairs, the Hon. David Feeney in the other place. I also take this opportunity to formally congratulate Mr Robert on his appointment to the role as Minister for Veterans' Affairs.

The Minister for Veterans' Affairs is always an important role but in 2015, 100 years after the dawn landings at Gallipoli, it is even more significant. It is this hundredth year that we, as Australians, can reflect on the Anzac values, described most aptly by World War I historian Charles Bean in his book, Anzac to Amiens, of resourcefulness, fidelity, comradeship and endurance—values that have become an enduring part of the Australian psyche. Although the Anzac Day dawn service in Gallipoli this year was central to the commemorative events, there will be many important days to commemorate over the four-year period of the centenary.

For Australia, the great war was tragic, profound and transformational. For a nation of some four million to five million, over 400,000 Australians volunteered for that war and more than 330,000 of them served overseas. Of those, more than 60,000 never came home. To echo the point made by the Minister for Veterans' Affairs in the other place, one of the most redeeming qualities of our commemoration of Gallipoli, in particular, is the tribute we pay to the bravery of troops who fought on both sides of the struggle. During the Anzac Centenary, we have the opportunity to honour the service and sacrifice of those Australians who permanently linked those values and qualities with the name Anzac. The Centenary of Anzac national program to date has achieved just that. The service and sacrifice by Australian service men and women in all wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations in which Australia has participated, and continues to participate, have been commemorated this year.

This is also a good time to think of the men and women of the ADF currently serving overseas and their families at home supporting them. These personnel are working in places like the Middle East, Africa and the Indian Ocean on behalf of us. The best qualities of our military and community are demonstrated by these people. They operate under challenging circumstances with dignity, compassion and professionalism. As they uphold the honourable values that we associate with the Anzac spirit, their families at home bear the heavy burden of an absent loved one.

In conclusion, the centenary is one of the most significant periods of commemoration in our nation's history. It is a time to reflect on the Anzac values of mateship, courage, sacrifice, loyalty and resilience, and on how these values are upheld by Australian service men and women today. It is a time to reflect upon the impact that these struggles and conflicts, these failures and successes, have had in shaping modern Australia. I thank the minister for his update and reaffirm Labor's strong bipartisan support for the Centenary of Anzac national problem.

Question agreed to.