Malarndirri McCarthy (NT, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Indigenous Australians) Share this | Hansard source

On 27 August an Osprey helicopter crashed on Melville Island during military training, Exercise Predators Run. Twenty-three US Marines were onboard when it crashed, and three US Marines lost their lives. Captain Eleanor V LeBeau, Corporal Spencer R Collart and Major Tobin J Lewis were the lives lost. Captain LeBeau was piloting the aircraft and has been commended for managing to land the helicopter in such a way that the 20 other personnel on board survived.

I would also like to commend the first responders in the Northern Territory, who acted so quickly to attend the scene. The defence members, the Northern Territory police, CareFlight, Royal Darwin Hospital, the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre and the Northern Territory government worked together to secure the scene, provide initial care to the survivors and retrieve the bodies of those lost in order to repatriate them back to the United States, where they will be reunited with their families. I also commend the Tiwi families and all involved with the smoking ceremony that took place afterwards, to send off their spirits, as it is in the Tiwis' way and in First Nations people's way to respectfully farewell them.

I would like to take this time to pass on my condolences to the families, colleagues and friends of the three US Marines. On behalf of the Australian Senate and Australian parliament, we recognise the importance of the relationship in Australia with the US, in particular in the Northern Territory. We know what it is to see such lives lost, especially when we have had our own loss in Queensland recently. We acknowledge the work of all in the Defence Force, and we pay our respects.