David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Senator Fierravanti-Wells. Can the minister advise the Senate how the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal and the sinking of HMAS Canberra have been commemorated and how important these battles were in turning the tide in the war in the Pacific?

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Fawcett for the question. Last week I was in the Solomon Islands representing the Australian people at the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Guadalcanal and commemorations of the sinking of the HMAS Canberraoff Honiara on 9 August 1942.

The Battle of Guadalcanal was the first major offensive and victory for the Allies in the Pacific. Importantly, the allied engagement of the Japanese at Guadalcanal meant that Japan could not afford to reinforce its troops on the Kokoda Track, and therefore it provided a critical turning point for victory in the Pacific and it contributed to the ultimate defence of Australia and, may I say, of the freedoms that we hold dear.

During the Battle of Guadalcanal, Allied forces lost approximately 7,000 lives. Twenty-nine ships were sunk and 615 aircraft were shot down. Japanese forces lost almost 20,000 lives, 38 ships and 880 aircraft.

HMAS Canberra was the lead ship in an Allied screening force and was protecting the landing of US marines on Guadalcanal when it was hit multiple times in a surprise attack by a powerful Japanese naval force in the early hours of 9 August 1942. She suffered irreparable damage and, the morning after, she was scuttled. Eighty-four crew were killed in the attack, including the ship's captain, Captain Getting. A further 109 were injured. HMAS Canberra remains the largest Australian warship ever lost in battle.

I also represented the government at a very moving ceremony on board HMAS Success at the very point where the Canberra went down. Of course, when ships go down, there is no physical memorial, and therefore we have to remember them— (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Fawcett, a supplementary question.

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My supplementary question to the minister is: how will Australia ensure that these events are not forgotten and that the sacrifices and courage shown by American and Australian service personnel and the people of the Solomon Islands continue to be remembered?

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have to commend the government and the people of the Solomon Islands for their commitment not just to these events but to the commemoration of those who have died. We now have a memorial to the HMAS Canberra in Honiara. We also have a monument to the brave Australian Coastwatchers and the scouts that worked so hard behind enemy lines. They provided very vital information to the Allies. It was wonderful to be there when we provided medallions in recognition of this. There was a 110-year-old scout from the Solomon Islands there to proudly receive his medal from the Australian government. I also visited a place call Bloody Ridge, which, for the marines, is hallowed ground—a significant battlefield in World War II and where the Solomon Islands government is now dedicating a national park.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Fawcett, a final supplementary question.

David Fawcett (SA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Minister, what lessons can be drawn from the Battle of Guadalcanal for present-day regional security cooperation?

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Seventy-five years ago, the security of the Pacific was of vital strategic interest to Australia. We worked with our allies in the Solomon Islands and in other theatres of battle, as I said, to secure the Pacific and to secure our own defence. Whilst we do not now face the same direct military attack that we faced at those times, we do have challenges to our regional security. Those challenges now come in the form of the trafficking of drugs, unregulated and irregular fishing and, most importantly, instability. May we never again have a situation like we did in RAMSI, and that is the reason why the Australian government, together with other governments in the region, contributed to this regional force. So, as it was in World War I and World War II, the Pacific remains an important area— (Time expired)