Andrew McLachlan (SA, Deputy-President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

'For the faith and in the service of humanity' is the call to action for every brother and sister of St John Ambulance across the world. As a volunteer myself, I know firsthand that the mission of St John is one founded on love which drives our compassion and in turn our commitment to assist those in need. As the sun sets on the 47th parliament, I wish to express my thanks to all the volunteers of St John that have supported the Parliamentary Friendship Group. The co-chair, Senator Brown, and I and every parliamentary member greatly appreciate the support everyone has provided us. We especially appreciate the enthusiasm of the St John community in their engagement with the parliament.

St John Ambulance is blessed with exceptional leadership. I wish to particularly extend my thanks to the lord prior, Mark Compton, who leads us globally. It is fantastic that we have an Australian at the head of our organisation. On the home front, I extend my appreciation to the chancellor, Cameron Oxley, and national CEO Brendan Maher.

St John's impact is global. There are three leaders I wish to pay special tribute to. The first is Dr Ahmad Ma'ali, the CEO of the St John Eye Hospital, headquartered in Jerusalem, which provides health care to the West Bank and Gaza. I acknowledge his incredible leadership throughout the conflict in Gaza. His resolve, and that of the hospital staff, to continue to provide care to those in need, in the most desperate of circumstances and in spite of adversity, remains undiminished. The hospital is doing incredible work in the finest traditions of the venerable order. My thoughts and prayers are with all my St John sisters and brothers in the Middle East. You are never far from my thoughts.

Closer to home, St John Ambulance provides tremendous support to its sisters and brothers in the Pacific. I wish to acknowledge two exceptional Australians who are leading incredible endeavours in the Pacific. The first is the chief executive officer of St John Ambulance in the Solomon Islands, Michael Andrews. St John provides Solomon Islands' primary emergency ambulance services. Michael's vision has ensured that health care is no longer limited to the capital but now reaches out to the islands. With the assistance of St John Ambulance Australia and the Australian government, St John opened a new headquarters at Point Cruz late last year. This vital facility will improve the coverage of the ambulance service and facilitate the training of a volunteer network of first responders across the islands.

The second great Australian serving the Pacific is Matt Cannon, the chief executive of St John in Papua New Guinea. PNG St John provides the nation's primary emergency ambulance service as well as pre-hospital care, air ambulance services and disaster relief. Matt's leadership has been instrumental in providing vital emergency services to the remote regions of PNG, where geographical challenges often make access to health care incredibly difficult. Thanks to Matt's efforts, St John has strengthened its capacity to respond, especially in times of crisis—including a rapid deployment of Australian health professionals when needed.

On behalf of all the members of the friendship group, I thank these leaders and every volunteer of St John across the nation. Thank you for your dedication and service.