Warren Snowdon (Lingiari, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for External Territories) Share this | Hansard source

We all do, collectively. That is correct. We do that until that child is an adult. It is important that we understand that obligation so that, when we are providing the capacity for people to communicate, they are able to communicate effectively. It is a great privilege to be in this place, but I have to say the greatest honour I have had in being a member of this parliament was being in the role of the Minister for Veterans' Affairs. That is because you get to deal with and meet the most courageous of people.

Yesterday, we heard about the 75th anniversary of the sinking of the Perth and the bravery of Hec Waller. These things are of legend. If you read about the legendary people of the past, who have shown such bravery in serving our nation, how can you not be enthralled by the opportunities that exist to help them and their families? We have the capacity in this place to see the opportunities that exist to make sure that we are looking after veterans appropriately and to work with the Department of Defence to make sure serving members who are veterans are being dealt with appropriately, have the treatment they require and have the assistance they need for themselves and their families. That is an obligation we should accept with glee. I know across the parliament that is the case. We may be critical from time to time around the edges, and we should expect that. But if we can work cooperatively together where we can then we will get the best outcomes for these brave Australians.

For those of us who have had the opportunity to travel across the world to visit our Australian Defence Force members currently in the Middle East or in Afghanistan, you walk away humbled by the opportunities that have been given to you to talk to these very brave people who are putting on their uniform for this country and who are prepared to sacrifice their lives. That is what this is about. When we walk in this place as members of parliament, we puff our chests out and think how good we are. That is all terrific, but the reality is that we are very minor beings. We like to think we are terrific. Some of us are more terrific than others—we know that! They will tell you, do not worry! But the truth of it is that when you engage with these brave men and women, who are working for us in uniform, you walk away knowing that this country is in very good hands.

It is a delight to now see that we have a number of veterans recently serving as members in the parliament. We may not agree politically on some things, but to have them in this place is very important. As the member for Bruce talked about, the parliaments of the past after the Second World War had very high numbers of veterans. Of course, Tom Uren was a famous prisoner of war who served on our side, and there are many such people on the other side. Those veterans shared a lot. Now, we cannot share what they shared because we did not have that experience, but we can share the opportunities that exist here to make sure we do the right thing. I think this legislation—as it has been amended as a result of the consultation and work of the Senate committee and the contribution made by the member for Kingston, which was agreed to by the minister—is something that we can all support, and we should be proud to do so.

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