Amanda Rishworth (Kingston, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Health) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the minister for his comprehensive coverage of a number of significant events. There are many commemorations taking place of significant parts of our military history. It is important that we acknowledge and pay tribute to the brave men and women who have served and sacrificed for our country. As many members may be aware, the centenary of Anzac began in 2014 and encompasses a number of significant anniversaries. These occasions provide us with the opportunity to pause and reflect on the nature of service and the enduring legacy of those who fought and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Of course, in addition to this, there have been many anniversaries and significant moments of conflict have followed.

In 2006, we saw a number of significant anniversaries, from the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan to the 100th anniversary of Fromelles and Pozieres. Included with this, as the minister rightly identified, there have been other significant events interspersed with a number of equally important commemorative services. All of these have given us the opportunity to remember those who served and those who were left behind. While each of these battles were separated in time and distance, one of the enduring commentaries that come from Australian sacrifice and service is that the spirit of Anzac shone through on all these occasions. Our soldiers' courage in adversity, enduring mateship and self-sacrifice are qualities for which Australians are known.

Given that the minister has provided a comprehensive summary of the commemorative events that took place in 2016, when this motion was first moved, perhaps it is fitting that, at the end of this discussion, I discuss commemorative events which will be coming up in 2017. 2017 has seen and will see a number of significant anniversaries commemorated. In February this year we commemorated the 75th anniversary of the fall of Singapore, and the service and sacrifice of all Australian prisoners of war was recognised. I was honoured to attend the official event in Ballarat on 15 February which commemorated the brave actions of many men and women. The fall of Singapore saw the Japanese forces stream into Singapore by the north-west of the island. The Australian defenders were spread too thinly and were forced back by the invaders. Our troops continued to fight, but, late in the day on 15 February, the British commander surrendered, and 15,000 Australians were taken prisoner.

Over World War II, the Japanese took 22,000 Australians as prisoners of war, subjecting them to nightmarish conditions. Eight thousand of those men never came home.

The fall of Singapore also had long-lasting repercussions on the international stage, altering our relationship with Britain and aligning us more closely with the US, while, at home, the loss of our men and the treatment of prisoners of war continues to be felt. Its anniversary, 15 February, is an important commemoration which enables us to reflect on the courage displayed by these men, as well as by nurses, and on the cost of war.

This commemoration was followed by, on 19 February, the 75th anniversary of the bombing of Darwin. This event has long been remembered as the most ferocious enemy attack on Australian soil. Harry Dale, who was on the HMAS Karangi during the first attack, recalled:

Where ever you look there are burning or sinking ships, the air is filled with the smell of cordite, gun fire, and exploding bombs.

The first raid, undertaken by over 260 enemy aircraft, sank eight ships in the harbour and was followed by land-based bombers targeting the RAAF station. The attack was fast, ferocious and devastating. This event, so close to the fall of Singapore, forever changed our nation, bringing war home in a way that had not happened before.

In September this year, we will have the opportunity to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Polygon Wood. This anniversary acknowledges the 5,770 Australians from the Australian Imperial Force's 4th and 5th Divisions who were killed or wounded near Ypres in Belgium. The Battle of Polygon Wood is named after a young forest plantation that lay wrecked along the Allied axis of advance, beginning at 5.50 am on 26 September 1917. Despite several German counterattacks, the Australian infantry consolidated their position with the support of heavy defensive artillery barges. This battle was the first major offensive for the 5th Division since Fromelles and the first time in World War I that the two Australian divisions fought side by side. It was declared a great success for the Australian Imperial Force and is the reason the 5th Division picked the Butte at Polygon Wood for their memorial on the Western Front.

October then marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Beersheba, as part of the third Battle of Gaza. On the night of 30 October, British infantry and ANZACs and the British mounted troops marched through the dark towards Beersheba. At dawn, the British 53rd, 60th and 74th divisions, supported by artillery bombardment, attacked a five-kilometre-long entrenchment position. The battle continued through the day, and the men of the ANZAC Mounted Division made slow progress. It was not until 3 pm when the ANZACs were close enough to seize the hill. With time running out, the 4th Light Horse Brigade were ordered to make a mounted attack towards the town. Commencing at dusk, members of the brigade stormed through Turkish defences and seized the strategic town of Beersheba. This enabled the British imperial force to break the Ottoman line near Gaza and advance into Palestine. While the 4th and 12th Light Horse only saw 31 killed and 36 wounded, they captured over 700 men. The fall of Beersheba swayed the battle against the Turks in Palestine and changed the history of the Middle East war. These are only a few of the important battles which will be commemorated this year, as we approach the end of the centenary next year.

In addition, this year also marks a number of other important anniversaries. June sees the 75th anniversary of Bomber Command operations, August has the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Milne Bay, in September it will be the 70th anniversary of Australian peacekeepers and peacemakers, October has the 75th anniversary of the Battle of El Alamein and the culmination of the North African campaign, and November sees the 75th anniversary of Kokoda and the beachheads. These, of course, are important battles which saw significant acts of bravery and gallantry and displayed the spirit of our Anzacs. The spirit which was forged on the fields of Gallipoli has been seen again and again. It was seen on the battlefields of Singapore and carried through to the Battle of Long Tan. This is the spirit which our current serving ADF members carry with them, and through our current serving ADF members the legacy of our serving men and women of the past lives on. Lest we forget.

Debate adjourned.

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