Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you for this opportunity to speak on the repatriation of the remains of Australian servicemen from the Terendak Military Cemetery. Prior to a change in the Australian repatriation policy on 21 January 1966, service personnel who died overseas after the Second World War were interred in the closest practicable 'Commonwealth' cemetery, unless the next of kin elected to have the remains returned to Australia at their own expense.

While this decision provided for the repatriation, from that date, of the remains of all Australians who had died in the Vietnam War, to Australia, if the family should so wish, the decision was not retrospective. Australia deployed more than 60,000 servicemen and women to the conflict in Vietnam between 1962 and 1973, with 521 Australian names listed on the Australian War Memorial's roll of honour. Of these 521 Australian war dead from the Vietnam War, 26 are buried overseas: one in Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore; one in Ireland, consistent with the wishes of the family; and the remaining 24 are interred in the Terendak Military Cemetery in Malaysia. A further six have had their ashes interred or scattered overseas. One of Gilmore's Vietnam veterans, Ian Hughes, was himself on a burial party and has since been back to pay respect to his old commanding officer, Major Badcoe VC. Mr Hughes commended to me the importance of the repatriation of servicemen from Terendak Cemetery. He expressed his concern that families were not able to tend the graves and honour their fallen heroes.

On 25 May 2015, the Australian government announced its intention to offer to repatriate the remains of 35 Australian servicemen and their dependants from the Terendak Military Cemetery, in Malaysia, and return them to Australia, subject to the individual wishes of the families concerned. The Prime Minister announced that they would be repatriated with full military honours. I am proud of the government's decision on this repatriation, which seeks to right the inequity of the Vietnam era repatriation policy, a policy which remains a long-standing grievance in the Vietnam-veteran community.

As a nation it will give us the opportunity to 'put this right'—as we did with all those others who died in the Vietnam War—and bring these men home. The offer follows extensive consultation with the RSL, the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, the Vietnam Veterans Federation of Australia and veterans' families. As the member for Gilmore I am often afforded the great honour to attend services honouring our servicemen and women who have served their country. These services are such a respectful experience, often greatly supported not only by those who are directly related to those who served but also by the younger generation—our local schools, family members and young people wishing to show their respect. They understand the importance of respecting those who died to give us the lives we live, in this beautiful country of ours.

This initiative of repatriation will offer the families of those Australians buried at Terendak Military Cemetery the opportunity to bring their remains home where they can have unrestricted access to their graves. The exhumation operation is anticipated to occur in May 2016 with repatriation to Australia around the middle of next year. The Australian government will respect the wishes of the families who choose to leave their loved ones resting where they currently lie. I understand that the Malaysian g0vernment has pledged its support and offered to assist with the repatriation wherever possible.

I cannot explain to you the full impact that this policy change will have on our Vietnam veterans and their families. Imagine, if you will, a group of servicemen and women sent by the Australian government to a war that was being socially debated as one in which Australia should not have been involved. Imagine the bond these Defence personnel built as a result, for the only people they could completely depend on, rely on and trust were their comrades in the field of battle. Imagine their sense of abandonment when they returned after the close of an unwinnable war, where they were socially shunned and abused and their only support was that of those who shared the same experience.

I have a close friendship with a group of Vietnam Vets in Gilmore. They ride motorbikes, they wear leathers and they are an amazing group of men. I am deeply touched by the level of loyalty and connection that they share with each other. When Trapper had a motorbike accident recently—he was hit by a vehicle that was going down the highway at speed—his mates Dee Kay and Dingo were beside themselves as they were not able to accompany him to hospital

They were not able to the make sure his colours were left by the roadside. Such is the level of their comrade-in-arms bond. You can fully understand how critically important it is not to leave your battle buddies behind. The repatriation of the remains at the wish of the families of those who are buried in Terendak is not only the right thing to do, it is essential to honour those who have passed and those who are still living, for they have an unbreakable bond with their fallen.

Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Manufacturing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I only intend speaking briefly. I entirely support the comments of the member for Gilmore in respect of this matter. I can fully understand the sentiments she was trying to express and relay to the House about what it must be like to have next of kin buried in a country far, far away. It would be my view that it would never truly bring closure to those families until those ex-service personnel are brought home and rightfully brought back to their own home town, which is where they should lie in rest.

This matter is appropriately being debated right now as on this coming Sunday I will be attending the Vietnam Veterans Day in Adelaide. The memorial day is held each year at about this time in memory of the people who served Australia in Vietnam, where, as we know, 521 soldiers were killed and many, many more were brought back injured either physically or mentally.

The Vietnam War was indeed a defining period for Australia in many respects. It was a polarising war. There have been debates in this place time and time again with respect to how it impacted not only families back here but more particularly how that polarising effect throughout the community in turn also impacted on the veterans themselves as they returned. It took some years for the government to try to build the bridge that was necessary to be built and acknowledge that those soldiers who represented Australia were doing their duty to this country, and that they deserved the appreciation and respect of all Australians for doing so. It was not their choice, it was not their call as to whether there should or should not be a war and it was not their judgement as to the rights and wrongs of it. They simply did their duty and for that we should be grateful and show that gratefulness through treating them with the respect that they quite rightly deserve.

I was very surprised to learn that there are still several of our defence veterans buried in Terendak in Malaysia and in the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore. I understand that 24 Vietnam vets are at Terendak and one is at the Kranji War Cemetery. There are also eight service dependents buried at Terendak. I think it is regrettable that they were not brought back to Australia earlier. I know, not only from listening to the member for Gilmore but also from my own research, it would have cost families some £500 at the time to bring back one of their Defence Force family members—it seems to me a gross injustice that that should have been the case. They should have all been brought back without that cost being imposed upon the families. I also know that it would mean an incredible amount to the Vietnam veterans that the government is taking this action and that the opposition is supporting it. We will now do what we can with the support of the families—at their request and with their permission—to bring those people back.

The Vietnam veterans in the northern region of Adelaide—which the member for Wakefield, who is sitting here in the chamber, could well attest—have for many years had their own subbranch of Vietnam veterans. It is a very strong subbranch. They have set up a facility alongside the Edinburgh defence base where there are other Defence Force personnel. They have their own centre there. It is a centre that has been going for some years, but for them it is an important centre because it enables them to come together and support one another in a way that nothing else could. The support is needed for the very points that I made earlier about how the effects of the war upon them were very different to, I suspect, the effects of other wars on other soldiers, because of what they found when they came back to Australia.

I have had over the years similar experiences to the member for Wakefield, where I have worked very closely with Vietnam veterans. In my own community, in fact literally at my own backdoor, there is a memorial to the Vietnam veterans who came back. Each year we have what we refer to as the Long Tan memorial on 18 August to commemorate and remember the Vietnam veterans who died in Vietnam. Montague Farm, which is part of my electorate and as I have stated on previous occasions, is a community that was designed by a person who ensured that all of the street names were named after Australians who had lost their lives in Vietnam. The whole community of Montague Farm is effectively dedicated to the Vietnam veterans. As I said I will be going to a service on Sunday, as I do each year, to pay my respects.

I am pleased that the member for Wakefield is here because I understand he will perhaps be joining me at a commemoration event on 20 September this year. The northern branch of the Vietnam veterans will be commemorating all of those Australians who lost their lives by dedicating a section of their facility, which they will call the Keith Payne Memorial Garden—Keith Payne being one of the Vietnam Victoria Cross recipients. That again will bring some recognition to them.

In talking about recognition, last year I was asked to launch a book by Dr Glen Edwards, who was a Vietnam medic. He has written two books—The War Within and Beyond Dark Clouds. Both books track the lives of not only the soldiers but also the families of soldiers who served in Vietnam. The families are from Australia, New Zealand and the US and study the effects that the war had on the families and on the individuals who participated in those wars. It is quite an eye-opener to get inside the thinking of those families and how it truly affected them, in particular the traumatic situation that many of those families still face today.

Getting back to this legislation, that the government has finally come to the position that, if families request it, it will bring back the bodies of all of those Vietnam veterans who are buried overseas I believe will be seen by all Vietnam veterans as a huge step towards closure on their participation in that war. It will go a long way towards showing that the government does care about them, is prepared to respond and is prepared to support them on what I am sure they would say is the fair and decent thing to do.

We on this side of the House have for years supported the efforts to bring those people back home. For their families in particular, as I said at the outset, I suspect this is the only way to bring them closure. For those reasons, I am sure that I am speaking on behalf of all members of this House in saying that this is a move that not only is long overdue but will have the support of all members in this place.

Eric Hutchinson (Lyons, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to associate my comments with those of the member for Makin and the member for Gilmore. I also will just acknowledge the conversation I had this morning with Gary Graham, who is the President of the Vietnam Veterans Association in Tasmania. He lives in my electorate on the east coast in the beautiful town of Scamander. It is right and it is proper that, in 2015, this offer has been made to the families of the 26 Australian Vietnam veterans who remain buried overseas.

It was in May 1965, a month before I was born, that 1RAR was deployed to Vietnam in military combat. Prior to May 1965, from 1962 on words, there were 30-odd Australians serving there in an advisory capacity to what was at the time the South Vietnamese army. This is history. It is right and it is proper that we mark and honour the service of all those men who died and, indeed, all those men who served in that conflict at that time.

The opportunity that the Australian government has provided for the families of those who remain buried in South-East Asia is entirely at the discretion of the families involved. If the families wish to have their relatives' remains returned to Australia that is an option now available to them. It is intended, as I understand it, that that will occur between May and June of next year. I think most Australians would agree that this is righting a wrong. History shows that, prior to 21 January 1966, service personnel—it was a legacy of the Second World War—who died overseas were interred in the closest practicable Commonwealth cemetery, unless the next of kin elected to have their remains returned to Australia at their own expense. We are, with this legislation, righting a wrong, I think most would agree.

The 21 January 1966 decision provided for the repatriation from that date onwards of the remains of all Australians who died in Vietnam in the Vietnam War to Australia, should the family so wish. But the decision was not retrospective. Five hundred and twenty-one Australians lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Twenty-six, as I mentioned before, are buried overseas—one in the Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore, one in Ireland, interestingly, which was consistent with the wishes of the family, and the remaining 24 are interred at the Terendak Military Cemetery in Malaysia. The cemetery is located within an operational military base in Malaysia. That is the fundamental reason why access to that cemetery is problematic, as one could appreciate. Whilst it is not the primary reason, it is no doubt one of the reasons why the offer has been made to the families of those men. Again, I think it is right and proper.

In the coming years we will have a number of battles to commemorate—Long Tan, Coral/Balmoral and Binh Ba. During the recent winter break, I had the opportunity to travel to Vietnam. I travelled there with some friends. As it happens, one of them was the Independent member for the legislative council in Tasmania, Mr Greg Hall, who himself was a Vietnam veteran. It was the first time I had visited that country. It was enlightening travelling with somebody who had been there at that time. He was involved in an artillery battalion. I got maybe just a small appreciation of the difficulties. I saw firsthand that on a number of occasions it was quite emotional for him, as I think most people could understand. He lost friends at that time. The difficulties that many Vietnam veterans had on their return to Australia are well documented. Let us hope that this final opportunity for those men who served our country, involuntarily in many cases, will help the healing process. I think all Australians and certainly everybody in this parliament will support the initiative of returning the remains of those 25 men to Australia, if it is so desired by their families.

Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It is impossible to exaggerate what we owe to our service personnel and their families, those who are working to keep our country safe here and abroad now and those who fought to protect our nation and its interests in the past. It is impossible to exaggerate what we owe their families. That is why I stand today to support the government's offer to bring our Vietnam fallen home. It is timely, as next week Australia will commemorate Vietnam Veterans Day, where we will remember the men and women who served and died in Vietnam.

As we have heard today, close to 60,000 Australians served in Vietnam and 521 made the ultimate sacrifice. Out of the 521 who died, all but 25 were returned home to Australia. Twenty-four of these bodies still lie at the Terendak cemetery in Malaysia and one lies buried in Singapore. These men were not brought home because, until Australia changed its repatriation policy on 21 January 1966, service personnel who died overseas after the Second World War were interred in the closest practical Commonwealth cemetery. That was unless the next of kin elected to have the remains returned to Australia at their own expense. Terendak Military Cemetery is not readily accessible. It is located within a large operational Malaysian armed forces base and, due to security restrictions, does not allow the ready access of cemeteries elsewhere where Australian service personnel are interred.

In May this year, the Prime Minister made the offer of repatriation to all of the families of those buried at Terendak, including those of service dependants. The offer was also extended to the family of the only other Australian who died in the Vietnam War, Warrant Officer Kevin Conway, who is buried in Kranji War Cemetery in Singapore. These families can now decide to bring their loved ones home, or they may choose to keep their loved ones at Terendak—but they now have the choice, which is vitally important. I acknowledge and thank the government for its repatriation offer, for its promise to fully finance the repatriation and for its promise to bring these soldiers home with full military honours.

I would also like to acknowledge the work of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, which I know has been working to achieve this outcome for many years as part of Operation Bring Them Home. I know it means a lot to the families of not only the soldiers interred at Terendak but also the wider veterans community. In acknowledging the wonderful work of the Vietnam Veterans Association and the fact that Vietnam Veterans Day is next week, I want to take this opportunity to thank the many organisations that are involved in supporting Vietnam veterans in my electorate. I want to thank the Woden Valley RSL, the Barton-Capital RSI, the Hellenic RSL, the Tuggeranong RSL, the Vietnam Veterans & Veterans Federation ACT and also the Vietnam Veterans Association. Thank you so much for the support that you provide to Vietnam veterans in the community. I know I have been to a number of your events where I have heard about the support you provide, not just in terms of helping people fill out forms and getting the appropriate benefits and care that they need but also in providing an opportunity for Vietnam vets to get together as mates, have barbecues and do a bit of carpentry work, or just in keeping people healthy and ensuring their ongoing wellbeing.

Finally, I want to bid farewell to a Vietnam veteran who is close to my heart—that is my father-in-law, Ian McLean Uhlmann, who passed away this morning. Ian carried the scars of that war not physically but emotionally. As my late mother-in-law Mary said, she got a different man back from the war. Ian passed away in his bed at home this morning. I want to pay tribute to him. It is a very common story of men of that generation who did it tough and yet stared down challenges and just got on with life and did not complain.

Ian was born in Brisbane and grew up on a farm in Nambour. His father was an unsuccessful pineapple farmer, coming off the back of the Depression. He left school at 12 to make money for the family and worked in a sugar mill, where he once declared the communists were the only people who did anything for the workers. He then worked on a forestry plantation with migrant workers, which he absolutely loved. He loved working with people from all over the world. He was a man of great intellect. Even though he was not traditionally well educated, as we say, he read widely. He loved reading. He was a Renaissance man, particularly with his reading. He had the opportunity to work in this forestry plantation with people from all over the world, with stories from all over the world—he would have absolutely revelled in it.

One day while he was eating his lunch a newspaper blew up against his feet with an ad saying to join K Force and learn a trade. He had always wanted to be a carpenter, so he joined. On the day he joined, he was told the K Force was over. He could not be a carpenter, so he joined the infantry. He served in Malaya during the emergency and was joined by his new bride, Mary Rose Uhlmann, who was much loved. He adored that woman. That woman was the centre of his universe. She passed away five years ago. Since that time, he really has not ever been the same. His health deteriorated dramatically. In fact, we all thought that he would go very shortly after Mary died, but he did not. He hung on for another five years, to the great surprise of all of us. I think what kept him alive was his strength of will but also the desire to continue to watch his many, many grandchildren grow and flourish.

He was posted to Malaya with his new bride and shortly thereafter the first of six children arrived. He had postings in Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Brisbane, Townsville, Adelaide and Canberra. While in Brisbane, he served in Vietnam. He worked his way up the ladder, after doing a number of what he called 'knives and forks' courses. He worked his way up from private soldier to major.

In 1972 the family moved to Canberra and for the first time Mary did not have a tiny army house. It was the first time that they moved into a privately built house, and she was so excited when they pulled up. She said, 'Look, Ian, it's a Jennings home.' He died in that same home they pulled up outside of that day in 1972; he died in that home in his bed this morning, and that, I think, was really wonderful for him. I know that he was really resisting having to possibly move into aged care or some other care. We could not have wished for more than that he died in his bed at home.

He came here in 1972 with this huge family—a good Catholic family of six children. Chris is the second of the six. Shortly after moving here, he left the army and became a Defence civilian working on the small arms program that produced the Steyr. Today he died in the home he loved—the first and last Jennings home that he and Mary Uhlmann lived in. He was just shy of his 86th birthday. He leaves behind a very broken-hearted family—Mark, Vicki, Caitlin, Ainslie—I have to go through them all now—Andrea and Anthony and the four kids. We have Liz and Kate and the two girls and Amanda—his beloved Amanda—and Frank and Liberty, Chris and myself, and Paul and Jules over in Perth. We will all be joined up again next week, paying tribute to this lovely man—a man who did it tough in his youth and who joined the army to see the world to have a better future for himself and his family. He had wonderful experiences in the army. He did get to travel through it, though, unfortunately, Vietnam really did affect him—not physically but emotionally, as I said. To Ian Uhlmann, vale, and to all those Vietnam Vets who bear those scars, there is support there. We thank you for the service that you gave our nation. It is wonderful that the repatriation offer is available. I congratulate and thank the minister and the government for this. Vale, Ian Uhlmann.

Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Just for a moment I would like to identify with the grief of the member for Canberra. We are connected in a way: the member for Canberra's mother is a close friend of Audrey Conrow, who is a close friend of mine. I would like the members who are here in the chamber to identify with the grief you are going through. There is nothing, nothing, harder than losing a family member—a mother or father. We would like to identify with you today and the fine presentation you have just made on behalf of Ian.

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

If I may, Mr Deputy Speaker, Chris is a great friend. We share your grief and very much appreciate the way you were able to commend the very special relationship you all have in your family.

Kevin Andrews (Menzies, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I would like to add my commiserations to Chris and to you, Gai, and the family.

Ian Goodenough (Moore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please accept the condolences of the House.

Michael McCormack (Riverina, National Party, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I only came in on the end of the member for Canberra's contribution, but I too pass on my condolences to you and your family. It was a fine contribution.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER (17:56): Please accept the condolences of the House.

Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Mr Deputy Speaker, and thank you to all my comrades in the chamber. Thank you so much for your heartfelt messages. I know it will be of great comfort to Chris and the family. I will pass it on to them. Thank you so much.

Nola Marino (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I too add my condolences to the member for Canberra. It is very difficult to walk into this place and make the comments that you did.

The year 2015 marks 50 years since the arrival of combat troops and the escalation of Australia's involvement in Vietnam. There were 60,000 servicemen and women deployed between 1962 and 1973. It is very appropriate and it is right that we honour their service—specifically the 521 Australians whose names are listed on the Australian War Memorial roll of honour, 26 of whom are buried overseas and 24 at Terendak Cemetery in Malaysia. I thank the government and the minister for offering the families of Australian servicemen killed in Vietnam and buried overseas the opportunity to repatriate their remains, should the families wish to do so. This decision has been made in consultation with the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, the RSL, the Vietnam Veterans Federation of Australia and, of course, the families of the Vietnam Veterans themselves.

On 21 January 1966 a decision provided for the repatriation of the remains of all Australians who died in the Vietnam War from that date, should the families wish to do so. The exhumation process may start from May 2016 with repatriation around the middle of next year. In his statement on this matter on 25 May, the Prime Minister announced that those who had died in the Vietnam War would be repatriated with full military honours. Ultimately, this decision to repatriate the remains of these Australians does lie with the individual families, as it should. The Australian government will respect the wishes of the families who choose to leave their loved ones resting where they currently lie. I understand that the Malaysian government has pledged its support and offered to assist with the repatriation wherever possible. The government is particularly pleased with that assistance.

Hundreds of young men from my part of the south-west of Western Australia were either conscripted or volunteered for service in the Australian Defence Force during those years in Vietnam. There were those who fought and those who supported them in what they did. There were volunteers, medical staff and a whole range of others.

The reason I want to speak on this particular issue is because I know very well what this will mean for the families who choose to have their loved ones repatriated to Australia. I have said previously in this House that I am the daughter of a World War II widow. I know what this would have meant to my mother, and I know what closure this will mean for the families who choose to take advantage of this particular offer by the government. My mother lived her whole life not actually knowing how her husband had spent his last days and hours. In 1943, when her husband, Jack, was killed in New Guinea, it was such a tough environment. His remains were apparently buried on the banks of the Busu River.

At the time my mother was living on a dairy farm in the little town of Brunswick in Western Australia—she was helping her family through the war years—and she simply got a telegram that said, 'Your husband is missing, presumed killed in action'. She had waved goodbye to her husband on a train; she had seen him go, and that was the last time she saw him. For her, and for the families of these young men, there was very little closure, because they simply said goodbye to them and they did not come home. The family do not get to have a funeral. For my mother, Anzac Day became the day that she felt most—every Anzac Day, for more than 60 years, her floral tribute was often the only one on the Anzac war memorial in Brunswick, even in those years when there were no Anzac services. I know that it was very hard for my mother because she never had a funeral for her husband, she never had the remains of her husband and she never had that sense of closure.

In speaking to this particular motion, on behalf of those families who are not here to speak I thank the minister and the government for this offer of repatriation. This will have an incredible impact on the families. This is something that I know my mother and my two older sisters, who lost their father, would have greatly appreciated had it been possible all those years ago. I really want to say to the minister that this is very, very important to the families. I am sure that he has already had that type of feedback. It is up to the families whether they take up this opportunity—the government is going to respect their wishes—but to have their loved ones back in Australia, in an area that they choose, and to be able to have a physical and tangible memorial here in Australia will be profoundly important.

The sense of closure cannot be underestimated. When people go through the grieving process, it is very much part of it. For my mother, it was a burden she carried all her life. It was not until she was 70 that she met at a 2/28th reunion the man who, when he was 19 years old, spent the last two days of her husband's life with him. Her husband was 43, one of the oldest people to enlist, and this young man had spent those last days and hours with her husband; he had physically seen her husband's body and helped to take it back to have it buried. He was the same young man who, several years later, had been chosen to lay a wreath at the war memorial in Lae and it is on the gates of Lae where her husband's name is.

The member for Macquarie and I were recently in Bougainville as part of the USNS Mercy's endeavours in delivering health outcomes with our Defence Force as part of the Defence Force program. One of the things that we felt so privileged to do was help clean up a war memorial that was erected by Lions of Australia to commemorate a local clan chief who had assisted the Australians during the war, and who was beheaded by the Japanese for doing so. I know the member for Macquarie and I physically did a great deal of work with our Defence Force on that day, but we were so privileged to be able to do so. In some small way for me, it was a profound experience; in a sense it was for my own mother. I was particularly grateful for the opportunity and very touched to be able to do so. As we look ahead to Vietnam Veterans Day, on 18 August, I think this is a profound moment for a lot of people at this time. I will be talking to Vietnam veterans when I go to their gathering on Sunday, and I acknowledge all those people, particularly the families of the fallen, for whom this will mean so much, and I thank you for your efforts on this.

David Feeney (Batman, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Justice) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Kranji War Cemetery sits 22 kilometres north of the city of Singapore and among the thousands of WWII Commonwealth war dead lies a solitary Australian soldier killed in the Vietnam War, Warrant Officer 2nd Class Kevin Conway. Across the Straits of Johor in Malaysia lies Terendak Military Cemetery, where 24 other Australians killed during the Vietnam War are buried. These 25 soldiers are the only remaining Australian servicemen, killed during the Vietnam War, who have not been returned to Australia and to their families for burial. There were 521 sons, fathers, husbands, uncles and friends who died during the Vietnam conflict, all of whom were bought home—all except for these 25 men. It was changing government policy that led to this arbitrary situation. In the early days of the Vietnam War families would have their loved ones' bodies sent home only if the next of kin or a benefactor were willing to pay 500 pounds for their repatriation. If this substantial fee was out of reach for a family, their loved ones too remained out of reach—buried in Terendak in Malaysia. This all changed in early 1966 when the Australian government resolved to return all Australians killed in Vietnam home at the Commonwealth's expense.

Still buried far from home, decades after the conflict that took their lives ended, these 25 men are the consequence of those earlier, unjust policies. The emails and letters that I have received from the families of some of these men reveal the human cost of these policies. These messages were often short and painfully poignant—'he's been away from home for too long,' one read. Nothing can alleviate the pain of losing a loved one but these messages reveal the additional burden placed on families who could not find closure, who could not visit the grave of the person they remembered as being vibrant and full of life. It is these messages, these personal stories, that speak to the importance of righting this wrong—a wrong that has continued to impact families for half a century. It is therefore with great pleasure that I speak today in support of the decision to give the families of these men the opportunity to decide for themselves where they should finally rest.

I would like to acknowledge the work of the Vietnam Veterans Federation of Australia and the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, who have diligently worked and campaigned to bring about this outcome. I would also like to make special mention of Vietnam veteran Bob Shewring and former ADF member Luke Gosling, coordinators of the Operation Bring Them Home campaign, for their efforts and their tireless advocacy. This campaign began in the Northern Territory several years ago when Bob Shewring began researching how to bring home Corporal Reg Hillier MID, the only territorian to be killed in action in Vietnam. Since that time, the hard work and advocacy of many veterans and family members have shone a light on this aspect of Australia's immediate history. And Australians did not just listen, they got involved—40,000 people signed the petition to support Operation Bring Them Home. Having met with representatives of Operation Bring Them Home it was my pleasure to support their worthy cause and it was with great delight that I saw the news of their campaign spread far and wide, including in the media in Malaysia.

Labor recognised the wrong that these men and their families had endured for too long and knew it was time to bring them home, adding our support to the myriad of voices calling for action. It was not that long ago that division over the Vietnam War in Australian society had serious ramifications for the proper recognition of our returning Vietnam veterans. While our enduring obligations to our service men and women were not forgotten, they were obscured by a shadow of wilful ignorance towards the experiences of these men who had endured great hardship in service to their country. In the decades that have followed, Australia has begun the process of making amends through the proper recognition and proper commemoration of the Vietnam War as well as by improving the services and supports available to Vietnam veterans and their families. Righting this particular wrong is one significant step in the healing that continues.

Just as this welcome decision is of special significance for the families of the men buried in Terendak, 2016 will be a year of special significance for the Vietnam veteran community as a whole. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan, and numerous commemorative activities and initiatives are due to take place which will renew our dedication to recognising and caring for our Vietnam veterans and their families. For our young Australians this anniversary represents an opportunity to learn about a conflict that has in many ways shaped our society and the Australian Defence Force. It is an opportunity to acknowledge and better understand our uncles and fathers and grandfathers as they deserve to be acknowledged and understood and in so doing ensure our enduring responsibility to veterans is transferred to the next generation.

Today I congratulate everyone who has worked so hard to bring about the opportunity for these families to repatriate their loved one. I also honour all those men who served in the best traditions of the Australian Defence Force during the Vietnam conflict—all those who came home and all those who did not. As it should have been all those decades ago, where these 25 Australian servicemen will lie is now in the hands of the people who knew and loved them best. Whether that is next to other family members in the town where they were born or just below a line of trees on the green sloped grounds of Terendak cemetery, these men will honoured, they will be loved and they will be remembered.

Natasha Griggs (Solomon, Country Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This parliament is the scene of many robust debates. Those of us on this side of the chamber do not always share the opinion of those opposite. No matter the ideology or the beliefs of members of this place, everyone in this building should be united by a desire to do what is right. In the matter we are discussing today, there can be no argument that what we are doing is the right thing. In considering matters relating to the Australian defence forces, my argument will often come back to a simple principle—if we as a government decide that the men and women of the ADF need to put their lives on the line, then we as a government are obliged to do everything we can to support them. In some cases that support will take the form of making sure they have the right equipment to do their job. When our servicemen return from the battlefield, we owe it to them to ensure they have the best of care for the physical and psychological wounds that they may have suffered. Another form of support that we owe our service men and women is that, should they make the ultimate sacrifice, their service be acknowledged and their memory must be honoured.

A young man by the name of Reg Hillier was working as a jackaroo in the Northern Territory in 1961 when he enlisted into the Australian Army. His life working in the outback set him up well for the Army and he excelled in his role as an infantry scout. He deployed to Vietnam with the First Battalion and was commended for his outstanding leadership and courage. Corporal Hillier—or Reg, as he is affectionately known in the territory—punched above his weight in combat. His tracking skills were used to follow and attack small enemy units, and his courage in going into Viet Cong tunnels led to the capture of valuable intelligence.

Sadly, Reg was killed in action at Vo Dat on 29 November 1965. His family were told of his death—and at the same time given an ultimatum: they could provide 500 pounds to cover the cost of repatriating Reg's body from the battlefield to his home in the Northern Territory or, if they chose not to pay the money, Reg would have to be buried overseas. I want everybody to stop and think about that for a moment. This family would have received a telegram and a visit from a Defence Force padre informing them that Reg had passed away—that he had died overseas in a distant battlefield. They were given an opportunity to bring him home, but it was going to cost them 500 pounds. That was a large amount of money for anyone in those days to have lying around. There can be no question among any right-thinking person that the way the Commonwealth of Australia dealt with this was wrong. Reg's family could not afford to have him repatriated—as I said, 500 pounds was a year's salary to many people back then—so he was buried a thousand miles away from his loved ones in a military cemetery in Malaysia. If what we are considering today becomes law, then Corporal Hillier's remains will be returned home and he will be finally laid to rest in the Adelaide River War Cemetery in accordance with the wishes of his family.

Speaking of his family, I had the great privilege of meeting Mr Neil Bond a few weeks ago. Mr Bond is Reg Hillier's nephew and next of kin. I introduced Neil to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, and the three of us had a long and, at times, very emotional conversation. Neil told us of the immediate aftermath of Reg's death and the toll that that took on his family, particularly on one of Reg's sisters. He also told us of the many years of anguish Reg's sister endured following his death and her dealing with the guilt that they could not afford to bring him home. I cannot begin to imagine how this family felt. I cannot bear to think about how they felt being told by the nation that the remains of their family member, who had given his life, would not be brought home unless they paid. This anguish, as I said, took its toll on Reg's family. His sister's health gradually declined in the years that followed his death. She had not lived long enough to see this wrong made right. How much pain could we have averted if we had acted earlier?

There are an awful lot of people in Australia who deserve thanks in bringing this motion before the House. Within my electorate, as has been pointed out, Bob Shewring from the Vietnam Veterans Association has been a tireless advocate of this cause. I met with Bob on many occasions over the last five years, and I relayed his concerns to my colleagues. To the Prime Minister, and to the Minister for Veterans' Affairs, Senator Michael Ronaldson: thank you. This has not been an easy issue to pursue. The Prime Minister and Minister Ronaldson have committed a lot of work to this, because it was the right thing to do. It is the right thing to do—and I thank them sincerely. I would also like to thank the Malaysian government, who have cared for and respected our men over the last 50 years.

To those opposite: when the veterans' associations brought this issue to your attention, what happened? My fellow Territorian, the honourable member for Lingiari, was the former Minister for Defence Science and Personnel and former Minister for Veterans' Affairs; why did he not right this wrong? Why, when the veterans' associations and the families of the deceased came to him, did he not right this wrong?

There is nothing this parliament can do today to undo the past. The best we can do—and it is 50 years too late—is to offer the next of kin of Reg Hillier and his comrades in arms what they should have been offered all those years ago: a dignified repatriation. It should have happened 50 years ago, as I said, but, because it did not, the best we can do is to make that commitment now. We must offer to bring our people home.

Beyond this issue of the repatriation of these men, we need to remember the duty that we owe to all our servicemen. Every time someone returns from a battlefield where they have fought in the service of Australia, they are owed a duty of care by this nation and its people. To the men and women who will return, carrying the burdens of their service: we owe them the best of care. For those who lose their lives on the battlefield, we pledge: we will remember them. I say today, in commending this motion: we must do more than remember them—we must honour them. I commend the Prime Minister's statement made on 25 May here in this place, when he announced that those who died in the Vietnam War will be repatriated with full military honours. We are righting a wrong made 50 years ago. Thank you, Prime Minister, and thank you, Minister Ronaldson, for righting this wrong.

Nick Champion (Wakefield, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Before, when everybody else was offering their condolences to the member for Canberra, I did offer mine privately. But I would like the Hansard to reflect that I offered my condolences to her and Chris on the death of her father-in-law.

Debate adjourned.